York’s a true northern star
Hannah Stephenson enjoys the city’s many attractions
I’m lying under an arch of ochre bricks, the scent of rose and jojoba in the air, a therapist working expensive oils into my tired skin. But that arch of bricks isn’t just an aesthetic addition to the treatment room in the stylish No.1 by GuestHouse, York, a boutique hotel 10 minutes’ walk from the city centre, housed in a Regency Grade II-listed townhouse. That cellar room used to be a World
War Two air raid shelter in which the residents would take refuge during bombing, and I’m told the brickwork is original.
Drifting off in the dimly lit confines, soft music aiding my somnolent state, it’s hard to imagine those less-fortunate wartime occupants huddled together. But this inadvertent step back in time is an ideal way to begin a break with my daughter, Grace, to take in some history, while enjoying the modern draws of the city, namely food, drink, shopping and pampering.
With 38 rooms, the hotel is a fusion of old and new.
Comfortable classic sofas intermingle with contemporary local art on the walls of the Marmalade Lounge (so named because of its orange/yellow colour scheme); the Rhubarb Bar, a nod to the rhubarb fields of West Yorkshire, has a modern cocktail list and a steam train running along the cornice and across the windows to honour York’s status as one of the UK’s oldest railway towns. A weekend isn’t long enough to see everything in York – so make a list of what you want to do before you come.
You can walk the city walls in about two hours, getting a bird’s-eye view of the historic buildings, and take in the majestic York Minster.
Then there’s the higgledy-piggledy ancient shops in The Shambles, arguably the best preserved medieval street in the world. To make the most of our stay, we get a Visit York Pass, which allows
entry to a number of attractions and saves money if you are visiting multiple museums and other paidfor sights.
Those who like an interactive experience might head for the Jorvik Viking Centre and jump
on its famous ride to experience the sights, sounds and smells of Viking-age York, or walk through Kirkgate, a recreated Victorian street complete with olde worlde shopfronts, mock horse and carriage awaiting, at York Castle
Museum. Yet a trip to York is as rich in modernity as it is in the past. We head to the new Sixties exhibition in York Castle Museum, an avenue of retro heaven .
And we happen upon Los Moros, a cosy ‘Modern North African Kitchen’ eaterie in Grape Lane.
Our lunch is a feast of mouthwatering home-made hummus with sprinklings of sumac, za’atar and rose harissa and piping hot crispy spinach and feta bourekas with Yorkshire honey. Later, in need of an aperitif, we venture to York Gin’s tasting experience, where, over a gin and tonic, naturally, a friendly guide takes us through the history of ginmaking.
How to plan your trip
Doubles at No.1 by GuestHouse, York start from £160 (two sharing), room only. Visit guesthousehotels. co.uk.
For information on York, go to visityork.org