Spotlight on....York

During my travels around the UK, I hope to do a ‘Spotlight on’ post that will highlight the best Museums and sites within a city.

This first one is very close to my heart as I grew up near here – York! Viking capital of the UK and with a rich ‘chocolate heritage’, it’s the most beautiful place to visit. It also has one of the oldest streets in the country….read on to find out!

Jorvik Viking Centre

This is definitely one of the most unique attractions you can visit. York is incredibly rich in Viking objects, as they keep finding them! At the Jorvik Centre you can find out how York became the Viking capital of the UK, meet some real life Vikings but more importantly, THERE’S A RIDE. Yes, there is a little ride where you go round York as it would have been! The sights and more interestingly, the smells, have been convincingly recreated and it’s absolutely incredible. It reminded me of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland if you know it! Worth a visit at around £9.95 per ticket.

The Shambles

This is a wonderful little street that was mentioned in the Doomsday book! Many of the houses along this street date back to the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, where it was mostly butchers. You can still see the channels down the middle of the street which were used for offal and blood drainage (thankfully not anymore!) It has a wonderful range of unique, fun shops that aren’t just for tourists (although some are). Have a look, because after all, it’s free to browse!

My pick: York Lucky Cats shop, where you can see them actually mould the glass in front of you. Follow the trail of “lucky cats” around the city too!

York Castle Museum

One of the best features of this Museum is the recreated Victorian street, where you can look into all of the old shops; the sweet shop is still selling! The exhibitions in the rest of the Museum regularly change, but the overall building and collections the Museum has mean that it is always really interesting. The gift shop is ok in comparison with other ones in the city, and makes more of York’s association with chocolate.

York Minster

Ok, so a lot of cities have cathedrals. York Minster is a little different though, in that it is one of the largest gothic cathedrals in Europe. Although a stone structure has existed since 637 AD, it was during the twelfth century that the gothic style took shape. As with any large church, there are lots of different sections to explore. More importantly, the stain glass windows and architecture are stunning to behold. In buying your ticket, I would recommend buying the cheaper version without access to the tower; it is a £5 difference and the Minster is what you really want to see.

York Walls

Similar to the city of Chester, York is one of the few UK cities to still have its ancient walls in tact. The walls were built around 71 AD by the Romans, and fortified by the Danes (Vikings). In Medieval times, the gatehouses or ‘Bars’ as they are now known, were used to monitor traffic and exact tolls on those visiting the cities. Although the walls aren’t entirely complete, you can still walk across most of the city using them. This results in some stunning views! You can see far more of the city this way, and it means avoiding the crowds.

National Railway Museum

As well as spending a childhood here, I also spent a summer working as a researcher for the royal trains exhibition here. Trains might sound very boring, but this Museum challenges any preconceptions you might have, and makes trains fun and interesting for both children and adults. The Museum also includes the Flying Scotsman and a working turntable, as well as a steam train for the kids! It’s definitely one of the best Museums you could possibly visit, and it has a shuttle train to the town center.

There is a lot to do in York, and these are only my selection of what I consider to be the best historical attractions. It’s well worth taking time to do as much of the city as you possibly can.