York & Malham Cove

York Day Trip – January 30

On Saturday, we went on a day trip to York, a charming and historic city in North Yorkshire. There was a large group of exchange students on the train all together, but we divided into smaller groups for touring the attractions. We didn't have a detailed plan for the day, but we had done some research on the best attractions. 

The train to York!

We looked at a map at the train station to get our bearings, went outside, and just walked towards the Minster (you could see the top from where we were). Along the way, we saw beautiful pathways through the York Museum gardens, where we stumbled upon St. Mary’s Abbey ruins.

St. Mary's Abbey ruins

York Minster

Stained Glass in the York Misnter

The breathtaking York Minster has over half of England’s medieval stained glass, and is the second largest cathedral in England.

Megan, Katherine and I at The Shambles

Next, we went to The Shambles; this street name means ‘flesh shelves,’ after its usage by butchers to display their meet until 1872. We bought some fudge, checked out a little market, and just walked around!

Next stop was the ruins of Clifford’s Tower, which used to function as the keep of the medieval Norman castle. Here, I learned, 150 Jews of York were ushered into the castle by the mob in 1190. The castle was then burnt down, killing all the people in it. We climbed to the top for a beautiful view of the entire city – and some EXTREMELY strong winds.

Clifford's Tower

View from the top of Clifford's Tower

We headed back to the city centre (which was quite small) for a hearty pub lunch and some warmth before heading to the York Castle Museum. As I mentioned, we hadn’t done much research on the attractions, but we knew that this was supposed to be one of the top places to go in York. We were expecting a typical English castle, filled with historical exhibits about York. In one exhibit, we learned that there was a major explosion in the castle in 1684, when it was transformed into a prison that was functioning until 1929. The museum itself had a variety of exhibits, including:

- Kirkgate – a remodelled Victorian street

- Toy Story – the history of toys, including a toy from 2009 making all of us feel very old

- 1914: When the World Changed Forever – a new exhibit built in 2014 to commemorate the hundredth anniversary of WWI 

- The Sixties – social history, art, fashion, military, and astronomy; focused on major changes that occurred in this decade. 

- My personal favourite, York Castle Prison. Here, they had actors dressed as criminals projected on the walls, telling the story of the historical figure they were portraying. This was the most authentic part of the museum, as it was teaching about history that actually occurred in the castle, and the interior has been maintained (unlike the rest of the castle, which has all been rebuilt for the museum).

         

          The exterior of the Museum

The Sixties Exhibit

After the castle, we went to a cute little place to get some delicious tea and scones. Then we walked along the city walls before catching the train ride home!

York City Walls

Malham Cove Hike – January 31

A club at Leeds called Get Out, Get Active leads (pun intended) trips each Sunday to explore the surrounding areas. This week's trip was to Malham Cove, a limestone rock formation in Malham, North Yorkshire. Wikipedia tells me that it was formed via a waterfall of meltwater from the glaciers after the last Ice Age.

Malham Cove from the bottom

On to the more interesting stuff… it also happens to be a filming location from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1!!! This lead to many conversations like, “this must have been where they set up all of their equipment!” and, “I wonder how they got up here – probably by helicopter.”

Recreating Harry Potter scenes

There was a steep walk up the (seemingly never ending) stairs, and then lots of time to explore at the top and then hike across the formation! There were TONS of sheep everywhere, and lots of farmland separated by beautiful old stone walls. 

At the top!

Sheep Everywhere!

After the hike, we walked around the small town of Malham, where everything is stone – there were beautiful stone cottages and Inns with signs saying 'Muddy Boots Welcome.' It was one of the most classically ‘British’ places I have visited so far. 

We got back at around 4pm, and made plans to go for a traditional Sunday Roast for dinner.

Sunday Roast