Last Thursday night I stayed at the Red Lion Hotel, Doncaster- a Wetherspoons Hotel.
The same general comments as I made for the Furness Railway Hotel at Barrow apply here- https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/england-reviews/the-furness-railway-hotel-barrow-in-furness
I stayed here after a visit to Lincoln Cathedral, including for Evensong. Quite a long story concerning my Mum's heritage, and a pilgrimage by my Church Choir in Seattle, but safe to say one I've been trying to visit for a very long time.
I've been really struggling because of a lack of decently priced accommodation in Lincoln, and trying to get sensibly priced Premier Inns or Travelodges half way back in Sheffield or Manchester on the way home. (too far to return the same day).
At 2 days notice I paid £54.90 for a one night single room (and bear in mind that £9.15 of that is tax).
Fantastic value, cheaper than any identikit chain hotel such as Premier Inn (or Holiday Inn) in the area. The Red Lion is on Doncaster Market Square, and is a 300 year old property- with a rich history as a coaching inn, but also the horse racing in the town.
And at the birth of aviation Doncaster hosted the first air show in the UK in 1909.
On the Market Square there is the beautifully converted Woolmarket and Cornmarket buildings (the names are self evident). The Woolmarket now has multiple dining venues open until late evening. On a Thursday night a buzzing atmosphere about the market square area.
I was there next morning on Market Day- 3 a week- one of the bigger fish, meat and vegetable markets in the North of England.
I visited Doncaster Minster (a level of Church below a Cathedral, Yorkshire has a fair few of them)- a pretty interesting Church.
Doncaster is 20 minutes by train from York- pretty much always walk up cheap Advance Fares to York.
Unlike many tourist towns it still has a Tourist Information Centre, and a good one as well. A case where travelling outside the tourist bubble pays dividends. I wished I'd known about the Red Lion 2 years ago when I had to go to York for a meeting in mid summer and was quoted eye watering hotel prices.
One of the very interesting things I picked up in the TIC was a leaflet entitled 'The Pilgrim Heartland Trail'. I'm sure you could do it by bus/train but much easier by car. It traces the roots in the local area of five of the leading passengers on the Mayflower, and their fellow Scrooby and Leiden separatists (after leaving Scrooby, a local town, they initially fled to Leiden in the Netherlands before embarking on the Mayflower.).
Really good history, and a good reason to visit fascinating places not on the habitual tourist trail.
It is part of the regional Pilgrim Roots Trail, which is itself part of the national Mayflower Trail