York, Tuesday

After breakfast – just cereal and fruit , nothing fatty today – I walked to the other corner of the old town in the rain to the York Castle Museum. I enjoyed myself here. There were several rooms set up as they would have been e.g a family living room ( i.e. 1 room for sleeping cooking, everything, animals in rest of house) of rural Yorkshire in 1850’s, a dining room of a prosperous family in the 17th century, a drawing room in a Georgian home of about 1780 and a few more recent and scarily recognizable. There was a whole Victorian street of shops, some selling things eg toys of the era and sweets of the era. There was a large section devoted to the 60’s and a whole prison area which I skipped over – we, in Australia, are made all to aware of the fairly minor misdemeanours that people committed before being sent to the far away penal settlement. There were some interesting displays of what soldiers wore in the 17th century and what life was like during WWII in Yorkshire.

I wanted a coffee but thought I could do better than the fairly sterile, modern atmosphere of the Museum café. I walked to the river, still raining, and found a pub with a good view but indifferent coffee. Previously I had bought a pamphlet ( the tourist bureau gives away pamphlets of commercial establishments, but ones put together by visityork.org cost 60p) on York’s Georgian Riverside Trail. I also bought 1 about the buildings near the Minster and one on the old walls. Anyway, the walk goes SW along the river from where I was for about 1 ½ to 2 km along 1 side of the river and then back again on the other side. York is on the Ouse River and the Fosse joins it soon after I started the walk. The walk was specifically created in the 1730’s in a deliberate attempt to raise York’s status as a leading Georgian social centre. There is a lovely row of big old elm(?) trees. I crossed the river on the modern Millennium bridge ( its design is based on a bicycle) and returned on the other side of the bank past a large Edwardian park provided for the city by a local, Mr Rowntree of chocolate fame. It now has a large area of jumps for skateboards. It was raining intermittently all morning, but always when I wanted to take a photo.

I walked back along the section of the old wall to the south of the river., stopping at one of the bars ( gates that were built to prevent people coming in i.e. barring people) to go to a local large pub for lunch. They had a flat bread thing with hummous and roast vegies – it is hard to get something light that has no meat, no cheese and is not fried. Their large menu included a ranking of white wines from 1 to 4 ( 1 the driest and 4 the sweetest) and a ranking of A to D for their reds( A lightest and D full bodied). I have seen Americano under the types of coffee available many times . They described it as a ‘posh name for black coffee’

On my list of things to do that I compiled several days ago was a trip to Betty’s - a coffee shop since 1919. Every time I have walked past it has had a queue out the door. I am told this is normal. Also on my list is to have a cream tea ( tea, 2 sultana scones, strawberry jam and clotted cream) . I have seen cream teas at many places significantly cheaper than Betty’s. I was at my most indecisive this afternoon. I walked past Betty’s - yes, no – several times, walked past ‘little betty’s several times – yes, no . Finally I thought ‘how stupid’ and queued up at Betty’s. The couple behind me in the queue were a lovely Scottish couple and we talked for the 25 minutes it took for me to get to the head of the queue. I had a coffee and a speciality of Betty’s a Fat Rascal, described as a large fruity scone with citrus peel, almonds and cherries. I smirked to myself when it came – it was a fancy rockcake. Now, my mother’s name is Betty and rockcakes were what she made every 3 months or so. She very rarely made biscuits and probably made a cake for birthdays but I cannot remember. I do remember the rock cakes. I never asked her, but guess that she thought they were a good option – half way between a biscuit and a cake, and quick. It was a nice place though and I got a good window seat.

After I came back to the b and b I went out to sit in the garden. There was another guest there and we got talking. She and her husband had also been to the castle museum but they both thought the prison section was the best. She did not know what little things got punished.

Unfortunately my favourite restaurant was full so I went to a pub nearby and had a very average salmon and vegie dish for dinner.