Friday 2nd September - Tuesday 6th September. A Wee Holiday in York

We found a very good getaway deal online and decided to take the opportunity for a short holiday. York fell within our budget and is a place we both love so we booked a short break. Not strictly a ramble but it counted as five very good days out.

The Hotel we booked had a fascinating history and the main building was quirky with a lounge resembling a miniature great hall complete with sweeping stair and minstrel gallery. I was delighted to find that we were in an ensuite in the courtyard which could be reached easily from the road at the back of the hotel negating any need to struggle up and down the hill at the front.

After dropping our bags we headed into the town for the afternoon.

We made our way to the Stickleback Cafe This is a brage moored near Lendal Bridge which serves an excellent range of snacks and cakes. We had a late lunch and sat enjoying the afternoon sunshine.

On saturday we went down into the town the long way, via Micklegate

We stopped in at this little church, one of the oldest still functioning as a church.

We wandered on into the bustling centre and discovered there was a Festival of Traditional Dance in full swing. We had an enjoyable morning watching Clog, Country and Sword Dancers go through their paces then wandered off round the shambles to find a cup of tea.

Next we made our way round to the minster itself.

Then we took a picnic into the gradens of The York Museum although we decided against visiting it because of the very high admission costs and limited accessibility. The gardens held some interesting features though and the squirrels were amazingly friendly.

On Sunday we went to Leeds for the day to visit friends. We had a really lovely visit wandering round the streets listening to the various street performers almost all of whom were well worth a listen.

On Monday we went on a riverboat trip. We were recommended to wait for River Duchess and were able to roll on and roll off as her lower deck is fully accessible. Robin wanted to be outside so we were shown on to the foredeck

although we did retire to the cabin later for a coffee and to escape the rain.

This enchanting little cat has adorned this gable for two hundred years and can only be seen (and photographed) from the river.

The rain had made the access ramp very slippery but luckily two of the other passengers came to my rescue before we got into any serious trouble.

 Although the rain stopped shortly afterwards we made our way back to the minster to see the chapterhouse, most major attractions allow readmittance throughout the following twelve months as long as you retain your ticket which is great value, and we went to see the Astronomical Clock.

The floor and ceiling are also stunning!

On Tuesday morning, after a brief visit to the Bar Convent we made our way home. I have to say that (unusually) we were amazed by the efficiency of the railway's passenger assistance scheme - it's the first time it's ever worked for us but it worked well. And also mention wetherspoons, who weren't the most accessible building but were friendly, efficient, affordable and have very very tasty breakfasts!