York: City Walls

York Minster, from the city walls, York
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Sometimes on a wet rainy day you just have to find alternative methods of keeping yourself entertained. I did, I went to the cinema and saw the third Pirates of the Caribbean film. I know this isn’t terribly exciting for anyone reading this, but I don’t want you to think you’re missing out!

I did eventually do some proper holiday stuff when I finally made it back to the city (they have an out of town multiplex). By late afternoon the rain had subsided and I thought I should make the most of it by walking the city walls.

The walls are slippery in places but thankfully iron railings are there to stop me tumbling off.

City Walls, York
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I start off at Bootham Bar (all the gates are known as Bars) and head off in a clockwise direction. Fairly soon I get the impression that I’ve done this the wrong way round, but I’m not going back now! To begin with the walls skirt around the Minster area, giving me wonderful views of the back gardens. In one a group of teenagers seem to be practicing an acrobatic routine, balancing on each others shoulders.

The walls are slippery in places but thankfully iron railings are there to stop me tumbling off. Occasionally I pass someone, but for the most part I have the walls to myself. The only times I have to climb down from the walls to ground level are when I reach one of the gates. To be fair I want to do this anyway so that I can take a photograph of them.

Monk Bar, City Walls, York
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You do spot a few strange things from the walls. At one point I spot a brick built igloo. Luckily one of the handy information boards tells me that this is actually a 19^th century ice house. It was used to store winter ice throughout the year, so that the owner could enjoy ice in their drink and ice cream!

There is so much history to see in York. Whilst the walls are old, it comes as a bit of a surprise that some parts of them date back to Roman times. These are the walls closest to the Minster and used to form the ramparts of a Roman fortress on the site.

Icehouse, York
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The walls are not quite complete and I eventually find myself following their route at ground level, until I reach a small 15^th century brick built building called the Red Tower. It doesn’t look much like a tower, more like a small house. In fact this area doesn’t have a wall because it used to be a vast fish pond that acted a little like a moat.

From here I pick up the walls again, but this time I don’t have the handy railings to keep me safe. I’m on my own now, with a six foot drop on my right. Luckily the walls are quite wide, but I do find myself sticking as closely as possible to the outside wall. Eventually I reach Walmgate Bar and again descend to ground level to take a look at it. There is a strange timber framed building on its inner wall, built in Elizabeth times. It’s a strange addition, but it would certainly have been an interesting place to live.

City Walls, York
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A little further on I reach Fishergate Bar and I really couldn’t be any further away from my starting point near the Minster. Now the wall stands guard over a nasty 1960s council estate full of soulless flats. Personally I can’t move on fast enough and within a few minutes I reach the next break in the wall at Fishergate Tower.

Here I got quite lost, although I did know I needed to cross both rivers, the Foss and the Ouse. Somehow I mistake which busy duel carriage way I’m supposed to cross and head off in completely the wrong direction, before I realise and retrace my footsteps. In the end I simply spot the castle and head for that instead.

Red Tower, York
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Back on the wall and it begins to gain a great deal of height. Below me now are rather attractive Victorian terraces. York may be full of history but clearly it has never been afraid to grow, adapt or change. This is particularly evident around the area of the Railway station. Although this is kept just outside the boundary, clearly a lot of modern development has happened all around it.

Eventually I have to come back down to street level at Barker Tower on the banks of the Ouse. Today there is a convenient bridge, but before that I would have had to use a ferry to cross to Linden tower on the far side. Unfortunately this is where I have to part company with the wall. Although I can see it off to my left, this small stretch up to Bootham Bar cannot be walked. It’s the wall the skirts round the edge of the Museum gardens.