York is a quaint leafy town on the Ouse River with cobbled streets, lots of cafes and boutique stores.
York has two main stunning attractions, the first being the gothic-style York Minster.
And the second being the magnificent City Wall which wraps almost the whole way around the town centre.
We meet in York, Saturday lunch time, easily finding our way to our B&B the City Guest House.
We had to walk through the town to get to the B&B and were immediately charmed by the cobbled streets and hints of history. Modern day planners and developers have done well to retain this as even the big chain stores and restaurants seemed to do a good job with working themselves into the town landscape. We found this refreshing, as most English cities tend to look the same with the chains dominating the town landscape.
After checking in, we hit town for some exploring and shopping.
We got lost in the twisting streets and in numerous boutiques before parting for an hour-and-a-half to shop or watch the disastrous loss the Aussies suffered in the rugby (note: try not to be the only Aussie in a pub here while we get clobbered by the English. It can be a rather lonely experience).
Being in an English town, one must sample the tea and scones, so we did this at the Little Shambles Tea Rooms.
We spent the last hours of sunlight at Museum Park. It was lovely to see the setting sun's rays hit the trees and ruins as we strolled through.
Dinner was sought at the local pub, Cross Keys, which served up decently priced, generous servings of pub food.
Sunday morning was a glorious day and we were spoilt by a home cooked English breakfast downstairs. After checking out, we worked off breakfast by climbing the York Minster. With 275 stairs up the narrow, twisting Tower of the Minster, it is not one for the faint hearted. But if you can make it, the views from the top are stunning.
For the less game, the view from the ground is also a stunner.
Finally, we ventured below street level to the crypt called the Undercroft. In 1960, the foundations of the Minster were at risk from falling and excavations under the Minster uncovered remains of buildings that pre-dated the Minster. An audio-tour comes free with the ticket and it’s a fascinating story to trace about the history of York and the stories of the buildings which once stood where the Minster stands today.
After a few hours at the Minster, we finished our weekend with a final shop.
The temperatures were falling and evening was approaching. Our weekend in York was coming to a close. We parted on the station platform, one train heading south and the other, heading north.
