A recent weekend trip to York, England made me realize how silly I’ve been. With cheap plane and rail tickets making London a virtual gateway to continental Europe and beyond, I had forgotten how much there is to do and see in England itself. Since I moved to London six months ago, I’ve spent an innumerable amount of weekends jetting off to places like Berlin, Paris, and Malta. But my trip to York made me realize how foolish I’ve been to neglect the richness and history that is practically in my own backyard.
In front of the York Minster
Visit England, England’s national tourism board, helped me to recognize my folly when they extended an invitation for Liebling and I to come to York, the city said to be the most beautiful in England. York also holds the unique distinction as the most haunted city in England, with over 500 ghosts being reported at one time or another! I always love a good ghost story, so I jumped at the chance to go. Thrilled to discover a new place (and even more tickled that we wouldn’t require our passports to do so), we jumped on a train one Friday evening in April and settled in for the swift two-hour journey to our home for the next 2 days.
I’ll tell you right now: York is the perfect weekend destination. The train station is but a short walk away from the hustle bustle of town and the city is compact enough to be comfortably explored in two days. The attractions are interesting enough to excite even the most lackadaisical of tourists, and the abundance of pubs provide a most welcoming atmosphere in which to let one’s hair down. Our first night there, after dropping off our personal effects in our luxurious hotel, the Cedar Court Grand (the full extent of its fabulosity will be detailed in a future post), we took to the streets in pursuit of nightlife and good brew. We descended on the Golden Fleece, one of the towns oldest and most haunted pubs. Unfortunately, there were no ghost sightings, but we enjoyed our brief stay in one of the town’s most famous watering holes just the same.
The next day we deepened our cultural and historic knowledge of York, once again embarking on a self-designed walking tour that took us to its most popular sights. After a stroll along the Shambles, York’s oldest and most touristed street, we were stunned into silence by the ornate architecture of the York Minster Cathedral, which sits imposingly in the centre of York’s old town. The most impressive gothic architecture I have ever seen, the outside of the Minster reminded me of the buildings lining the Grand-Place when I went to Brussels this past January. Isn’t the interior just jaw-dropping?
Our next stop was the York Dungeon, the hilarious attraction where the 2000 years of York’s intricate folklore comes alive. Wickedly entertaining, the Dungeon is part haunted house, part history lesson. Patrons are lead from dark, spooky room to dark, spooky room and treated to tales and reenactments of York’s gruesome past… A past that featured notably tragic figures such as York native Guy Fawkes, best known for his failed plot to blow up English Parliament way back in 1605 (and subsequently incarnated in effigy form every November 5 and thrown into a blazing bonfire).
Stay tuned for the next installments in my York series, where I describe my brushes with Viking roller coasters, ghost walks, opulent accommodation, chocolate museums, Roman walls, and more!
Have you travelled a fair bit within your country of residence? Or do you often tend to leave your country when you want to go on holiday? Why or why not?
Many thanks to Visit England and Visit York for organizing my stay in England’s most haunted city. Opinions, long-windedness, and gushing, as always, are my own.
{ 24 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m a bit ashamed to see I’ve seen more of my adopted country Australia than I have of my home country Canada. Now that I live permanently in Australia, I’m always planning overseas holidays. I guess we take advantage of the fact we think our own backyard will always be there if we don’t have the money for an overseas trip. The grass is always greener right?
Oh man oh man! I’ve barely seen any of Canada, so I feel your pain, sister! I agree that we take our home countries for granted- there is always a reason for us to go back anyway!
I also love ghost stories and haunted places. York looks beautiful. I kinda regret now that I didn’t visit York when I was living in London
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You can always come back… ;-0
A new website design! Love it!!! I’ve heard awesome things about York.
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Thanks lady!! It’s still a work in progress!!
It never ceases to amaze me just how much there is to see on such a small island. I’m really glad you guys got to York, it’s a great city!
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After seeing your posts on it, I knew I had to go!! It’s true that England is a lot more diverse than I ever could have imagined!
I have to admit, that I too am guilty of heading abroad. Traveling in the U.S. is sooo expensive. I have not been to some of the “talked about places” such as, Vegas, New York (as a adult) and LA because of cost. I have been all over Colombia, and seen more of South America than I have of the good ol’ US of A (although I have been to over 18 over the 50 states, mostly in my youth). I prefer to travel abroad.
I agree that travelling within the U.S. and Canada is prohibitively expensive and it’s a shame! But the problem as well is that the distances are ridiculously large, and as such transport becomes more expensive!
I am in the same situation as you were, as I have lived in London for more than three and a half years now and haven’t been anywhere. The only other parts of the country I know are Birmingham, since I studied there for a year, and a few cities I visited on a school trip back in the days or during my stay in Birmingham.
I was actually thinking about exploring the UK and York looks like a great destination!
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I definitely recommend York- it’s close to London, cheaper than London(!!) and there are a bunch of things to see and do! It’s definitely worth it!
When living in India, I was more obsessed with saving and exploring neighboring nations…I only got to see the Southern part of India and now that I am out of India, I so much want to go back and visit the North of India.
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I feel the same way about Hong Kong! I really need to get my butt back to China so I can explore more of the country! Hindsight is 20/20…
If you liked York, you should visit Edinburgh. It has a similar feel, with lots of pubs, history and hauntings. In my opinion, it’s even better, but I might be a little biased!
And on that note, did you know that an antiquated law permits the people of York to kill Scotsmen, but only if it’s done with a bow and arrow and within the city walls?
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I’ve done a bit of travel outside the U.S. but I will admit I haven’t been to a lot of places within the U.S. I joike about that all the time with my sister. Our idea of a vacation is trying to get a passport stamp! York is BEAUTIFUL! I must visit there one day. I would enjoy the haunted history, gothic architecture (I love architecture), and maybe even visiting a pub. Great pictures! I feel like I was there.
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I plan on going to York sometime next year! Thanks for this! Greetings from Malta
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Hello hello! Which part of Malta do you hail from? York is gorgeous- you won’t regret going!
I’m from Attard! It’s in the centre of Malta! I’m sure I will enjoy it. I’ve got a soft-spot for England.
i’m interested with that.someday, i wanna go there
Yay!
Great article – York is absolutely stunning and a great reminder of how lucky we are to have such a wealth of history, heritage and architecture on our doorsteps! The surrounding areas of Yorkshire are absolutely amazing, beautiful landscapes. Next time your over this way, pop into Stockeld Park…we are a rural 2000-acre estate. We’re open between October and January for our Autumn/Winter Adventure Season…enchanted forest, real ice skating, maze, Nordic skiing (and loads more!) all set outdoors within some of Yorkshire’s finest woodland!! Unbelievable! See http://www.stockeldpark.co.uk for info!! Hope to see you soon!
Thanks for reading! Will have to pop by Stockeld Park one day
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