Weekend in York, UK
This weekend we have been mostly visiting York….
Taking advantage of in-laws visiting my wife and I have taken a one and a half hour drive from Manchester to York for the weekend.
Choosing accommodation was no easy task. There are so many to choose from and the prices vary greatly amongst hotels of the same star rating. Since York is a ‘walking city’, that is to say once you’re here a car is a hindrance rather then an asset, accommodation with parking was a must.
We booked a great deal in The Churchill hotel 5 mins walk from the Minster, in fact we can see the Minster from our room. Parking is free (bonus) and staff are helpful and friendly. We have come on a package deal which includes breakfast and dinner. We are yet to have breakfast as this is our first morning but dinner last night was superb. A selection of dishes on the menu and a presentation I would only expect (and only ever had) from a 5 star Hotel. Added to which the decor is tasteful and reminds me of a boutique hotel without the unnecessary ‘quirkiness’.
£280 all in is a great deal: when you take out the cost of breakfast and dinner, it means the room has only cost £30 per person per night. And if you’re cheeky enough, like my wife is, you can even get a free bottle of wine (and it was a good one too).
So yesterday when we arrived we took a walk around York to get a feel for the place. It’s a maze of cobbled streets, crooked houses, pubs, cafes and shops all in keeping with the history of the buildings they occupy. It’s a lesson many other towns should learn. Just because McDonalds is usually tacky plastic signs and glass fronts doesn’t mean it and other shops should lower the tone and degrade the ambience of a place. Here in York high street chains are housed within listed buildings. While they blend nicely into the cobbled streets without ruining the heritage they still manage to get their brand across.
We had lunch at Cafe Concerto on Friday and The Living Room on Saturday. Given the choice I would go back to Cafe Concerto, it was well priced (don’t read cheap) and great tasting, whereas the Living Room was over priced for the quality of ingredients used (least cost as far as I could tell).
For the rest of Saturday we visited the art gallery, Treasures House (including a tour of the haunted cellar) and lots and lots of walking. We headed straight for the wall first thing in the morning which was a good call. The wall is narrow and by the end of our 2 mile York circumnavigation the wall began to get crowded and a little unpleasant. Best to get up and walking as early as you can.
Dinner again in The Churchill Hotel tonight and I’m looking forward to it.