We arrive in York from Cambridge after a day of driving. A driving day means in England approximately 4-5h car ride with extensive breaks, not necessarily 1000km on the highway non-stop as in other countries. We find a quiet place to spend two nights as a stealth camper in a residential area.

The Shambles

This is the sight in York par excellence. The pedestrian zone The Shambles is probably world-famous and we come mainly to York because of the narrow, medieval alley. The picture is fascinating. To us, this alley looks like it was frozen 500 years ago in the Middle Ages and ported into our time with today’s stores – impressive! The stores offer a suitable assortment, but some are too strongly oriented towards wizards and magic worlds, especially for Paddy. One store sells personalized “Magic Potions” – individually prepared sodas. The next store sells wands and merchandise from Harry Potter and other fantasy series. But there are other stores in between. A tea store with over 500 kinds of tea, for example, or a very originally furnished apothecary with many different vessels and drawers throughout the salesroom.

We don’t have so many different places to visit in York, so we walk up and down the street for at least five times. The last time we walk is already after dusk when the stores are closed – now there are only a few people to be found. It’s quite the opposite of lunchtime when the alley was packed.

Walk on City Walls

Around the whole old town of York runs a more or less preserved and restored city wall. At each gate the city wall can be climbed freely, and we walk about half of the city wall. Where the city wall is no longer preserved, signposts point to the next preserved section where the wall can be climbed again. The wall is only about as high as 1-2 floors of a modern house. Accordingly, we can mainly catch a glimpse of the adjacent residential houses. The view into the distance is not really given, because many houses outside the wall are higher or just give a view into big grocery stores. Not quite as exciting as we had imagined. But the walk leads us to our next destination, York Minster.

York Minster Cathedral

York Minster is a cathedral with a long history. There has been a church on this site since the 7th century and later the cathedral was built here. After a fire in the 20th century, it was beautifully restored and is still a magnificent sight today. Admission is not cheap – £12.50 per person and an additional £6 each to go up the tower. Mimi is taken with the architecture and the beautiful stained-glass windows. The many details and carvings on the pews and chancel area of the cathedral also catch the eye. But everywhere where there is at least a little far view Paddy is also on board for a visit. Accordingly, however, the ascent to the Tower must be included in our visit.

After many steps in narrow staircases – for visitors there is a one-way system like narrow pass roads in Switzerland – we reach our destination. At the appointed time the ascent is allowed and as soon as all visitors have reached the top, only then the descent is possible. For a cross in the narrow corridors, partly outside on the roof on a wing of the cathedral, would not be a pleasure for all tourists. Atop this cathedral, the view can stretch far into the distance, over the old city of York and beyond to the surrounding villages.

Clifford’s Tower

Next, we put Clifford’s Tower on our list of attractions to visit. This is billed as the third, major attraction in York. It is a stone tower, a smaller castle ruin on a hill. When we arrive, however, we see that the entrance fee is supposed to cost well over £10 per person to pay directly on site. This is way too much for us – especially since we could already enjoy the better view from the cathedral. For those of you who value Clifford’s Tower more than we do, you can book tickets online in advance at better rates (at least 1 day before the day of your visit).

The Hole in Wand – Wizard Golf

Mimi has always loved to play mini golf. And she has already heard about Wizard Golf before our visit to York. So, we rounded off our visit to York with a 9-hole game of mini golf, no, Wizard Golf. The location is designed quite funny, the club is of course not a club, but the magic wand etc.. On the courses there is not only an obvious path for the ball to the hole, but most of the time with a little skill a way can be fiddled to get the ball into the hole with a better route choice in fewer strokes. This is where Mimi’s passion for mini golf shows and she wins hands down. Paddy is more of a klutz on the magical golf courses – but in the end we both manage at least one hole-in-one. This is rewarded with a badge, a chocolate thaler and a Halloween No. 1 Blood Orange Potion. We both liked the experience and the cheapest slots start at £8.

York is our last stop in England, now we’re off to Scotland before we turn our attention to the West of England. Especially Mimi has been wanting to visit the wild Highlands of Scotland for years, a landscape that will probably appeal to Paddy as well. We are curious if we, and as well our Ben, are up to the Scottish autumn weather.