York: The Grand old Duke

The grand old walled city of York played host to the von Yarralls as we sought a long weekend of R&R, and it certainly delivered.

The train ride there was fantastic in itself,  a very fast service from London Kings Cross direct, taking in the changing scenery and the hundreds of middle-aged trainspotters along the way. Lou was fascinated with them as we slowed for each station, keeping count and remarking on the uniform of anorak, backpack, and notepad. Whoever knew trainspotting was so popular? We do now!

Arriving into York, we were almost immediately greeted with a friendly local who stopped his car when he spotted us looking at our map, and gave us very thorough directions to our B&B on the other side of town. Foss Bank B&B played host to us for three nights and was just the ticket – quiet, warm, and a giant bed perfect for afternoon naps; essential for a late-January winter getaway.

Once we’d settled in, we went off to explore York Minster, a must-do for any visit. We joined an excellent free tour (admission though was £14) and were expertly guided by a volunteer, seeing all the nooks, crannies and quirks of the 800-year-old Minster. Highlights included the semaphore statues (a recent addition, you use cards with the semaphore alphabet to figure out what they say); the quirky and often humorous carvings in the chapter house, and the choir screen with statues of various Kings. One of our areas of focus was the astronomical clock, a memorial to airmen operating from bases in Yorkshire, Durham, and Northumberland who were killed in action during WW2 (of which Lou's great uncle Michael was one). In fact, there was so much to do at the Minster that we stopped by for another visit on our way back to London on Sunday - free with our ticket.

 Memorial book at the astronomical clock

The following day we joined a free walking tour – always a highlight and something we try to do wherever we go. Some of the highlights included seeing parts of the 4th century Roman walls, King's Manor (Henry VIII's Council of the North, and Holy Trinity Goodramgate, complete with 15th century stained glass and Jocobean boxed pews - something we haven't seen in any church before.

After a spot of lunch, we headed to the Jorvik centre, built on the site of 100-year-old houses and shops from Viking times. It was a bit of a ho-hum experience, even the short 'ride' through the old streets was a wee bit disappointing. Perhaps we've now seen our fair share of old coins and tools and things - oh how spoilt we are!

That night we sampled the local kai at Melton’s Too, where we enjoyed excellent food, beer and service, at super affordable Northern prices.

 Not what we ate at Melton's Too

Dean’s old boss lives in Harrogate, a 30 minute train ride away, so we popped there to visit him and the picturesque town on Saturday. The sun was shining, which made for excellent conditions for a long stroll through Valley Gardens, even happening across a New Zealand garden along the way. While in Harrogate we had afternoon tea at Betty’s, a Yorkshire institution. Saturday night back in York saw us at the Punch Bowl pub, one of the oldest in town, enjoying a pie and a pint, and a few games of cards in front of the fire.

 The kiwi garden, Harrogate

We were heading back to London on Sunday, but managed to squeeze in another visit to the Minister as well as an hour at the Railway museum – once there, we really wished we’d left longer for it, it’s very well laid out and interesting, even for the girls!

Another train journey back to London and we were refreshed, revitalised, and recommending York to anyone who'd listen for a break away.

 Dean on his street, Deangate