I write this evening from the North of England. I decided that I’ve been abroad rather a lot this year, so this month I’ve made my monthly trip to somewhere closer to home – York.
From work yesterday afternoon I headed up to Leicester, taking the cross-country route: Motorways are not nice places to be on Fridays. It still took me just over 2 and a half hours to get to my overnight stop though!
I had breakfast at the hotel this morning, and was on the M1 heading North before 8.15. Traffic was fairly light so within 2 hours I was on the A64 and just after 10:30 I arrived at the Yorkshire Air Museum. Home to the Allied Air Forces Memorial, the museum is located on the site of the former RAF Elvington.
As well as lots of planes on display outside to look at, the buildings on site contain all sorts of exhibitions to look at; there’s also a restaurant/café, and a shop. It took a good 3-4 hours to get round everything (including a brief stop for lunch – I had the chile with rice, followed by a slice of cake).
When I was finished at the museum I made the 10 minute journey to my hotel, just outside York. I left my things in the hotel room and drove in towards the City Centre; I parked just outside the city walls, in the Monk Bar area – not far from York Minster and went for a walk.
With closing time at 5, time was tight but I managed to get in to York Minster and see it all before doors to the various sections of the cathedral started closing. In the basement, the Undercroft Museum which is all about the history of the building.
My visit to York Minster was followed by a stroll around York’s city centre – including the Shambles, York’s very narrow, cobbled street full of shops, cafés and restaurants. I had dinner while I was out in York – an early dinner by my standards: 6pm (I don’t normally like eating dinner before 8, some nights as late as 10 or 11).
Getting back in the car, I made the 10 minute drive back to the hotel, parked up and returned to my room. I’m now sitting watching TV – BBC 4’s documentary about Indian & Bangladeshi Railways.
Long day planned tomorrow: After breakfast I’ll be going to visit York’s Chocolate Story, then the National Railway Museum – by then it will probably be lunch time, so I’ll have lunch somewhere. (Not yet sure whether to try and find a pub to have a Sunday Roast in – I’m thinking Yorkshire Pudding here, given that I’m in Yorkshire – or whether it’ll be easier to just grab a sandwich somewhere).
Then – after lunch – I will get in the car and drive South. A 200 mile drive back to Cirencester, the journey is only 64 miles shorter than the journey from Ypres in Belgium to Cirencester.
I’m off to the hotel bar for a drink.
Good night.
FH.
