Chocs away for a treat
Grace MacAskill takes her sons on a tour of York with its Minster and historic link to confectionery making
York is a jewel in the crown of the North and even the Covid-19 pandemic has failed to dull its sparkle.
The city attracts almost seven million visitors annually with tourists from all over the world keen to soak up the historic atmosphere.
Its Shambles shopping streets are jam-packed almost all year round, with its Christmas market the highlight of the festive calendar.
York has always been the perfect place for wandering around, breathing in the atmosphere, but there’s an even more relaxed feel about the place right now. Fewer overseas visitors means the streets are less busy and now attractions have to be pre-booked, there’s no unnecessary queues either.
That was perfect for my two impatient boys Theo, 11, and eight-year-old Nathan who hate sightseeing holidays and would rather be zooming down a zip line than visiting historic churches.
But there’s so much to do for kids in York.
They loved their visit to the Jorvik Viking Centre where you can see the remains of an excavated village before going back in time to explore Viking York. The attraction has recreated a Viking city which visitors travel through on small carriages. Just consider yourself warned about the real-life smells!
Jorvik DIG gives kids a chance to get hands-on experience of excavation and the opportunity to have their own archeological adventure, discovering replica Roman, Viking, medieval and Victorian finds. Our eldest found it a little bit young for him but then he’s too cool for school now he’s hit secondary. Both places
have great social distancing in place and all adults will have to wear masks. ( jorvikviking centre.co.uk from adult £15.50/child £12 for a joint Jorvik/Dig ticket).
York’s Chocolate Story was a really sweet experience. We weren’t sure what to expect because the website doesn’t give much away but it turned out to be a tour of York’s 3,000-year association with chocolate.
The city was home to Rowntree’s and Terry’s and has also has connections to Fry’s and Cadbury. It might sound incredibly boring but there are some real surprises in store, from bloody battles with Aztecs to hands-on exhibits (with sanitiser) to even creating your own yummy chocolate.
The boys loved it and we spent a small fortune in the shop (yorks chocolatestory.com, adult £13.95/ child £11.50). Then, after a hectic day it was time to relax on a York City Cruise which took us on a historic journey along the still waters of the River Foss with an entertaining guide (city cruises.com, adult £10.50/ child £6).
No trip to York is complete without a visit to the famous Minster, breathtaking in its splendour.
Theo and Nathan weren’t quite as impressed until a helpful guide told them a true story about how a cheeky workman left his signature on the stained glass when the Great East window was removed for protection during the Second World War (yorkminster. org, adult £11.50/ child free).
We were initially pretty cautious about our visit to York but we’d cancelled a trip to France due to the pandemic and were desperate to get away for a few days.
And we’re