It’s a cold and frosty morning as we wait for our train at Glasgow Central for our trip to York, but that is not enough to dampen our enthusiasm for our trip to this beautiful city.
Our train is an early one at 6 am, as we wanted to have as much time as we could to explore all York has to offer. We are travelling First Class with CrossCountry trains.
It’s a beautiful journey, just under four hours long, and plenty of teas and coffees were provided to keep us going, as well as a tasty mid-morning snack to keep the hunger pangs at bay.
I loved the fact there was free Wi-Fi on board, and two plug points for myself and my partner to charge our phones, as there were so many opportunities to snap some fab pictures out the window as we hurtled along.
We reached York just after 10 am after a comfortable and relaxing train journey. It was chilly but dry, so it was a pleasant walk from the station to our hotel, The Grange. There were plenty of taxis right outside the station which was handy if you wanted to escape the rain, but we didn’t have far to walk.
The Grange is a beautiful boutique hotel, full of horse racing memorabilia, and dog friendly too if you want to take a furry companion. The hotel is located close to the train station, the town centre and York Minster, and even though we arrived early, they allowed us to check in as our room was ready.
Our room was on the second floor but they have rooms on the ground floor and good wheelchair access if needed. The room was clean and bright and airy, with the most comfortable bed and pillows I have ever slept on, and a great bath with an overhead shower.
After unpacking we headed into town for a walk around the fantastic boutique shops, which sell everything from a needle to an anchor, from the basics to the most amazing luxury items you could dream of.
The streets are quite narrow, and you do have to be careful of the many bikes which zoom up and down. There are also many little benches dotted up and down to rest your weary legs after a mammoth shopping spree – which at the time was a God send!
We decided to have a quick look around the Minster, which is huge with so much to see and do, but your ticket is valid for 12 months after purchase so you can go back and see the bits you missed.
We went back the following day to do the tower walk, which is not for the faint hearted (this also costs an extra £5 each and can only be used once). The view from the top is stunning and well worth climbing the 275 steep steps up a narrow spiral staircase.
On returning to the hotel we had dinner in its Ivy restaurant, which though a wee bit expensive, was lovely – the venison is highly recommended. We then retired upstairs to the lounge with a few drinks in front of their roaring coal fire to end the evening.
The following day we visited the York Art Gallery, which has the most beautiful exhibits of paintings (including two L.S Lowrys), pottery and interactive displays over two floors, with a handy lift to take you to the second floor.
After a spot of lunch at the Hole in the Wall pub (definitely try and eat here), we went for a wander round The Shambles, which is like being transported back in time, as you meander around timber framed buildings and touristy shops (also the scene of some of the shops in Harry Potter) .
There is so much to do in York we could quite easily have spent a week there and taken in the open top bus tour, the famous after dark ghost walks, the Viking museum, and of course the fab York races.
We will definitely return for another visit in the summer as it really is a magical city.
by Gaynor Robertson, 41, Glasgow
