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.

Feeling refreshed after a good night’s sleep, it was time for breakfast. The cooked-to-order breakfast was delicious although I missed my fresh fruit options for a pre-breakfast starter.

After breakfast Mr C attended Vapnartak 2020 (a wargames show). It was my plan to walk York City walls whilst he was enjoying his hobby and despite the mizzly weather, I set off on a walk around the walls starting at Bootham Gate. I managed to get off track on a couple of occasions (most notably by Clifford’s Tower) when there were breaks in the wall and the trail markers were either confusing or absent.  However I got there in the end and was quite chuffed that I had negotiated the walls on my own.

As I arrived back at York Minster at the end of my walk of the walls Mr C texted to say that he was on his way back to the hotel from the wargames show. Whilst he made his way back to the Minster I enjoyed a pleasant walk around Dean’s Park Garden viewing the war memorial, the garden, the Deanery garden and the Dean’s chapel.

When he arrived we went for lunch at Happy Days cafe where we had also eaten on our previous visit to York. I opted for the plum frangipane.

Afterwards we walked around York taking in a few more ice sculptures along the way including Harry Potter and a fine carving of Hedwig at Middleton’s Hotel. There was also an ice wall filled with chocolates that children were busy hacking away at to obtain a chocolaty delight. It was nice being in that part of the city again, having stayed there on previous visits. We had walked up an appetite and paid a second visit to Betty’s tea room. On this occasion I chose cherry and chocolate cake with cherry liqueur.

After this indulgence it was time to return to the hotel to freshen up before dinner in the hotel, a red letter day gift of a three course meal and prosecco. The food and service were excellent.

Lincoln Castle is unusual in having two keeps and a complete curtain wall,

and its highly strategic position has given it a continuing historical importance. The site of battles and sieges and some complicated medieval wheeling and dealing, it is also a major centre of administration and justice, containing a former prison building and a working Crown Court. And it houses one of the four surviving exemplars from 1215 of that crucial document, Magna Carta.*

The great stone curtain wall which is still one of the most dramatic features of the castle today was constructed on top of an earth rampart to encircle the inner bailey of the 12th-century castle, and was in turn surrounded by a rock-cut ditch. One of the triumphs of the Lincoln Castle Revealed project has been the creation of a complete Wall Walk, and this in turn has allowed a certain amount of archaeological investigation of the structure of the whole curtain wall, although it has been much restored and rebuilt over the centuries. The south wall still retains the remnant of a medieval parapet on its northern face, and a 13th-century sally port door can be seen halfway along the north wall. The west wall forms one of the most impressive stretches, with large areas of herringbone masonry, suggesting a late 11th-century or early 12th-century construction.*

*Lincoln Castle guide book – Scala Arts & Heritage Publisher Ltd 2015

Before the alarm went off I awoke to the feeling of a warm presence holding my hands and squeezing them… Soon afterwards the pleasant sound of the Cathedral bells resumed chiming the hours and quarters after being silent overnight.

Breakfast was in the Garden room, although we didn’t see much of the garden due to our table being too far away from the window. The breakfast menu was extensive and all hot food was cooked to order. After breakfast, we made our way to the castle area which is near the Cathedral. The castle has just opened a new purpose built display for its copy of the Magna Carta and this is where we headed first. Displayed with the Magna Carta is the only known copy of the Charter of the Forest. Issued by Henry III, this new document extended several clauses of the Magna Carta and specified greater freedoms in relation to forest laws and the royal hunting forests.

After viewing the Magna Carta, we visited the Old Prison and the prison chapel which are in the grounds of Lincoln Castle. Some of the cells told tales and anecdotes of former prisioners. After the confined conditions of the former prison we ascended to the recently restored castle wall walk to take in the views over Lincoln.

We decided to return to the more peaceful Cathedral. We walked around the outside of the Cathedral and got an impression of it from all angles before taking lunch in the Cathedral refectory. Inside the Cathedral, we took time to explore and to visit the Cathedral shop. Afterwards we walked down the Steep Hill to visit the art gallery and Museum of Archaeology. Both places were interesting and well worth the visit.

Rather than retrace our steps up Steep Hill we wandered through Temple Gardens making our way back to our hotel in order to relax before dining in The Old Bakery restaurant. After dinner and because we enjoyed it the previous night, we returned to the Wig & Mitre for a nightcap before retiring to the hotel for the evening.

To have more time for exploring I decided it was best to eat a big meal at lunch time and grab a sandwich later to eat on the coach. So on the way to meet up with the coach I grabbed a prawn pot and a naughty cake. I sat down on the coach got the pot out of the bag ready to eat. Oh! No! due to a bit of chaos whilst paying there was no fork in the bag… Have you ever tried eating prawns in Marie Rose sauce, salad and pasta in the dark without a spoon?  It was a first time experience for me

And now I shall leave you with some photos from the wall walk.