The City of York on Foot
The historic, walled city of York is fairly compact and is best explored on foot, especially as some of it is pedestrianised. If you are spending a day in York, the following walking route would provide a good insight into the city. Pick up a map of the town centre at the train station or tourist information and this will enable you to follow the suggested route below.
Starting at Clifford's Tower, walk across the car park behind it and down into the Coppergate shopping centre. Walk through here and then head right towards the Shambles, an old cobbled street which used to be full of butchers' shops but is now packed with tourists. At the end of the Shambles turn right into a small square then at the next crossroads turn right into Goodramgate. Walk down Goodramgate to reach Monk Bar at the end of the street, passing the Minster and St William's College on your left. Should you wish to stop off, the National Trust Shop has an excellent cafe as does the Treasurer's House (National Trust) which is tucked in to the right of the Minster.
At Monk Bar, climb up the narrow steps inside the gate or 'bar' as they are known to emerge on the city walls. Head left and walk along the walls skirting York Minster. This section of the walls is a favourite of mine as the views towards the Minster and down into the gardens are lovely. Continue until Bootham Bar where you descend. From here you can walk up High Petergate to reach the front of the Minster then continue along until Stonegate appears on your right. Walk down Stonegate to St Helen's Square and the famous Betty's tea room, highly recommended for afternoon tea (if you can afford it!). To return to Clifford's Tower walk down Coney Street and follow the road round past the fire station.
The above tour takes about an hour and introduces some of the main areas of York city centre.
This entry was posted on Tuesday August 26th, 2008 at 10:43 PM and is filed under Places to Visit, Places to Walk. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response.
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