Day 25 York, UK

The first day of 2024 began with brilliant sunshine and a warmer morning. We walked the 40 minutes into town, passing rural farmland and then many lovely terraced houses. Once in town, it was a short walk to York Minster and we were very pleased to have bought tickets to go in, as it was absolutely beautiful and there was so much to see, including the underground chapel and museum. The history of its construction was fascinating as we considered it was first built in 1080 with many reconstructions since and finally being completed in 1472. We left there for the JORVIK Viking Centre which is a museum and visitor attraction in York, containing lifelike mannequins and life-size dioramas depicting Viking life in the city. We were taken through the dioramas in small carriages equipped with speakers. It was created by the York Archaeological Trust and opened in 1984. It is a truly interactive experience as the sounds and smells add to what you are viewing to give a really good picture of what life was like. We left there to find York much quieter today as many of the shops were shut for New Years Day. After a stop for a coffee we wandered around many old streets and came across the bridge over the River Ouse, which appeared high and flooding some businesses on its banks. As the bus was not running we decided to Uber back for some more relaxation and a delicious dinner of the cheeses, ham and crackers we had purchased yesterday, before playing cards. There is so much to see in York itself, but tomorrow we will venture to the East Yorkshire countryside.Read more