BY CATHIE GUO

When most of the small towns in England are still asleep in a Sunday morning, the city just a five-hour ride from London is an exception. York, a small heritage city in Northern England, is packed with crowds from all over the world soon after the sun rises.

York was founded by the Romans in 71 AD and then captured by the Vikings in 866 AD. Located at the confluence of the River Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, this walled city has a significant position in the nation’s transport system.

The walk from the bus station to downtown is popular among visitors to start off a day trip, as the city’s medieval walls enclose the centre of the city. The wall has been defending the city since Roman times and York enjoys more miles of the intact walls than any other city in England.

The city centre is half an hours’ walk from the medieval walls where most of the sites of interest are located compactly. Pass through the Coppergate Shopping Area, and be stunned by the magnificent Clifford’s Tower standing in the middle of an open space. The Tower is a stone quatrefoil keep built on top of a Norman motte. It was the site of a massacre when many of York’s Jewish communities were burnt to death during a clash back in 1190. Today it becomes a high point overlooking the whole city.

Walk down from the Tower and the York Castle Museum is the place to explore. Displays include recreated rooms like a Victoria parlour and a Jacobean dining room, showing people the lives of the Romans and the Vikings back in the ancient times.

During lunch time, the smell of Yorkshire pudding spreads miles away. It is a local delicacy that visitors cannot miss. The pudding was first introduced in 1737 and has attained wild popularity even until today. It is a British lunch staple made from batter and often served with roasted beef and chicken.

The York Minster is a ten-minute walk from the Tower. When the sun shines on the Great West Window, the flowing tracery of the later decorated gothic period reflects the history of this second largest Gothic cathedral in northern Europe. It is a perfect place for visitors looking for some tranquility.

In the book Walk Around the Snickelways of York by author Mark W Jones in 1983, he introduced a collection of small streets and footpaths in the city of York and named them Snickelways. The Stonegate is the kind of street covered with cobblestones and with overhanging timber-framed buildings, some dating back as far as the Vikings.

At the end of the street, an endless queue appears every afternoon for the famous British Afternoon Tea in front of the Betty’s Tea Room. With sandwiches, scones, cakes and pastries on a tiered stand, it always takes more than an hour for people to drink the traditional English tea and enjoy the sunset of the city in York. It is the best moment of the day, together with a taste of the year 1919.

TRAVEL TIPS:

1. A good time arrangement is necessary if you want to have the afternoon tea at the Betty’s. It always takes half an hours’ waiting for a seat.

2. The old city ‘s access is foot-only, and many of the sights are only a short walk between one another.

3. There are many ghost walks that run throughout the year during the evenings start from 6 pm.

OTHER ATTRACTIONS:

1. Jorvik Viking Centre

2. National Railway Museum

3. Treasurer’s House

4. Castle Howard

5. Barley Hall

EDITED BY PHILA SIU