There’s a market here twice a week and many pubs, restaurants, takeaways and coffee shops. It’s a thriving town with all the amenities you’d expect to find, but with the additional benefit of the beautiful rural countryside.
Therfield Heath Nature Reserve (also known as Royston Heath) overlooks Royston from a hill to the south-west and has impressive views, woodland footpaths, and the rare Pasque flower can be found here between March and May. It’s a stunning area offering beautiful country walks, as well as an 18-hole golf course.
Royston has plenty of opportunities for exercise. It has its own skatepark, and the local leisure centre has a gym, pool and various exercise classes to choose from. There’s plenty of sports clubs in the town, including the Tennis Club, Hockey Club, Golf Club and Royston Karate. Royston Town Football Club was founded in 1875 and is the third oldest club in Hertfordshire.
Priory Memorial Gardens is a large park in Royston that was developed in the 1950s and has been awarded a Green Flag. It has play areas, a bandstand, memorial areas, a sensory garden and more, and can be found just a few minutes from the centre of town.
Dating back to the 12th century, there’s plenty of history to discover here. The Royse (Roisia) Stone has stood at a crossroads in the town for over 900 years and was said to have been the base for a cross that was put up by Lady Roisia when the town was founded.
Royston has its very own cave, which was discovered in 1742. Royston Cave is carved out of chalk and can be found beneath the central crossroads of the town. Medieval-style carvings can be seen within it, and it’s open to the public at certain times each week. Royston Cave is now a Grade I listed building.
There’s a mix of property styles to be found here; the older period properties tend to be found in the more historic town centre, with more modern family homes located in other areas as you head out towards the villages.
Royston’s nearby villages are popular with buyers and tenants alike and include Melbourn, Litlington, Bassingbourn, Meldreth, Shepreth, Fowlmere, Foxton, Barkway, Barley, Chrishall, Heydon, Barrington, Wimpole, Orwell, Arrington and Gt Chishill.