Monday

A stay in York with Travelodge

I do love me a good Travelodge so I was over the moon when I was invited to stay at York Central Travelodge for a couple of nights. A chance to explore a historic city I had never before visited! Needless to say, it was a great trip!
Since York is a fair few hours away, we arrived midday to make the most of our stay. Check in at Travelodge starts from 3pm but the very helpful receptionists allowed us to leave our bags in a locked room so we didn't need to lug them around with us. We popped to the adjacent Wetherspoons (very handy!) for a drink and a bite to eat, and managed to grab a table right next to the window overlooking the watermill I photographed here.

After chilling out with our food, we decided to head over to the watermill but discovered it was part of the Castle Museum. Instead, we climbed right up to the top of Clifford's Tower, which you can see in the first photo. There was no ticket information at the bottom, so we were a little annoyed when we trudged all the way up the stairs to find out we needed to pay £5 each to get in. The sneaky tactics worked- We'd walked all the way up so figured we might as well go the whole hog but it's not something I'd recommend to others, although it is fun spying on people taking selfies hundreds of feet below you!
Sampling a little bit of York's history gave us the taste for culture so we headed into the Castle Museum opposite Clifford's Tower. At £10 a ticket, it's pretty expensive (I'm used to London's free museums!) but it's absolutely huge and really interesting. My favourite part was the cells from the old prison. You can go inside a cell and close the door behind you to experience what it was really like for those poor prisoners, some of whom suffocated from being crammed in so tightly. 
As well as the morbid elements, there are more fun aspects like this recreation of a 1960s street. I was very entertained to see that one exhibit was a Butlins tin that my mum won as a teenager in a Miss Butlins contest and still uses today as a sewing tin. She was less amused, especially when my stepdad said she belonged in a museum herself! 
There was also fun to be had outside with hobby horses and hula hoops. Spoiler alert: I actually have no idea how to hula hoop! I just threw it around me and Rich snapped the photos as quickly as he could! I tried my best though and that's all that matters! 

By the time we got thrown out of the museum because we hadn't realised they'd closed and accidentally walked into a gallery they'd shut up for the night (but not locked up, I hasten to add!), it was gone 5pm so we made the short walk back to the Travelodge and checked in. I genuinely always choose Travelodges when I go away (as evidenced in this post about my hen night) and our room was as clean as I've gone to expect (ie: Very). Our kingsize bed was super soft and comfortable, and you can actually buy the very same beds for your own home. That's pretty cool, right? Oh, and just look at our view!

It was even more fantastic when the sun set. It's super-duper close to the city centre too- Just a 10 minute walk or so before you're right in the middle of it.

The next morning, we had a lie in so we put up the hanger on the door handle. To our delight, when we returned later, they'd come back to our room while we were out and cleaned it for us, even though we missed the morning round. That's service for you!

For our second day in York, we decided to take a walk around the city centre and follow the cat trail. All around York are cat statues attached to buildings and York Lucky Cats have produced maps so you can hunt down 21 of them over a 3 mile circular route. It was a great, structured way to see the city for free and at our own pace, so I really recommend it. Oh, and it was amazing the sense of achievement I felt when we hunted down every cat! Because it started raining heavily mid-afternoon, we had to call off our cat search and complete it the following morning before getting our train home. (PS: There's a cat on the building above. Can you spot it?)

We loved our stay in York and are already making plans to return. A huge thanks to Travelodge for a wonderful stay!

17 comments :

  1. Looks like you had an amazing time on your #BloggerLodge break! We went to Liverpool and it was equally fab :)

    Claire | Stylingo.co.uk | xx

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  2. Gorgeous pictures. I've always wanted to visit York, it looks beautiful x

    Under Blue Lights

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  3. This was so lovely to read! I'm going away to York at the end of the month for a few days to celebrate my birthday and it looks gorgeous. I'm even more excited now :)

    Bethan | Thought from Beth x

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  4. I'm desperate to visit York but just can't afford to get up there right now - one day! x

    NINEGRANDSTUDENT: A Student Lifestyle Blog

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  5. York looks lovely! I always opt for the good old Travelodge when I go away, they're just such good value. Also, your skirt in the last picture is FAB!

    Milly // Mini Adventures

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  6. I adore York, I really need to go back soon! Glad you enjoyed it :)

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  7. York is beautiful, I can never get tired of it. Always end up in Betty's for tea and cake and can't resist going to the haunted house just around the corner!! xxx
    Lucy @ La Lingua Italy

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  8. I loved York, such a beautiful city. We loved the Castle Museum, really interesting, we were lucky and got a student discount so it was a bit cheaper.

    Emma x
    Writing Essays With Wine

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  9. I love York, it's such a beautiful old city. I'm glad to hear you followed the cat trail. I found out about it last time I went, but I only went for the day so I didn't have chance to do it all. I told my Dad about it a few weeks ago just before he went and he didn't believe me, and didn't see anything about it! I'm sure he thinks I made it all up!

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  10. Awesome post, I've never stayed in a Travelodge but from your pics it looks pretty nice! It's many many years since I've been to York, would love to go back.

    { sparklesideup.com }

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  11. I love York! I always have fun there and make a memory or three. Also love the spoiler alert, I have a hula hoop and spent the first week doing the same until I got the hang of it. How was it so simple as a child?! Also you're rocking that long stripy skirt, looks so damn good on you! xx

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  12. Travelodge hotels are a bit hit or miss I find. Most of the time I don't mind staying in the though, so affordably priced and a great way to see new places. I've never been to York, would love to go. Xx

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  13. I love York! Such a beautiful city. Glad you had a lovely time.

    Sarah

    http://berrysmiles.blogspot.com

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  14. I've always wanted to visit York! Next time I'm in the UK, I should really make an effort to explore some more :)

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  15. Glad you had a great time, I love this city so much!

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  16. I always love reading posts about York because, after going to university there, it is a really special place for me. However, despite living there for three years I didn't know about the cats! I shall have to go back and hunt for them!

    www.jessicainyourear.com

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  17. York is a gorgeous city although the only time I have actually visited there was when I was filming a period drama so I was actually working and couldn't look around. It was kind of fun wandering round York in full period costume confusing the tourists! We filmed on the streets, as like the one you're stood in on the last picture several of their streets are perfect for looking as if they're in the 1800s x

    Becky @ The Little Blog of Beauty

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