For the last year Ella and I have been travelling the length and breadth of the UK for various university open days.  At the end of June we spent three days in York so we could visit the University of York – one of her top choices – and get a feel for the city itself.  We were both excited for this trip and we had a long list of things we wanted to see and do whilst we were there.

University visits (so far…)

So far we’ve done overnight stays in Edinburgh, Dublin, Exeter and Brighton, plus a day trip to Birmingham.  York was our final weekend-long visit, though we still have a few more day trips to go this Autumn (Birmingham again for a second look, Manchester, Nottingham and Keele) before she makes her final decision and puts in her official application in January.

Three days in York

Researching places to stay is part of the fun (for me!) of all of these little mini-breaks.  I managed to find a cute little Airbnb that worked perfectly for us, placing us about a 30 minute walk from the train station, the city centre and the uni campus (which were all in different directions!).  It was small but had everything we needed and we’d happily stay there again.

The lounge of our Airbnb – I slept on the sofa bed and Ella had the bedroom

The kitchen area – it was clean and pretty and perfect for our needs

FRIDAY

We travelled to York by train and arrived mid-afternoon after what felt like a very long journey.  We found our Airbnb (after picking up a few essential supplies on route), got settled in, then walked back into the city from there to get our bearings.

The first landmark we encountered was Clifford’s Tower, which was built by William the Conqueror.  We skipped actually going into it, keen to see more of the city itself and hoping that we’d find space to explore the tower properly further into our trip.  I expect that the views from the top are quite spectacular – sunset would probably be a good time to go.

We wandered a little bit along the banks and bridges of the River Ouse as we got closer to the city centre.  We immediately loved it there – it’s a very picturesque city and we both felt safe as we were walking around – an important criteria for Ella as she weighs up her options of where she might like to go to uni.

There is also an incredible amount of history in York.  You can feel it as you walk through the streets, almost as if its seeping out of the buildings and into the atmosphere – it felt like everything we walked past had a story to tell.  The perfect place for Ella, who wants her undergraduate degree to be in History.

We had dinner at Pizza Express which was certainly the most architecturally impressive and aesthetically pleasing one we’ve ever eaten in.  The food was delicious too.

Clifford’s Tower

Pretty views along the River Ouse

Cute little hedge sculpture in Dean’s Park

Hunger satisfied, after dinner we made our way to York Minster Cathedral as we knew we might not have time to see it otherwise.  It ended up being perfect timing –  we arrived right as the sun was starting to begin it’s descent and golden hour was upon us, so the honey-coloured building looked like it was glowing.  These photos really don’t do it justice.

It is absolutely vast and the outside is spectacularly impressive – the details!  I felt like I could look at it for hours and keep seeing something new – the ornateness and intricacy of the carvings was amazing.  I would love to go inside next time we’re there (we simply didn’t have time during this visit) as it’s supposed to be incredibly beautiful, and the stained glass windows (my favourite part of any historical and religious building) are often described as breath-taking.

It is impossible to capture the vastness and intricacy and beauty of York Minster (especially at golden hour) in one photograph. It really is quite a phenomenal piece of architecture.

Couldn’t resist getting a few images of her in front of York Minster 🙂

From there we sauntered down The Shambles, a tiny old historical street full of higgledy-piggledy shops that could have come straight out of a Harry Potter movie.

We also stopped by The Golden Fleece, which is supposedly England’s most haunted inn.  Five different ghosts are said to roam it’s hallways and rooms – there is a plaque outside telling the story of each of the spirits who haunt it.

And then it was time to head back to our accommodation – we were both tired after the long journey and all of our exploring, and we needed to be up early the next day for the University of York open day.  We retraced our steps back past Clifford’s Tower (catching the sunset on the way).

Everywhere in York is so pretty!

The Shambles is York’s equivalent of Diagon Alley

Harry Potter shops and magic shops galore… Perfect for any HP fans

The Golden Fleece – England’s most haunted inn (apparently five different ghosts roam various rooms and corridors)

Clifford’s Tower at sunset

SATURDAY

The day dawned with a fine drizzle, but we were up and out bright and early to walk to the University of York campus for the open day.  York is one of the unis that Ella has been most looking forward to visiting and we both hoped that it would live up to her expectations.

To get to the campus from our Airbnb, we walked down a few residential streets, through some allotments (some of which were neatly tended and some of which were wild and unruly and just as beautiful), and across a field.  The rain gradually stopped as we were making our way there – it was a rather lovely way to start the morning.

“Be a nice human” – always

I loved this little display on the path just outside someone’s driveway on our walk to the uni

We spent almost the whole day at the university.  We attended some helpful talks (I learned that York is one of the few universities that still has internal colleges – a bit like the houses in Harry Potter); explored the campus itself, which is centred around a large lake and has plenty of natural spaces dotted in between the buildings (they were built in the 1970s and are a *little* bit ugly on the exterior – albeit clean and modern on the inside – so the greenery counteracts that!); and viewed as many of the student accommodation options as we were able to (which was quite a lot!).

She really loved it there, and so did I – we could both easily imagine her living in the city and studying at York.  It is currently top of her list of places to apply to.

The University of York campus

We both really liked the university campus – there were lots of pockets of nature and greenery around and it felt quite peaceful even though it was busy with visitors

Once we’d taken in as much information as we could possibly absorb for one day, and had collected all the leaflets, pens and freebies we could carry, we made our way back into York itself to see a few more things that were on our list.

Ella spotted a Christmas shop which she promptly dragged me into.  In June. I know.

Once I’d managed to drag her out of there, we went on the hunt for Guy Fawkes alleged birthplace (the house where his parents lived) and Dick Turpin’s grave, which was, surprisingly and perhaps fittingly, in a tiny churchyard on the edge of a very unremarkable housing estate.  A quiet evening at the Airbnb was in order, which is exactly what we did and it was just what we needed.

Well, of course I had to buy all the girls a Christmas decoration… in June. They get a new one with their name on every year – it’s tradition!

Ey Up York

Guy Fawkes birthplace

Dick Turpin’s grave

SUNDAY

Ella was exhausted after the full-on day of the university visit and all the walking we did yesterday, so she opted to stay at the Airbnb whilst I, as restless and eager to explore as ever, headed out early in the morning to walk the City Walls.  This was top of my list of things to see and do during our three days in York and I’m so pleased I managed to do it.  Because it was early on a Sunday morning, there were very few other people around so I could take my time and stop and take photos without annoying anyone.

I only did one small section, from Monk Bar to Bootham Bar and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the city from so many different viewpoints and angles.  The bells of York Minster Cathedral were ringing out as I wandered and it felt like the perfect way to end our trip.

Monk Bar

A view of York Minster from the top of the City Walls

More things to do in York

I think it’s suffice to say that we both really loved this beautiful city.  There was so much more we wanted to do that we simply didn’t have time for during the three days we were in York:

• York’s Chocolate Story
• York Museum Gardens
• York Minster – actually go inside and explore it properly
• Clifford’s Tower – again, actually go inside it and climb it to see the view from the top
• Foss Fairy Trail
• Treasurer’s House (a National Trust property)
• The Hole In Wand crazy golf course
• York Cat Trail
• Breezy Knees Garden – on the outskirts of the city

And so much more…

There were also plenty of cute cafes and foodie places we kept spotting that we wanted to try too:

• Spark – independent food and drink outlets housed in brightly coloured shipping containers right in the middle of the city.
• Fortyfive Vinyl Cafe – home to a jukebox and is a tiny music venue in it’s own right too
• Mannion & Co – artisan bakery and eatery
• Brew & Brownie

I guess we’re just going to have to go back for another visit…  If you have any recommendations for places to go, or things to see and experience in York, please do leave them as a comment below and next time I’m there I’ll check them out – if it ends up being Ella’s first choice of university and she gets accepted, I’m sure I’ll be spending plenty of time there!