York was about 100 miles away, east on the motorway to Leeds and then the A64 to our stay for two nights. The sun continued to bless us again and thankfully it was a dry drive through the heaviest traffic we had yet encountered on this trip, even though we took the ring road around the city of Manchester, the most populous in North West England. York is a fairly small city but when we got there I was sure most of Manchester had decided to visit at the same time. After dropping of our luggage and parking the car outside our AirBnB we walked downtown along a well worn dirt pathway by the River Ouse. York is a walled city that was founded by the ancient Romans, its huge 13th century Gothic Cathedral, York Minster, dominating the low skyline. Before going over to see if we could get in to the Cathedral we stopped off to visit Clifford's Tower, an 800 year old landmark recently renovated. It is the largest remaining part of York castle, once the centre of government for the north of England. We had a good view from the top of the city but didn't linger as a cold wind had sprung up. We went over to the Minster but found out we had to prebook. Planning to return tomorrow morning we strolled through the Shambles on the way home, an old street with over-hanging timber-framed buildings that go as far back at the 14th century. Now it is a cobbled, narrow touristy place full of cafes, quirky boutiques and masses of people out on this long Easter week.
 |
| Clifford's Tower,York |
 |
| York Minster |
The next morning smelled fresh and inviting as it had rained overnight but we felt alive and ready to return to the heart of the city. We headed straight for York Minster for the 10am opening and spent over two hours admiring this wonderful old cathedral, from its exquisite, handcrafted stone through to the unrivalled collection of medieval stained glass. This place has been at the centre of Christianity in the north of England since the 7th century, the second largest Gothic Cathedral of northern Europe. We saw the largest single expanse of stained glass in England, created between 1405 and 1408, the magnificent Grand Organ, the statues of kings from Henry III to Henry VI on the 15th century King's Screen and the famous St Cuthbert Window, one of the largest surviving narrative windows in the world, currently undergoing a 5 year conservation. In the Crypt we discovered the Doomstone, a carved limestone relief of hell from the 12th century. It is a gruesome scene of lost souls being pushed into a boiling cauldron by devils and demons - greed and lust well depicted! Before leaving we climbed the 275 winding steps to the Central Tower, getting fine views from the highest point in the city. A stroll back along the river to plan for the next days drive to Newcastle. Should be a fun time as it's nightlife has been voted by Tripadvisor the third best place in Europe after London and Berlin. GWS
 |
|
 |
| No. 9 Ambrose, our AirBnB, York |
 |
| The Kings Screen |
 |
| The Great East Window, York Minster |
 |
| The Chapter House |
 |
The Doomstone, York Minster
|
