Return to York

Acomb is No1 for charity shops and pies!

Our tour of Northern England included a couple of days in York staying with our pregnant and showing Sarah and Rob. Having wandered around York with a class of 30 kids earlier in the year, I was quite eager to get back there and look around without having to count heads all day.

I decided to go for a run. The last 2 weeks have been away and have involved eating lots of food, mainly junk and plenty of it. But I have had very few runs. Getting motivated to get out of bed and run in traffic in Manchester was hard so I didn't bother. York however has a couple of rivers running through it so I headed down one into the city centre where I had planned to run the circuit of the city walls. However the city walls are not complete and at 2 points they run and you have to find your way to the next section. I found myself right in the heart of the shopping centre in my skimpy vest and shorts, looking slightly out of place and lost. York is a city but it has a small town feel about it. I noticed this when I happened to see Anna Woodcock an old friend of ours and relative through marriage sat in her office window. It would be rude not to go and wave, and she politely came out to say hello to me. Eventually I managed to pick up the walls again and found my way to Acomb, the village where we were staying. Then I bumped into another person I knew. Derek Wooldridge used to run the camps in Criccieth before I did. He is a legend and someone I always associate with York. There he was walking in the rain. it was nice to stop and have a chat, although it must have been a bit strange for him to see me on his street on a friday morning.

The rest of the visit included a trip to the York Dungeon. Stuart was terrified enough to give a genuine gasp of horror, but not enough to be scarred for life. It's a bit pricey but worth a look if you get the chance. These actors come out and tell you tales and explain it all. The price was scarier than the horrors in there. We also visited Acomb. Acomb is a hidden gem. There are 6-or 7 really good charity shops, a Peacocks, loads of bakers, and other cheap and cheerful shops. We managed to stock up on Action Men, books and a few other bits you can only get in charity shops. There's everything a man needs in Acomb, I look forward to a return visit.