Staycation review: York reminds you just how special the UK actually is

North Wales Live

2 days ago

It's been years since I've been to York. Back (way back) in my younger days, my friends and I used to pile into a car and head up the M1 for a day roaming the streets and a night roaming the bars. My hazy memories are of historic buildings, a very short street called Whip-Ma-Whop-Ma-Gate, and being around a foot taller than anyone else in the night club.
However, this time around it was a family adventure we were after and I'm very happy to report that the city and its surrounds has it in spades. My partner and I, plus two small boys (six and eight), were able to stay at a lovely little cottage just on the eastern outskirts of the York. A prime spot as it give you easy access to the coast (my sons are obsessed by the beach - we live smack in the middle of the county, so they're out of luck most of the time).
Sykes Holiday Cottages put us up in Pear Tree Cottage - a two-bedroom, semi-detached affair on a non-working farm near the village of Dunnington. Most of the living space is open plan (good for keeping tabs on our pair of gremlins), and it had everything we needed for an enjoyable stay.
First thing to note is the images don't really do it justice. The cottage is beautiful and far bigger than we imagined. It has all the mod cons like electric oven, ceramic hob, microwave, fridge, washing machine, dishwasher, and a smart TV. Thankfully, you also get very decent Wi-Fi (you'd be suprised by how many places fail on this).
Outside, you can find a courtyard behind an electric gate for added security, and your own parking spot. There's a nice, large shared lawn and, even better, a small play area with swings etc to keep the kids occupied for 20 minutes while you get ready for the day.
The cottage next to us also had people staying in it. We didn't hear a peep during our stay - and I don't think they could hear us either.
Dunnington village centre is around a ten-minute stroll down the road. Stooped in history (it was mentioned in the Domesday Book), the village has a handful of shops and a pub. However, it's the city where you'll be spending most of your time.
York has a storied past, the walled city feels like there's a slice of history around every corner. It's been around since the ancient Romans, and obviously had a big part to play in the game of thrones of 15th Century England.
One of the best ways to get a feel for the city it to hop on a boat tour that will take you down the River Ouse and fill you in on some of that history. It's a very pleasent way to spend an hour, and you get some lovely views of Clifford's Tower and York Minster.
We spent most of one afternoon strolling around The Shambles, which is, I am informed, the busiest street in Europe. There's a lovely selection of landmarks and shops to enjoy, so much so that it is said to have inspired Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter books.
There's always something fun going on, as well, and we lucked out with a food festival and a clown who was handing out balloon animals to many delighted children.
Always take the park and ride, by the way. Never attempt to drive into the city if you help it. Our only disappointment during the week came when we booked tickets for the National Railway Museum. They were free (which is obviously good) but because I chose to drive by the time we got there we had missed our timed spot by a good half-hour. Even if we had made it on time, there were no parking spaces within a few square miles of the museum. Lesson learnt the hard way. York is not for cars.
We did take the car a couple of times during the week to venture further afield. First off, we spent a day on the coast in Hornsea. We couldn't rob the kids of the chance to go to the beach, and luckily we picked the right spot. Hornsea gave us easy access to the sea, and we thoroughly enjoyed an afternoon of sandcastles and knee-high strolls through the water. The ice cream and waffles didn't hurt, either.
On another day we headed to T he Web Adventure Park just to the north of York, and, boy, did we have a great time. Essentially, one great, big indoor and outdoor play area that has everything. And I mean everything. The indoor part offers plenty of chances to climb and slide to your heart's content, while outside you'll find water play areas, huge sandpits, and many places to bounce up and down.
The Webbington Role Play Town is a mini town complete with shops, police station, cafe, hair salon and petrol station. Children can cycle around the roadway, as long as they take notice of the traffic lights and zebra crossing! Then there's the animal zone when youngsters can get up close to every thing from fluffy guinea pigs to friendly ponies.
But the biggest hit with our kids were the fairpark rides. There were 12 of them to choose from, and I think we much have gone on all of them three times! Not that it mattered as the entry ticket includes unlimited access to all the rides. And that's without mentioning the brand new pirate shop, adventure gold area, and ferris wheel that were due to open this summer!
We were there all day and we still had loads left over that we never had a chance to do. As it was not the height of the summer, the crowds weren't too bad at all. However, we can't vouch for how busy it might get during the big school holidays. What we can say is that for the price, you're going to struggle to find a full day offering better value.
And that was the feeling I had by the end of our week, that we had only just scratched the surface. There is so much to do and explore in York itself that we could have spent a month and not got bored, and that's not taking into account the attractions and history in the surrounding area.
Sometimes you can take what the UK has to offer for granted. The grass is always greener, I suppose. But when you overhear an American tourist struggling to comprehend they'd just been in a pub 200-plus years older than their country, it really brings it home to you that we live somewhere special.