We arrived at breakfast to find that it was ‘to order’ as starters and mains. Everything was there although perhaps not in quite the right order for me personally. I opted for the American stacked pancakes with berries. The breakfast room was a little chaotic, so rather than linger at the table we returned to our room where we could chill out before walking to York Minster in time for when it opened.

As we walked to the Cathedral we took in a few of the ice sculptures that were part of the Ice Sculpture trail that was taking place over the weekend. Mr C toyed with the idea of visiting the Yorvik Centre but soon changed his mind when entry was slow and the queues were getting longer.

When we arrived at York Minster we waited in a short queue before we were able to enter the Church. Once inside we tried to book in at the ticket desk, but the computer said ‘NO!’. This meant entering the Minster took a little longer than anticipated. The Minster was as spectacular as always. I particularly enjoyed the display (which included a full size replica) about the statue of Queen Elizabeth II that was commissioned for her Platinum Jubilee but which was installed in a niche on the West front of the Minster after her death.

We spent longer in the Minster than we had anticipated leading us to join the queue for Betty’s tearoom later than was ideal. The queue was the longest I have experienced. During the 40 minute wait I was bumped and pushed by several members of a family who were queuing behind us. For some reason bodily contact with me was acceptable; some people have no concept of manners or personal space. Our waitress was lovely as was our sandwich and cake. Before we left we had a conversation with the manager about lockdown, its consequences and the length of time staff had worked there. She is quite rightly proud of the lovely, loyal team that provide us, the customers, with one of the ultimate lunchtime experiences.

Next we embarked on the wall walk which I had initially intended to do on my own whilst Mr C was attending a trade show. I had a change of plan because I thought he might enjoy the wall walk too. We started the walk at Bootham Bar but due to our late lunch we only made it as far as Clifford’s Tower. Dusk was arriving so the wall walk was left to be completed the following day after the trade show.

After our hectic day we chilled out in our room before having a pre-dinner drink in the hotel bar, where the bar man talked us through all the local gins; I chose Spiced Apple (with cinnamon spice)  whilst Mr C opted for a more traditional Gin. We dined in the hotel. I chose Haddock and Chips and was advised that the portion was large portion but when it arrived, to my relief, I found it to be a modest, manageable portion.

Our meal was accompanied by Lily Kersby who was performing in the hotel bar area. She has a beautiful voice and it was a shame that she was singing to herself. After dining we joined her, which she appreciated. For her last song of the evening she sang the Proclaimer’s ‘I will walk 500 miles’ which made me smile because it is the adopted song for the #walk1000miles Country Walking Challenge. I couldn’t resist showing her my badges and explaining how that had become a special song for me.

Our journey to York ran smoothly despite experiencing some erratic drivers along the various motorways. When it was time for lunch we stopped at Woodall services with its never endimg walkway to reach Waitrose on the opposite side of the road. In Waitrose we picked up sandwiches for our in-car picnic.

Comfortably replete we continued our journey to York where we parked in the hotel car park and checked in before heading into York. We visited Cliffords Tower which has recently undergone some changes that allow visitors more open access to the tower. The transformation is amazing and I would recommend the Tower to anyone who visits York. After the lofty heights of the Tower we visited the nearby York Army Museum which displays the history of both the Prince of Wales’s Own Regiment of Yorkshire and the Royal Dragoon Guards in joint chronological order.

It was now time for afternoon refreshments so we stopped off at Fenwick’s where I chose Elderflower Presse and refrained from indulging in one of the ‘naughty cakes’.

By the time we got back to the hotel our room was ready so we collected the key and unloaded our car. The room was fantastic and there were several complimentary drinks, including a bottle of wine, for us to enjoy during our stay.

We had plenty of time to chill out in our gorgeous room before it was time to dine in the Olive Tree which is situated next to Clifford’s Tower. There had been an incident earlier in the evening which meant that part of the restaurant had been taped off until the police arrived to access the situation. The service was good and our meals were enjoyable but not gourmet.

After dining we headed back towards the hotel expecting to stop off at a pub along the way. Unfortunately all the famous pubs had bouncers on the door which wasn’t very inviting so we settled on a pub nearer to the hotel. I found a seat, not very comfortable, whilst Mr C ordered drinks at the bar. Some time later Mr C came back without drinks… The service was too slow.

We found a pub that was almost next door to the hotel. The comfortable laid back atmosphere was wonderful.

My kitchen is on it’s last legs and needs replacing before it falls apart completely.  On the morning of my departure to York for my weekend away with family, the kitchen fitters arrived at 8am to assess the situation.  They only stayed for about 20 minutes which meant a nice early start to the journey because there was no point in hanging around after they had left.  The further north we got the more it seemed that autumn had set in and there were some glorious coloured leaves on the trees.

We all arrived in York in time for lunch, so we booked into the hotel but left the bags in the car and headed into the city.  After lunch we visited the Yorvik Centre and then wandered around the the town before heading back to the hotel to find our rooms and empty our cases.  The hotel was very busy over the weekend and there was a shortage of single rooms so Mum’s had been upgraded.  It was a fabulous room, the bathroom alone was big enough for a hotel room!

We had our evening meal in The Olive Tree which is opposite Cliffords Tower.   I chose Sea Bass which was delicious.  Following that we had a quick drink in the hotel bar before retiring for an early night which for me was much needed after such an early morning start

Sound Asleep

You close your eyes and you will see
Micro-flashing neon lights
Open your eyes and you will see
It still looks like the same thing
Lie and wait for sleep and listen
To your heart beat too fast for sleep
Close your eyes and you will see
The sound asleep

I want to go, I want to go
I want to go down to go to sleep
Your frame of reference
Is my swimming pool

My, my swimming pool
Still looks like the China Sea
Pool to sea and finally
The sound asleep

Feel the muscles in your face
Twitch, relax, remembering
Everything that went down and will go down
I want to go down to sleep

Insomnia, no sleep disease
Petties parking, feed me please
Lie and wait for sleep and listen
To your heart beat too fast for sleep

This was the rather nice garden just outside the room I stayed in. It was rather nice to have a personal garden

Walking through the grounds of the hotel, you cross ground trodden three centuries ago by the widows of the freeman of York. You are treading the path of the workers at the 19th century sawmill and the place where some of the finest organs were built for the churches of York and beyond. You walk where Hans Hess, director of York City Art Gallery, entertained his friends and acquaintances from the art and performing worlds.

Each individual building is steeped in local heritage and history and has its own particular story to tell……

The room I stayed in was in the Chaplin House and it had recently been refurbished.  You can just about see from the picture that it had it’s own garden just outside the window.

Chaplin House (Grade II listed):

This elegant town house was built in the late 17th Century, in the originally extensive gardens of the Skeldergate House. It has been greatly reduced in size since 1850, by the removal of a block of buildings, possibly service quarters, from the back.  Rebuilding and alterations were necessary following war damage in 1942. Inside, the feature of note is the staircase, with turned balusters with square knops, a closed string, turned newels and a swept handrail.

Latterly the house was the residence of Hans Hess, a renowned art expert and former director of York City Art Gallery. It is here that he would entertain participants of the triennial York Festival of which he was artistic director from 1954 to 1966. Guests included Benjamin Britten, Peter Pears, Cleo Laine, Johnny Dankworth and Charlie Chaplin; one of the greatest laughter makers of all time. The period staircase leads to a further 9 en-suite bedrooms on three floors.

The hotel is in a peaceful location just outside the city and across the river, but all the city attractions are only five to ten minutes walk away. It was a nice place to stay and I am sure I will be back for another visit.