York is one of my favourite cities, a place I’ve visited many times. As a treat for my birthday, Jill booked us a night at a Travelodge.
We made use of the current bus subsidy which meant it only cost us £2 each to get there. I thought the fairly lengthy journey might be a bit tedious, but despite the bad weather limiting visibility, the trip passed quicker than expected.
We checked in straight away and then set off into the drizzle for a bit of exploration, a walk involving pubs and cats. Jill had discovered a cat trail, in which we followed clues to search for cat sculptures secreted on York’s walls, window ledges and in windows. Every so often we popped into a bar to dodge the rain, which gradually eased as the day went on. It was a fun thing to do and we covered quite a distance.
One of the pub highlights was when we stumbled across the Brew York Tap. It was much bigger than I expected, and pretty busy too with a huge range of beers on offer. I’m sure we will return at some point.
After freshening up at the hotel, we heading for a night out. We had planned to have few beers and a pizza at the Hop, but by the time we got there the kitchen had closed. We ended up eating a crap kebab. Our last port of call was the fabulous Blue Bell on Fossgate. We got talking to another couple, staying longer and drinking more than we intended before heading off to bed.
Next day the weather was much improved. We decided to walk the walls, something I’d not done for a very long time. We were both pretty tired at the end of it, but had managed the full circuit, enjoying the views from the ramparts. After that we were ready for home.
After picking up our bags from the Travelodge, we thankfully didn’t have far to walk to the bus stop. The journey home was longer, as the bus was picking up workers and schoolchildren, detouring into villages that had been missed out on the way there. The journey was still a pleasant one, and one we might well repeat if we can find a room that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg!
