Scubophilus Thistler

Since arriving in Leeds I’ve made a couple of day trips out on the weekends. Being situated in West Yorkshire makes visits to the lovely traditional Yorkshire countryside very accessible.

The first trip was organise by the University Union, and involved 3 coaches of International Students heading out to the beautiful town of Scarborough, Britain’s first holiday resort, on the East Coast of the UK. The beach front was crowded with arcades and while tacky, this added to the carnival feel of the town.

Being a rather sunny day, the beach was a lot nicer then we expected. We strolled along the beachfront and headed towards the castle looming in the distance. Scarborough Castle was to be our first castle visit, and once making the incredible trek up we set off exploring around the castle walls. The cliff face was lined with photographers, but it wasn’t until we were inside the keep that we realised the QE2 cruise ship was passing, accompanied by fireworks lit from the beach. It was a nice surprise, and pretty funny that it was receiving all the attention rather than the castle.

After exploring Scarborough Castle, we headed to St. Mary’s Church to visit Anne Brontë’s Grave. The church and cemetery had remained well preserved over the years, and there were lots of tourists in and around the area.

We headed down to the beach for some traditional fish and chips, and spent the rest of the afternoon on the beachfront, along with various walks around town. It was a beautiful day, and made it easy to see why it is such a popular holiday destination for the Brits.

Two weeks later Ashleigh and I decided to head out to York, capital of the North back in the Kingdom of England. The city of York is bounded by castle walls, inside of which traffic is heavily restricted. This helps to bring out the very traditional aspects of the city, with it’s historic links drawing in tourism from around the world.

After a short 2 hour bus trip from Leeds, Ashleigh and I began exploring the city. After ducking in and out of tiny streets we ventured down the cobblestones of The Shambles, which was very awe inspiring. We headed over to the York Minster, and were surprised to find it surrounded by police and crowds. Eventually the Duke of York proceeded into the Minster along with a military procession, as an army ceremony was taking place. The Minster was closed for the rest of the afternoon, so we were unfortunately unable to enter and climb to the top.

We decided to take a walk on the castle walls surrounding town, which had been very well preserved for the most part. The walls eventually took us to Clifford’s Tower, the keep of the castle. There were great, panoramic views to be had from atop the tower. It was well worth the trek up the stairs to enter.

The day in York concluded with a visit to the National Railway Museum, the largest in the world. It was filled with amazing locomotives, and loads of interesting history on the British Railway. There was plenty to see inside, and with free entry it was a great cheap way to spend the afternoon. We had no problems finding a bus back to Leeds afterwards, and before to long we were on our way home.