SOLO EUROPE IV: DAYS 11-12 [YORK & KNARESBOROUGH]

the next morning i left manchester for york. unsurprisingly, the train was late (a theme of this trip). i got to have a conversation with a guy sitting next to me about travel & history, especially in the uk. he was living in isle of man which was interesting. from the station i walked to the hostel to drop off my stuff. i was there early so i walked around a little looking at the buildings until the york museum was open.

the york castle museum was one of the coolest museums during my trip. the museum is housed in a 1700s prison built on the site of the castle. this museum is mostly a social history. the beginning section shows how people lived in the past & how things have (or have not) changed. for example, there was section that showed living rooms, kitchens, & diets from the last few hundred years. i found it really interesting.

an old parlor

the museum is known to house john kirk's english victorian collection (the "bygones") that he obtained in the 1930s. he was interested in recreating an old victorian street. i talked to one of the living history workers for a good 20 minutes about the street. she had so much interesting information about the way of life during that time & where everything came from. for example, there was a place called cocoa rooms (also called sober rooms) that were alternatives to pubs & a result of the temperence movement. also if you see old signs with 3 bronze balls, it was a pawn shop. the main street has all these nooks and crannies that show how both the rich & poor lived in york. i also asked her about ghosts - she was excited i asked the question! she said that workers sometimes see a "watery" lady figure & hear singing.

the victorian main street in the york castle museum

this was the worker who gave me so much of her time

the slums

the old pharmacy

all the details, like this rat & the shadow he casts on the wall.

the prison section shows how prisons were in the past & also houses exhibits on both world wars.

i bought a york ghost stories book in the gift shop. i had considered taking a ghost tour, but i do not like being out late & my hostel was not located in the historical center (so i would need to walk back alone in the dark). i planned by own little ghost tour while in the museum cafe enjoying a flat white & quiche. i then walked around town. at this point it was pretty busy. i stopped in a flying tiger (this was the first one i i ran into during my trip!). these shops are like scandinavian daisos (affordable & small items but with a scandi flair). i try to visit at least one during my euro trips & was looking for some highlighters. i also found the cutest craft shop & haberdashery called duttons for buttons. i ended up buying 2 cross stitch kits - an outlander bookmark & a small countryside scene with poppies).

the cutest haberdashery

merchant adventurer's hall, a medieval guildhall from the 1300s.

throughout york there were these chicken wire art installations that looked like ghosts!

the shambles was so so busy! more on that later as i returned in the morning when the crowds would be gone. i did wait in line to stop at the york ghost merchants. is it a gimick? kind of, but it is fun & i love a souvenir with a story. there is always a line, but it was not too bad. then once you are in, you can find a ceramic ghost to adopt. there are different sizes, with different colors, & different prices. i ended up getting one for me & my sister. they each come in a cute little box & a card. i also was suckered into purchasing a small tote bag.

the york ghost merchants

i took a pic of my ghosts in the diorama.

devil at the old printer's shop

york cathedral (gothic - c. 1472)

i also walked a section of the old town walls

ruins of st. mary's aebbey

i then went to have dinner at drake's fish & chips with a dandelion & burdock soda (tastes like medicine)

honestly i found york to be a bit overrated. maybe i expected so much since it is supposed to be one of the to go places if you love history as there is a lot of medieval architecture. the museum is definitely worth the visit, but it is very modern & is a true city. it does not feel quaint. i did not see so much of the charm & the shambles was nice to see, but there are other lovely streets you can find all over the country. i think it is just so popular because of harry potter.

the hostel i stayed at

the hostel was not great. i accidentally booked this one instead of another one, but there was no refunds so i committed. it was not bad, but the vibes were sort of weird & it was a lot of people in one room with a really tiny bathroom. there was an extra bathroom on the ground floor, but you had to go down 2 flights of staurs. it would have worked better if they had hallway bathrooms. i did meet a girl who a few days a week "lives" at the hostel for school. it is cheaper for her to rent a bed for a few night & return home to chesterfield (a place i stopped when visiting the peak district) than to live in york. the hostel was in a cool old building & the location was great.

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the next morning i stopped at a nero cafe. i miss these pistachio croissants & had them several times from my trip (at least 4)

i returned back to the shambles. luckily it was very empty. there was barely anyone walking so i got to really look at the details & storefronts. the shambles is probably the most iconic landmark in york. it consists of a street of building with many from the medieval times, the 1400s. in the past, the shambles was the butchers' street. 

i went back & forth during planning, but finally decided to stop at knaresborough on my way to my next accommodation. pronounced "nares-brrr-owe" not "narz-burrow." i could have stayed longer in york, but i saw some pictures of knaresborough and thought it looked pretty. there was not a museum to really convince me (that is normally why i decide to visit a city), but it just seemed like a nice place to spend the morning. it is less than a 30 minute train from york. i am so glad i visited! i did not know what to expect, but it was just so quaint & pleasant. the weather was beautiful, the place was quiet & slower, & there were cool things to see.

once arriving to the train station, i had to walk down these really steep steps.

if anyone has heard of knaresborough it is probably because of the viaduct, built in 1851.

along my walk along the gorge, i saw some people canoeing. the walkway was empty

then you have to start walking up a trail that goes up a hill to the castle ruins (a bit of a struggle with my pack).

the view of the viaduct from the top of the hill

the world wars memorial

i had no plans to visit any of the sites since i did not know if they would be open when i was planning & i had my backpack with me. while i was reading the signs, one of the volunteers let me know they were open & i said i was interested, but had my pack. he told me that was not a problem & to first check into the courthouse building. i did, and the worker let me leave my pack with her while i visited both the sites. turns out she was from california & had moved to england for her husband. the volunteer at the fortress was so kind & funny. though i was by myself, he made time to show me around & crack some jokes. he also said was princess for the day at the fortress, but i think he says that to everyone. 

admission allows you to visit both the ruined fortress & historic courthouse. in the 1300s the castle was used as a royal residence & summer home for the royal family. it was mostly ruined during the english civil war in the 1600s. apparently there was a video a few years ago where a raven at the castle said "y'aright love?". if i only knew!

the old courthouse (1300s)

knaresborough castle (c. 1312)

the dungeon. here you can see carvings from some of the inmates.

i walked into town and stopped at a nero cafe for lunch.

i think knaresborough station (c. 1890) was the cutest train station i visited

the old lobby is now a small antique store. i ended up buying a brass horse belt buckle with a thistle on it for 4 pounds. 

things took a turn here. the train to leeds arrived late, which was weird since i thought the uk was really good at letting you know about any delays & the marquee did not show that it was late. after waiting for 20 minutes for the train to arrive, the train would not depart. the workers did not know what was going on & the conductor on the intercom also did not know what was going. after another 30 minutes the power of the train turned off & people started leaving to take the bus. i had talked to a woman and she confirmed if i wanted to go to leeds i would have to take a bus to harrogate & then transfer to another bus that would take me to leeds station. i waited for a bit but then committed to take the 2 buses. it would take much longer, but i had no idea when the trains would start back up. i walked away to find the bus station, but heard the train turn back on, so ran back. after 10 minutes the train left & slowly travelled a few stops & ended up terminating at one of the stations as there were too many trains on the track. a train worker came out letting us know that the next train would be an expedited train that would not make any stops & would only go to leeds. i felt bad for the guy as some of the people were so mad at him. it was not his fault! that train did eventually come & i was able to get to leeds so i could transfer to a train to keighley (pronounced "keefley," not "kylie" or "keeley"). more on my time in the yorkshire countryside in the next post!