Taxi near York - best to book ahead?

Hello there ,so I msged the local taxi firm in Helmsley.
Ian has great feedback reviews and responded straight away to me.
Helmsley Black Cabs has a facebook page also ,and thats where I msged him.

Hi, thanks for the msg. At the moment I'm the only taxi working in Helmsley at the moment. Cost of travel to Rievaulx is £12. Advisable to pre-book. Nearest train station is Thirsk (14miles). Crayke Castle near Easingwold is a private residence. Taxi number is 01439 223939. Thanks, Ian

There is a York to Helmsley bus service .

Very off topic.

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/Sj73Xiaw8t5x43V9/
A Yorkshire anthem

There is a taxi stand in the Market Square in Helmsley where you can get a taxi to Rievaulx Abbey (well worth a visit!), but it wouldn't hurt to call ahead.

Also there is no train service to Helmsley from York, although the 31X bus by Reliance makes the trip there daily. Check the timetable VERY carefully, though, as some schedules change depending on whether school is in session or not. https://reliancebuses.co.uk/service-31x/

I don't know how you feel about long-ish walks, but there is a lovely walk from Helmsley to the Abbey that you could take. You can find more information here: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/inspire-me/travel-guides/helmsley-to-rievaulx/ It's about a 3 mile walk, so you could get a taxi there and then walk back (or vice versa).

There is another thread somewhere from someone who pre booked a taxi from Thirsk to Rievaulx at a very favourable rate. As well as the out of town station Thirsk has a far better bus service- Reliance service 30.
That OP was full of praise for the taxi service received. They weren't even charged waiting time.

I don't know how long ago that was, Stuart, but yesterday I had to take a last-minute taxi from Thirsk to Helmsley, which is only 2 miles past Rievaulx, and it was around £35, which is expensive (at least, to me).

But I do agree that Thirsk has more transportation options, plus it has a train station. The only issue is that the train station is a 30 minute walk from the taxi stand in the city center, so it would definitely pay to reserve ahead of time and have the taxi meet you at the station.

I was travelling earlier (so couldn't post links), and then went straight into a meeting at home.

This is the relevant thread from just about a year ago- https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/england/day-trip-from-york-to-thirsk-rievaulx-abbey-advice-please

Oh, I see - it was for a pre-booked taxi. Although that's not really that much less, don't you think? Mine was higher because I went further on to Helmsley, which is another 2-3 miles, and I also rounded the payment up to £35. I think the actual cost was £32.40 or thereabouts.

But even if it's not cheaper, if you want a ride from the station, it's better to pre-book and have the taxi meet you when the train comes in.

Thirsk to Helmsley for £32 sounds reasonable to me.

Given that I only do taxis when they are on my expenses (in the past) or paid for by the railway I don't have experience of paying fares. But in my area the approved rates are £4 for each of the first 2 miles (or part thereof) then 22 pence per 1/10th of a mile, + 22 pence per minute waiting time.
50% surcharge at night.

Or that was the last rate sheet agreed before Cumbria and all it's local councils were abolished.

I have only ever done a taxi once on my own account- from Tongue to Thurso when a once a day bus had been retimed the previous day and missed it's postbus connection from Lairg.

Back in January I encountered a case on National Express where someone missed a connection (from Liverpool) at Birmingham and were sent forward to Plymouth by taxi paid for by Nat Ex. I didn't know they did that. The taxi was meant to be chasing us to Cheltenham or Bristol but never caught us up.

For the OP taxis are likely to be unavailable at the start and end of the school day due to operating council school bus services. In Easingwold definitely book ahead. There is unlikely to be a rank anywhere in town.

The only regular bus to Helmsley is the Coastliner from York to Pickering then the Scarborough and District 128 to Helmsley. For a day trip that is a bit of an expedition.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions!

If I do need a taxi around school hours, how far ahead would you suggest I book? Is the day before enough or should I do it further in advance?

I think the day before would be enough time. Thirsk has a number of taxis. Here's a site that I was using the other day to find taxis. Scroll down to get to the Thirsk info. https://www.visitthirsk.org.uk/pages/taxis.php

I think the way to configure this day is to get a breakfast time train from York to Thirsk, taxi to Rievaulx for 10am opening time, then walk or taxi to Helmsley, then the 1245 bus to Easingwold for Crayke, then there are frequent buses back from Easingwold to York-

or York to Easingwold on the 0735 Monday to Friday Service 30XS bus (a short working to Easingwold only, arrives at 0820), for Crayke, then the 1035 bus Easingwold to Helmsley, walk to Rievaulx, taxi to Thirsk, see the Herriot Museum (if it interests you), train or bus back.

Given that I don't think you can get into Crayke Castle, then getting a taxi out of Easingwold at the end of the morning school run, paying for waiting time then taxi back for the 2.5 miles would give you ample time before the 1035 bus. You could even walk out to Crayke then order the taxi back for 10am.

How about this - there is a bus #40 from Crayke to Easingwold at 1030, connecting with a bus to Thirsk Market Place at 1056.

Thanks all, I appreciate the help!