countryside — London Living — Twenties in Transit

This series will cover a range of UK-based trips that are relatively easy to take from London.

While I love travelling (obviously - it is the basis of this blog) and can live out of a suitcase for weeks on end, I also enjoy having my home comforts around me embarking on a day trip strikes the perfect balance: the excitement of discovering a new city, but the familiarity of returning home - plus the convenience of not needing to drag a suitcase or hold all about. I’ve been known to do day trips to the likes of Paris and Brussels, but this time we’ll focus on a city a little closer to home: York.

Around a two-hour direct journey from Kings Cross (not unlike Paris or Brussels actually, lol), York offers historical landmarks, delightful afternoon teas and a plethora of Harry Potter stores. If you decide to take a trip for the day, here are some top tips, so you can make the most of your time:

Arrive early

I chose to get one of the earliest trains to really maximise my time. One of the first places I visited was the famous Shambles, which had barely another human strolling down its cobblestones at that time of the morning. I was able to admire the 14th-century, sloping buildings without having to dodge other tourists; the same could not be said for a few hours later!

Strap on your trainers

The city is relatively small - well, for a Londoner, anyway - so you may opt to explore on foot. A stroll along the city walls is a must do while you’re here. York has been a walled city since roughly 71 AD, and while the ones you’ll walk are a little more recent, they’re still pretty old: we’re talking 12th to 14th century. You’ll get views of the whole city, and pass through both old and newer areas.

Clifford’s Tower is another spot that should be on your walking list. Now, don’t be decieved by the car park it finds itself in today; it is one of the city’s most iconic historical structures. Also known as York Castle, the building sits atop a steep hill, but you won’t need your hiking boots as there are stairs straight up - 55 of ‘em.

A trip to York would be incomplete without a stop at York Minster, and it appeared to be even more beautiful than I’d seen in photos. Once you’re done admiring its exterior (and taking a peep inside if you wish, although we didn’t at the time), make a beeline for the quaint book shop nearby. Although I didn’t buy anything, I loved the narrow staircase and admiring the collection. It felt like I’d stepped into someone’s home.

Grab yourself an afternoon tea

You cannot go to York without visiting Bettys Tea Room. We visited York in November, so although we didn’t have a booking, we were able to get a table at Bettys Stonegate Shop, the smaller outpost around the corner from York’s flagship outpost, after a little wait. The cakes, scones and sandwiches were delicious and the service was fabulous.

Plan your return visit

While a day trip is definitely enough to get a taste of York and see many of its landmarks, a return trip, or a longer trip, is definitely needed if you’d like to explore the surrounding area or museums in detail. If I were to return, I’d probably stay the night and visit the nearby Yorkshire Dales to get a country fix, alongside my city exploration. Heathcliff, Cathy, wuu2?

This series will cover a range of UK-based trips that are easy to take from London.

Amongst other things, my time in Australia gave me a new lust for exploring the outdoors, be it hiking bushland (or now, in the UK, woodland) or doing something a little more adrenaline pumping. At the moment, COVID has rendered it safer and more responsible to stay within the country for when looking for a holiday, rather than travel on a plane, and the UK really does hold some beautiful natural landscapes under its grey skies.

The Peak District, around a three-hour drive from London, sits in Derbyshire, between Manchester and Sheffield, above Birmingham and Stoke-on-Trent. Abound with rolling green hills, bountiful farms and beautiful cobblestone towns, you’ll be charmed wherever you stay in the area. There is plenty to explore - the Peak District covers an area of nearly 1,500 km2, after all - so we chose to stay in the small village of Monyash, which, as of the 2011 census, has a population of just 314, and explored the surrounding area of the southern Peak District.

Lathkill Dale

Lathkill Dale sits a stone’s throw from Monyash, just a 10-minute walk out of town. Traverse this beautiful craggy valley between sweeping hills, past wild forest, waterfalls and the River Lathkill; you’ll honestly feel like you’re in a fantasy adventure. While it’s not an overall challenging walk, especially when taking it at a leisurely pace, there are slippery rocks to manoeuvre and you will need to do an uphill climb to get out of the dale.

Rather than turning back on ourselves, we decided to exit the dale at the waterfall. Here, I had my most outdoorsy experience to date: climbing stile after stile, ambling across field after field, amongst cows and their cowpats for about 20 minutes. It was like a purgatory of sorts!

Dovedale

Dovedale boasts miles of steep limestone valleys and a river where, at one point, lies its famed stepping stones, which you can use to hop over the river - just don’t slip into the water, like the little dog we saw! Close to the stepping stones, you’ll find Thorpe Cloud, which presents a medium-level hike up to stunning views. Apart from the incline, be wary of the slippery mud, but otherwise, enjoy being immersed in beautiful green surroundings (with the odd cow too).

Mam Tor

Mam Tor, aka Mother Hill, is pretty well known and offers far-reaching, 360 views of the surrounding towns, villages and countryside. It’s not as hard a walk as you’d expect, especially if you start from the car park entrance at Sparrowpit Buxton; the walkway is all stones and slats, making it pretty easy. You can also continue on, walking high in the sky from peak to peak, after you reach the top. We decided to go in the morning, which was great due to the weather - the clouds rolled in on the way back (see view comparison below) - and it was far busier later in the day, which is not what you want amidst a contagious virus pandemic.

Heights of Abraham

The Heights of Abraham encompasses both heady heights and dark depths, and is whole day attraction for the family. You enter through a lofty cable car ride, which was very fun but felt a little perilous on such a windy day. I’m glad I wasn’t ridin’ solo (it’s limited to one household per cart, due to Covid, even if your household is just one person) as I’d have been s.w.i.n.g.i.n.g. Once you get to the top, it’s like a whole village, with playgrounds, restaurants, lookouts and more. There are two mining caves, Mason Cavern and Great Rutland Cavern (Nestus Mine), which were used to dig for lead and other minerals (some of which was sent to London for rebuilds after The Great Fire). The tour of the latter cave used fun gimmicks and effects to tell its story.

Exploring the little towns

One of the Peak District’s most lauded towns is Bakewell, home to the Bakewell tart. You’ll find queues outside bakeries and patisseries here, but there are many other enjoyable sweet treats too. We stopped at a fudge shop (fudge shops seem synonymous with little UK country towns, or is that just me?) where you can watch the fudge being made in the window. Don’t forget to get your savoury fill too; The Wheatsheaf Pub has great food. A little closer to home - well, Airbnb - the Bull’s Head is a great pub in Monyash. Large and spacious, enjoy a hearty menu of British classics.

We had a great time in the quintessential British countryside, and it surprised me that I had never really taken a look at the great places we have to explore and outdoor challenges to conquer closer to home (a true Brit with notions of ‘conquering’ eh…) That’ll change for sure now…

'Leaving from London' getaways: York