Blogs from North Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom, Europe - page 3

Made it to our next to last city in England on 2 July. York has an extensive and varied history. First settled by the Romans who, of course, erected walls and other durable structures, followed by Saxons, Vikings, Normans then evolving into the English we know today. Quite a lot of history, but the Minster (think cathedral) is the most impressive sight. Construction began in 1230 and required a full 250 years for completion. It's the largest we have seen on this trip. The Middle Ages stained glass is breathtaking. There is more in this one cathedral than exists in the entire remainder of England. The reason it exists here is during the English Civil War York was pro-royal, but the commander of the Parliamentary forces who subdued the town was from York, and he precluded ... read more

Well, the BnB room was definitely a good shout, as it certainly poured it down last night with strong winds. Checking out other walkers that turned up, all wet, with their tents being blown about, we felt quietly smug about our decision; and not too guilty as there was still one room left when we arrived (which we later overheard another couple took over camping too!) There was a big group of hikers though, who had no other choice, but used the warmth and electricity of the pub well, sharing their stories whilst eating the delicious food; turns out they were all solo hikers but have been roughly the same pacing and timing as each other since Ennerdale near the start. Still windy and foggy this morning, we set off just after this larger group, following ... read more

With Osmotherly providing a chilled rest day, having a pleasant plod round the reservoir and enjoying a delicious coffee and cake in the cafe, we saw plenty of jubilee bunting and had a personal tour of the community jubilee display in the church but there was no other real events occurring. The main campsite was rammed with families too but again, the village centre and pubs were pretty quiet. And, unfortunately, the famous, award winning chippy cooks everything in beef drippings! It meant we spent more on a pub meal instead (The Three Tuns), but this was a blessing in disguise as it was really good food; and the puddings were tastey too…well it was Paul’s birthday! Anyways, setting off this morning, we started with some climbing to rejoin the C2C trail, which actually simply follows ... read more

After an enjoyable rest day in Richmond (yes-we enjoyed top gun!) we were off again; a 23km today but pretty flat at only 220elevation. Feeling semi-refreshed (Paul’s toe felt better but still a little red and felt a bit snotty) we were good to go but, after the supply top up, the bags felt very heavy! Maybe they’ll quickly feel lighter as we get back into the walking…maybe…hopefully. Initially walking next to road (a busy one) and then pass a sticky sewers works, it wasn’t the nicest start. And whilst walking by the river and through farmers fields was pretty enough, and the church at Bolton-on-swale was a welcomed honesty snack stop (with memorial to a 165 year old buried there!) , the trail continued to use parts of roads pretty frequently and the flat landscape ... read more

Original York - Piprey on wheels York is a walled city to the North of England surrounded by the rivers, Fosse and Ouse. Originally inhabited by the Celts, Vikings and Normans (William the conquerer had raided this city very badly), it attracted even the Arabs for lucrative trade. York Minister is an important cathedral with paid entry. I took advantage of Great British rail sale, booked a return from London to York for 61 GBP which might have costed me around 85 GBP otherwise. It was a long train journey of 3-4 hours. I looked for McDonalds at King's Cross train station. Finding none, I hopped over to the high street for a filling breakfast muffin and a coffee latte :) Comfortably seated, the train raced through Stevenage, Doncaster and Peterborough. I observed that most of ... read more