I never want to see another train again...

Only joking!

Today we spent the day in York. We wandered around the town, starting with a trip along the turrets at the top of the old wall - great views looking inside and out.

After that, we dropped down to ground level and pottered the street with about a million other tourists. Boy, was it busy.

We escaped the chaos with a visit to York Minster. The size and grandeur of the cathedral can't be eplained in mere words. It's amazing and even kept the kids interested for about an hour. They are in the process of restoring its most significant stained glass window, which will cost an astounding £19m...

After that we did some more dithering around the streets, and I got my photo taken in a street named after me - 'the Shambles'....

In the afternoon, we headed to the place that James has been nagging us about since we boarded the plane - the National Rail Museum. I don't think of myself as a train-spotter, but for James' sake I try to be interested. And I have to admit - the NRM is amazing. They have so many famous trains and interesting artifacts that it's hard (and exhausting) to take it all in. After about 3 hours we were all exhausted.

Back on the road again, I was reminded that an important quality for a traveller is calm adaptability. We have been ringing ahead to orgaise accommodation as we go, but it transpires that all of England is off to the Lake District this weekend, so there was no accommodation to be found within a 30 mile radius of Windermere. Still, we managed to find a manger called 'Holiday Inn' in Lancaster, and but for that stinky waft of stale cigarette smoke, we are ensconsed for the night.

Tomorrow - Beatrix Potter and the lakes...