Destination: York
Dates: March 2022
Nights: 2
Accommodation: The Hedley Hotel York (Groupon deal)
Highlights: The town, history, buildings and York city walks
Lowlights: Yo Sushi 

Day 1. The OG York

Three hours and 30 minutes driving up north we arrived at The Hedley Hotel. Check in was at 2pm so we took advantage of the spa services at the hotel and pre booked a massage session with Emily as soon as we arrived. As it was a Groupon deal we received 20% off spa treatments, so it was rude not to. A quick refresh in our rooms to wash the oil off and it was time to explore. The hotel was ideal as it was a very short walk into the city and train station. Parking overall cost us £24 for two nights at the hotel. Everything is in walking distance so you will not need the car

Most of the day was spent in the car driving up to York and on our massages so we were running out of the day. The agenda for the day was to get our bearings, walk some of the York city walls, see York Minister and York Castle and there’s no better way to learn about a city’s history then to join a ghost trail hunt.

Day 2. All things York!

On our itinerary today was the JORVIK Viking Centre, York Chocolate Story, Shambles Market, a cruise down the River Ouse, birthday dinner reservations at El Gaucho and then off to taste the local craft beers

We started the day going back into time. The Jorvik Viking Centre was an amazing experience, the tour was an actual ride going through a Viking village replica with great visuals, audio and smells. The staff dress the part and had a lot of knowledgeable information about the discoveries that were found on that very spot.

Next history stop was York Chocolate Factory. Who would have known that some of the world’s best-known and most beloved brands of chocolate were born in York. Not me! Here we learnt about the history of chocolate making in York, have a go yourself and watch the experts at work.

Shambles Market was just around the corner with over 70 stalls selling gifts, drawings, fresh flowers, retro vinyl, crafts, handbags, vintage clothing and much more. Next to that is Shambles the old medieval street with timber-framed buildings and quirky shops looked like a scene from Harry Potter. I had to come back the next day at 7am to get a shot of the street empty as its very popular.

At the bottom of Shambles we discovered the shortest street in York with a big name ‘Whip-Ma-Whop-Ma-Gate’ A lot of the street names in York have the world gate in them. The word ‘Gata’ means street in the Viking language. Something we learnt at the Viking centre!

We were off to catch our cruise down the River Ouse. It was a 45 minute journey with a live captain’s commentary learning facts about York Minster, Clifford’s Tower, one of the only fortifications left of the castle that oversaw York after 1066, the many Bridges that cross the Ouse, the 2015 floods in York, the Museum Gardens, the medieval Guildhall, and where Guys Fawkes was born and schooled. If that doesn’t interest you can tour the river with self hire boats for 8 people(£40ph).

Birthday dinner was at El Gaucho , an Argentinian steakhouse. It was a small and cosy restaurant with a warm atmosphere. Steak was good but it was disappointing that they served it with frozen veg. Gordon would not be impressed!

Pubs around York are not hard to find. With a great selection of beers, here are a few that we popped in to:

Day 3. Last bit of York

The best time to explore the streets of York is up and early. With few people around you could really capture the history of this small beautiful city.

We couldn’t leave without completing every bit of the York city walls and visiting St Mary’s Abbey. A walk around the Roman walls takes approximately 2 hours and you get the best views as they are elevated.

St Marys Abbey is situated in the York Museum Gardens and was founded in 1055 and all that remains are the north and west walls. The York Museum Garden is free to enter and on a sunny day is nice to explore or sit and absorb.

Our days in York were up. York is evidently an old city with Roman and Viking roots. Unlike many cities in the UK many parts still look old like the cobbled streets of Shambles, the remains of the city walls and long standing buildings. It has a lot to offer and you definitely wont be short of history or traditional pubs.