1. Visit Rowntree’s Park:
The Park has excellent swings, roundabouts, climbing frames, cafe etc
(Turn left along the river and after half a mile cross the Millennium Bridge;
Rowntree Park is 150 yards to the right back along the riverbank.)
Walk about via Skeldergate Bridge to complete the circuit.
2. Take the road train to visit the National Railway Museum, from outside the Minister:
It’s a five-minute journey to this train-spotters fantasy. The train costs £2, but the NRM itself is free. Suitable for young and old boys alike. One of our guests says visit the NRM during a weekday for interactive demonstrations.
3. Go back in time at the Jorvik Centre, Coppergate Centre:
Not worth a long summer queue and one guest says not good value for money, but an amusing underground train ride back to the sights, sounds and smells of old Jorvik, especially on a rainy day. Our guests seem more enamoured by its sister attraction, DIG, an opportunity for children to turn archaeological detective, at the neighbouring converted church.
4. Go swimming at the Monk’s Cross:
If you can’t face the North Sea, this leisure complex is a 10 min drive: we haven’t yet been there so reports welcome.
5. Go on a Ghost Walk, starting from the King’s Arms at King’s Staith:
There are supposedly more than a dozen different ghost walks around York (and even a ghost cruise on the river). We won’t pretend to have tried them all out but with so many ghost stories around York, it is hard to go wrong. The Original Ghost Walk leaves the King’s Arms at 8pm with latecomers able to join at 8.30pm at Clifford’s Tower. There are a number of recommendations in our visitors book. Any ghost walk is a fantastic way to idle away a couple of hours and explore some of York’s backwaters such as the old children’s home on Bedlam and the buried Roman road under the Treasury House, before diving into a pub for a pint and a few ghost stories of your own.
6. Walk round the Roman Walls, nearest joining point, Piccadill:
(but not with a pushchair !)
A walk round the old Roman walls takes around three hours and takes you
past the Minister, Clifford’s Tower, the Museum Gardens and the
old city gates (obviously). For the nosey, it affords excellent views
into the back gardens of some of York’s most beautiful homes and
will give you an excellent idea of the whole City has to offer, from
the tourist sites to council estates.
7. Lunch at Betty’s, Parliament St:
The big sister of Little Betty’s, see above. This is the ultimate English tea shop, but with high chairs, children’s portions, games and even baby wipes to make dinner with even the littlest of darlings vaguely civilised. (Tip: if you want to beat the inevitable queue, tell the greeter that you’re happy to go downstairs - slightly less glamorous but may significantly curtail a long wait.)
8. Go to the Yorkshire Museum of Farming, Murton Park:
It took us 25 years of visiting York to get round to the Yorkshire Museum of Farming. It is appallingly badly marketed but is actually a very good option with lots to see and do including a working Viking Farm, a Roman Fort, tractors, farm animals to look at (but not to stroke), a bee pavilion and on most Sundays, a full sized steam train (check website for times). Just off the ring road by the A64/A166 junction.
9. Visit the model Railway exhibition at York Station:
Just next door to the station is a model railway exhibition, which is well worth the ten minute detour for anyone who dreamed of owning a massive Hornby railway set, but could never be bothered to make the scenery look nice.
10. Get lost in the York Maze, Elvington Lane:
Only open over the summer but well worth a visit. Not just a massive maze, cut out of (oh how amusing) a field of maize, but also numerous other distractions for children, including oversized trampolines, water balloon fights, quad bikes, playgrounds etc.