A visit to York, tips for where to go, when to go and what to see
The canopy over the entrance to Bettys of York.
If you read my last blog post HERE , you’ll remember that I’ve now been to York twice, but on my last visit, I didn’t get the opportunity to explore the city. So this time I wanted to have a look at some of the ‘best of’ sights and tastes York has to offer.
First up was breakfast at possibly the most famous eatery in York, Bettys. People literally come from all over the world to sample the delights Bettys has to offer. Whilst we sat for breakfast, Mrs L and I had Japanese tourists on one side, a couple of students from Wisconsin and Melbourne on the other side and a Spanish family behind us. As well as the delicious food at the tables, there’s also a shop attached that means you can take away some of their famous treats and seasonal specialities. I personally picked up a pack of ‘Cheeky Rascals’, a small scale version of Betty’s famous Fat Rascal, and a Yorkshire Tea Loaf. Obviously, these were for sharing, as eating all that myself would turn me into a Fat… Rascal. From the immaculately presented servers, to the stained glass windows and wood panelled walls, Bettys is an establishment not to be missed. Word to the wise No.1 - Get there early or be prepared for a good wait in the queue, even just to browse the shop.
Fuelled up, it was time for a wander to create space for coffee and treats later on.
The beautiful thing about York as a city for tourists, is that it’s possible to see most of the highlights of the city in a day. Obviously, to appreciate everything you see, it should be given at least two days, but on this trip I only had one spare day. Word to the wise No.2 - If possible, avoid Saturdays. Saturdays in York are busy. And when you see how small some of the most beautiful parts of York city centre are, it can feel a little claustrophobic in the most touristy spots such as The Shambles.
So let’s start with The Shambles, or officially just Shambles. Urban legend says Shambles was the inspiration for Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter stories, though apparently J K Rowling denies this. But it’s easy to see how the legend came about. Shambles is a street in York dating from the late 1300’s and some of the original timber framed buildings still stand. The street got its name from the trade that used to happen on it. In this case it had 31 butchers shops. None still exist, but if you look out for them, many of todays shops still have meat hooks on display as a nod to the history of this street.
Unsurprisingly, given this is a major tourist draw, Shambles now has 4 wizard themed stores along it. But there’s another store that stand out from all the others on Shambles. This was a new discovery to me, but apparently not to many others, who have been known to queue for up to 3 hours just to get in… At 6 Shambles is The York Ghost Merchants. It sells little ghosts and nothing else. All are made on the premises and every one is unique. People again travel from all over the world to get their hands on a little York Ghost collectible. They come in two sizes only and at any one time there are around 600 ghosts available in the store. I really want to go back and get there early now to see what spooktacular collectibles take my fancy.
The largest feature in York has to be York Minster. Completed in 1472, the cathedral is one of the largest in Europe. Its stained glass windows are world famous, some dating back to the 13th century. If you want, you can walk up the central tower, 275 steps, to get panoramic views of the city. For tourists, York Minster opens from 09:30 and tours including the tower climb start at 10:00. Prices and all other information can be found at https://yorkminster.org/ . This is one place that can take hours to properly explore, so it’s on my next visit itinerary. As I’ve said previously, I’m in no way religious, but by heck I do love religious architecture.
A thing I absolutely loved walking around York, was its abundance of independent shops and cafes. The streets are so cosy and pleasant to wander around, it just feels right that the stores are often small and unique. There really is something for everyone here. Getting around the different main streets of York is also a mini adventure, if you chose it to be. Linking most of the streets are historic narrow little alleyways or covered cut throughs called Snickelways. Most have their own names deriving from historical activities or occurrences within the alley. Shamble has 5 snickelways coming off of it alone.
My favourite snickelway find was through, what else, but Coffee Yard. Halfway along, you come across a small courtyard with the entrance to Barley Hall, a restored 14th century priory visitor experience. Also in the courtyard is Barley Hall Coffee Shop. A beautiful independent coffee shop that was once a printing shop and 18th century coffee house, one of the first in York. There’s plenty of seating and on screens on the first floor is a history of coffee. Perfect for me! Luckily they also did a good cup of tea for Mrs L. A coffee shop not to be missed in my opinion.
It was early afternoon by now and the city was getting very busy. So much so, it was impossible to get a real flavour of everything I hadn’t yet seen, and there was a lot still to see. The decision was made to make a date to come back (not at a weekend), and call it a day. It was the correct decision, as when we got back to the car park (pre booked with Q Park), the queues to get in were all the way down the street. Driving away from York, the traffic heading into the city was ridiculous, with queues forming on the main access roads. So I’ll say this once more… When you visit York, and you really should, try to avoid weekends, or get here early.
N.
