Random Bits of York Walls

The medieval walls of York are a favorite of mine. I walked them every chance I had, especially the north route from Bootham Bar to Monk Bar. On one trip, I traveled past Monk Bar and saw some of the more dramatic bits of the wall, including the toilet they used to use!
 

Walls beyond Monk Bar

Toilet not available for visitors

The walls angle back and forth in part to provide protection for the towers and also to force invaders into a crossfire position (as if attacking a wall wasn't bad enough).

Tower with walls coming out of it at a most inconvenient angle for attackers

View from the other side

Defenses in the tower

The walls give interesting views into town. Back in the Victorian times (when the walls were rebuilt) people walked the walls as much to see as to be seen. For me, it's mostly to see the fascinating stuff of the city.

Odd architectural mixture inside the walls

Looking into a garden

Pretty flowers

Okay, I can't resist throwing in a picture with the Minster in it!

For a change of pace, on another day I walked the walls south of the River Ouse on my way to Micklegate Bar. A few items of note are on the way.

First is a massive hotel, the Cedar Court Grand Hotel and Spa. Sounds like a pretty nice place to stay.

Cedar Court Grand Hotel and Spa

Further down the street from the hotel is the Railway War Memorial.

Railway War Memorial

The walls after the memorial look over some uninteresting buildings and follow the general European pattern of being not entirely safe. A long stretch had no railing on the inside, with a grassy slope leading down to a drop into parking lots!

Wall walking without a safety rail

Just outside the walls is the Railway Station, which I blogged about here.

Railway station seen from the walls

After turning a corner on the wall I found some new rails to keep me safe on my way to Micklegate Bar.

A safer stretch

The path to the bar

The view back into town was nice. The yellow bikes over the shop door were decorations for the Tour de France.

Inside town seen from the bar

I walked outside town one block to see Bar Convent and had a nice view from there back to the medieval gate.

Just outside town looking at Micklegate Bar

Just inside the medieval gate is Holy Trinity, Micklegate. The church was part of a priory, so naturally a nearby pub is named The Priory. Around the corner from the church is a medieval building that they use as a parish hall, which wasn't open when I visited.

The Priory

Parish hall