I had every intention of having this post ready and published on Monday, but lol as you can see, that didn’t happen. That’s what I get for assuming I can do everything within a timely manner. Ah well, better luck next time. I had an absolutely lovely weekend visiting Steve’s sister and her family in Leeds. It was so nice spending time with them, and I can’t wait to do it again soon! On our way back from Leeds, we made the decision before-hand that we wanted to hit York on the way back. We both have been dying to get there, so this trip was the perfect excuse for a day trip there!
Because we knew we would only have a day, we had to plan ahead a bit of what exactly we wanted to do. I say “a bit” because Steve and I try to maintain a somewhat “relaxed” way of seeing the sights when traveling. We like to get up early and head out during the day for a bit, go back to where we are staying and relax, and then head back out in the evening. We’re just not the type to go out for 12 hours. And to be honest, York is the kind of city that you can definitely crack out in a day! Also, we went on a Sunday, so it limited things a teeny bit, but not much.
We left Leeds in the morning, and got into York at about noon. I had reviewed some hotels beforehand, and made a point to look for ones that are very near or in the city centre. There are TONS of hotels in the area, but the one I finally chose on was The Churchill Hotel, which is right in the city centre. It was pretty cheap, looked cool on the website, AND had parking, so I was sold. We got to the hotel a bit too early to check in, so we dropped our bags off and headed out to explore a little bit.
Our stay at the hotel was okay, if I’m honest. And I’m so disappointed to say that, because I was genuinely excited about it! The room itself was nice – it was a standard sized room, and would have been pretty basic, had it not been for the decor. I’m not exactly sure why, but it seems to be themed around Winston Churchill (hence the name), and has a lot of historical decor and artwork. Our room was well decorated – the coolest part about it was the shower! There was a large mural of a bulldog, which looked awesome. We didn’t spend much time in the hotel room obviously, but sadly, we had a terrible night’s sleep. The bed was insanely comfortable, but unfortunately it was VERY noisey. Our room was situated right at the base of the steps that lead to the door into the main lobby (and right by the entrance to the bar…), so we heard slamming doors all night long. Our room was also on the ground floor next to the car park, which leads out to a seating area and the main road. So again, not good if you want some peace and quiet!
Our main goal was to see York Minster, which is one of the largest cathedrals in Europe. It was only £10 each for us to get in, and the tickets are good for an entire year if you enjoy it and want to go back! I think that is so cool, and a great way to bring people back to York. It is absolutely stunning, and is a must-see! With gorgeous stained glass windows and Gothic architecture, it’s absolutely breathtaking. It’s got some amazing history behind it as well – it took us almost an hour and a half to get through the entire cathedral, not counting going up the tower – if you want to go up, it’s an extra £5 I believe. Because the focal point of the city IS York Minster, we chose not to go up the tower.
Another thing that we had originally PLANNED on doing, but didn’t because we suck, was visit the Jorvik Viking Centre, The word “Jorvik” is the old Norse name for the city, as York was taken over by Viking armies. The Jorvik Viking Centre is a museum that contains displays that depict what Viking life was life and has artifacts found by archaeologists (like Viking poo – apparently that’s a popular attraction at the museum!). So yea, will be making a point to get there the next time we’re in York!
After York Minster, we strolled around the streets of York for a bit (getting yet more pictures of the Minster because as I said – IT’S BEAUTIFUL). We stopped off for such a great lunch at a little cafe called Cafe Concerto, and I had an amazing pastrami sandwich. I forget what Steve had, but it looked pretty good too. We found “The Shambles”, which was historically a street that had butchers shops and houses. The buildings on either side lean in so much across the cobble-stoned street, that they almost touch each other. It’s believed to be one of York’s oldest streets, and it definitely shows. Although now, its home to several gift shops, most of which are Harry Potter-themed. I know for a fact that HP was never filmed there, although a lot of tourists must not, because they were all taking pictures on the street! I must say – taking advantage of this is a great marketing tactic on York’s part.
One of my favorite parts of the trip was walking along the outer wall, which dates back to Roman times. It encompasses the entire inner city, and was used as a defense against invaders. You can walk the entire thing (and it’s completely free, I might add), and get some amazing views of the city and the Minster. It takes approximately two hours to walk it’s entire length, though. We didn’t walk that much of it, because I don’t think I could have handled it, but the portion that we did walk was lovely!
York is a beautiful city, with such an amazing history. It’s great if you’re in the are, or just want a bit of a day-trip planned. There loads to do for people of all ages, and is easy to do on a budget! Definitely recommend it!
xx Lauren
