Yesterday, I headed further up the country to visit York with my parents and sister. On the way there we stopped off at the White Rose centre in Leeds for a spot of shopping. I didn't really get much, just some shoes and a ring from Primark, but it was retail therapy all the same! After having lunch at Subway, we continued on our journey.
We were staying at the Holiday Inn by the race course. We arrived and dumped our bags before going into the city centre, which was about a two mile walk. The last time I was in York was approximately five years ago, so it was good to have another wander around to see some of the historical sites, such as Ouse Bridge and the city walls. We popped into a couple of shops, but mainly just absorbed the atmosphere. There was a really cool little continental market on, that appeared to sell everything from ostrich burgers to potted plants, so that was a nice surprise for us upon arrival.
Completely by coincidence, we bumped into my Aunt and Uncle near the Shambles area, so went to a pub called The Old Swan for a drink with them. It was lovely inside, and we decided to call back in the evening to eat there, as the menu looked tasty. After we had said goodbye to our visitors, we went for a look outside the Minster, and the surrounding buildings, which are Tudor style and very pretty. We then called in at The Star, which is supposedly the most haunted pub in Britain. Unfortunately we didn't experience any paranormal activity (though that is probably a good thing) but I did enjoy a delicious latte there!
At this point it was dark and getting towards evening so we went back to The Swan for our food. We had a three course set menu that was only £13.95, and the food was gorgeous. I had deep fried Brie with cranberry sauce, followed by steak and chips and then raspberry and rhubarb crumble with custard. You can't beat the British classics!
We then went on a ghost walk. There are loads to choose from, but we went with one that had five stars on Trip Advisor and was supposed to be the original, started in 1973. It wasn't a gimmicky one that required costumes and cheap tricks, just a tour around some of the sights that had stories attached to them. It was interesting, and had a few moments where I jumped! I think if I were to do one again though, I'd go for one in between the two, as I would have liked a few more really creepy stories.
We then walked back with weary feet, and played a couple of cards games before hitting the sack. The next day, we checked out and went to the McArthur Glen outlet on the way home. It wasn't as good as other ones I've been to, but there were a couple of shops with massive reductions, and I tried a few things on (though unfortunately came away empty handed!). A thoroughly enjoyable couple of days.
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