York in Perspective

AS the waiter poured the Orange Muscat it suddenly dawned on me that – even though I’m not normally a big drinker – this was my seventh glass of wine with dinner.

Now while it’s not unusual to enjoy an appropriate glass of red or white to compliment each course of a tasting menu you normally only get a small measure.

At Middlethorpe Hall near York, however, they believe in really looking after guests and there was a full glass with six of the seven courses. Fortunately for me I was not only eating at the imposing William III country house hotel but staying the night so I could relax in the knowledge that my room, complete with four poster bed. was just one floor above my head.

Built in 1699 Middlethorpe stands in 20 acres of manicured gardens overlooking York racecourse in an area which abounds with history.

A marker stone on the racecourse pinpoints the location of Tyburn gallows where the highwayman Dick Turpin was hanged. Apparently after the hanging the bloodthirsty crowd simply ambled across to the race meeting to place their bets.

Middlethorpe once belonged to famous diarist Lady Mary Wortley Montague but over the years has had a chequered history.

In its less auspicious days it was used as a girl’s boarding school and even a night club and for a time belonged to the famous Terry family of York - think Terry’s chocolate orange.

In the 1980s it was fully restored to its former glory and furnished with exquisite antiques and in 2008 was donated to the National Trust. It is now one of the premier hotels of York and is even well known to the royal family..

Staying there is like staying in the elegant home of an old friend where you can relax in cosy, tasteful high ceiling rooms where oil paintings of former owners look down on you.

Everything is low key but runs like clockwork.

Even the spa, swimming pool and gymnasium complex has been cleverly disguised within a pair of semi-detached period cottages.

From Middlethorpe it’s just a short hop into York, but if you’ve never been before it’s essential to plan ahead because there’s so much to do.

We opted to follow up on the Dick Turpin story by visiting the Castle Museum where we saw the cell he was kept in before heading for the gallows. We even met him, thanks to a clever audio-visual system which projects his talking image onto the cell wall allowing him to tell you about his capture and hopes of being sent to America rather than Tyburn. And not too far away, just outside the city walls is his grave, so large it was rumoured his horse Black Bess was in there too. Entrance to the museum costs £10 but if you buy a £36 York Pass it covers admission to this and some 30 other attractions. The pass will also get you into the city’s famous Jorvik Viking Centre, which was high on our “to do” list. The centre is built on the site of the Viking city of Jorvik of 1,000 years ago and you can see artefacts found there as well as travel on a Disney-style ride through a re-created city, looking into the houses and backyards with their smells and sounds as well as meeting some of the residents. In complete contrast we also spent some time at York’s Chocolate Story learning the art and history of the chocolate makers - apparently you should never put your chocolate in the fridge - as well as getting the chance to make and decorate our own chocolate lollypop. But even away from paid for attractions York has a magical appeal.

A stroll around the Shambles, a narrow medieval shopping street, seemed all too familiar to me even though I had never been there before. It wasn’t until someone mentioned Harry Potter that the penny dropped - Dragon Alley was apparently based on the Shambles.

And being one of the most famous walled cities in Europe don’t miss the chance to actually walk the walls. It’s free and helps put the size of York into perspective.

No trip to the city is complete without visiting the Minster, the largest gothic cathedral in Northern Europe, with its spectacular stained glass windows. Try to end your visit around 5.15pm and you’ll hear the magnificent organ and choir during Evensong.

If you are feeling brave end the day with one of the many ghost walks around York.

Our Ghost Hunt was more fun than fright, which is more than can be said for the plumber who was working at the Treasurer’s House one evening and suddenly saw a whole Roman legion walking out of the walls.

After that story we headed back to Middlethorpe secure n the knowledge that another spectacular dinner awaited us and a good night’s sleep away from ghosts and ghoulies.

FACTFILE

Prices at Middlethorpe Hall start from £199 per night with breakfast, based on two sharing. For more information or to book telephone 01904 641241 or visit www.middlethorpe.com

The York Pass offers you a choice of free entry into more than 30 York attractions and tours as well as restaurants and shopping offers. To buy a pass telephone York Visitor Information Centre on 01904 550099 or visit www.yorkpass,com