The Great Wall of York

Today the Minx and I took three of the kids across to York for the day. I've been planning to go across for a while to visit Izzy and as there were a couple things that she needed urgently from home, it seemed like a nice idea for us all to go across.

It's a bit of a drive to get there - just under two hours - but the kids did a good job of keeping themselves entertained in the back although somehow, over the course of the journey, the wall became the Great Wall of York and also Mia's slight fixation with Dick Turpin became apparent.

To varying degrees. we enjoyed the walk around the wall. At just under two miles it was probably a bit of a hike for the kids when there wasn't that much to see: the great age of various artifacts and the sense of history don't strike you that hard when you're ten. At that age, everything is old.

The Minx had been characteristically thorough in her preparations for the trip and our next stop was the Castle Museum. I have to say that if you like museums and you're anywhere near York, you shouldn't miss this; it's excellent. The reconstructed Victorian street is really well done as are the recreations of rooms from various periods. It was odd for me to see both the 1950s living room, which was just like my grandparents', and also the 1980s kitchen, which was very similar to my parents'. (My youth has become part of history.) The only disappointment was that Dick Turpin's impaled head wasn't on show!

After we'd been 'round the museum, Abi, Dan and I ran up the steps of Clifford's Tower. But when we got to the top and found out how much English Heritage were charging for us to get in, we went back down, rejoined the others and went for an ice cream by the river.