Spooky York

When we woke up, we continued our catch up and enjoyed a relaxing, slow morning. Eventually though, our walking tour of York was to begin and we met basically right outside our accommodation. Melissa had struck gold by getting a beautiful three tory house right next to the famous York Minster. The tour started by exploring the area around the minster
Wandered around the minster, learning about the famous Guy Fawkes who grew up and lives in York. There were many pubs and hotels that claim to be his local, but the guide informed us that pretty much no buildings in the town exist from his era, so it is unlikely that any of them are authentic. The next step was the equally famous shambles of York. Known for their dark, mysterious environment that inspired Diagon Alley in harry Potter, it was the formers butchers quarter of town. They built the buildings very close together to stop light penetrating and causing the meat to go bad. To further this effect they built second and third storys that overhang the previous floors meaning that essentially no light gets through during any part of the day. The atmosphere was great and it really is a spooky, creepy part of York. After our tour, we sat at the pub and enjoyed a drink. The pub was very gothic and old. The floors weren't level and the roof was short, but it did feel like the classic Scottish pub. To add to the immersive aura, there are plenty of ghost stories that go back hundreds of years. They are present and displayed all around the pub. However, it wasn't until the afternoon that we kicked off the really spooky side of York. We started our second tour of the day, that was the darker more scary side of York. The guide, although dramatic and a great story telling, he was a bit over the top for me. Very exaggerated and loud, but he was very funny and knew how to improvise. Although the tour had some spooky stories, it was probably more fun and entertaining than anything. After this tour, we went back to the Shambles to experience it at night and get the full experience. It worked, it was a much more suiting atmosphere at this time.Read more