For this week and next we have decided to look at city breaks. I know traditionally owning a camper van or motorhome, the idyllic dream tends to centre around beach and mountains and believe me we do that! But we also love to explore some great cities across the UK too.
We’re highlighting York on today’s blog, With Cardiff coming next week. Both have campsites within walking distance to the city centre and some cracking breweries/bars to explore too.
Starting off with York, it is oozing with heritage! The sheer volume of attractions could easily fill a long weekend. Let alone the abundance of fantastic breweries and bars along the way!
There really is something for everyone here. Take a tour of The Dungeons, follow up with a horror or ghost guided tour around the streets. If that’s not your cup of tea, head over to York Minster (but make sure you’ve got your walking legs on if you fancy taking on the tower steps!) Then take a stroll down the shambles, taking in the small street, quaint shops and spot the filming location for Harry Potter. There really is something here for all ages and staying in your own accommodation helps to save those vital pounds, as hotels in York can be extremely expensive, so this gives you an option without having to fork out £200+ a night for a hotel room.
Once you’ve worn yourself out exploring, it’s time to hit the bars. York has a huge range of Breweries and bars, too many for us to list but here are a couple of our favourites:
Brew York, a great brewery in the heart of the city. You can enjoy their craft beers at its freshest where they showcase a great range of their core beers, many specials plus a wide selection of wine, cocktails spirits and soft drinks. You’re going to need some food to soak up all the beer and luckily, they also serve up some amazing Asian-inspired street food from Yuzu Street Food, which pairs perfectly with the beer.
They host regular events and brewery tours, so worth checking their Facebook page for more info and what’s on during your visit. This is defiantly one not to miss! They also have 3 other venues, Pocklington, Handley and Leeds, so there’s no excuses to miss out.
Another favourite of ours was The House of Trembling Madness. You enter through their bottle shop, which hosts an incredible array of drinks. They stock classic German & Belgian beers, the best & freshest craft beers from all over the world, a multitude of mead, wine, fruit wine, artisan gin, whisky, absinthe, rum, tequila, cachaça, liqueurs, brandy, not to mention their hidden spirit’s cellar. If you’re looking to try something new or get your hands on something special this is the place to go!
Once you’ve pulled yourself away from the shop, head to the Medieval Ale House upstairs, Famed for its unbelievably small kitchen, impressively huge collection of beers, & its rich and varied history. The bar is only small so can get busy but it’s certainly worth checking out. So is their food! They use the best ingredients Yorkshire has to offer for a surprisingly varied menu for such a menu venue. Including cheese and meat platters, pies, burgers, soups, stews etc, and don’t forget to check out the specials board! This is definitely somewhere you can let go of the day-to-day stresses, sit back, relax and sample a great beer in a truly medieval location.
(They also have a second, larger bar in York City too, so don’t stress if you can’t get a table, just head over to their bar in Lendalb
With all this exploring, beer and food, you’ll be glad that there are a couple of campsites withing walking distance to the city centre.
York Rowntree Park Club Campsite being the closest. It is a Caravan and Motorhome club site, (non-members can still book) I’m not going to lie, it’s never going to be the cheapest to book, but it does give you the ability to walk into the centre in just a few minutes (and stumble back in a few more) and is still a vast majority cheaper than hotels in the same area. The site does get busy because of its proximity to the centre so always worth booking early.
There are a few more options around 1-2 miles from the centre, including: Bleak House Farm, Thornfield Farm Caravan and Camping and Chowdene Camping and Caravan Site if you prefer to be a bit further afield.
We hope this gives you a new prospective to enjoying city breaks in the campers/motorhomes and not always needing a car or public transport to enjoy a city break in our campervans/motorhomes. However, if you don’t mind a slightly longer walk (around 2.5miles) or hopping on a bus and are looking for a Pub Stopover in York, The Lysander Arms and The Hogs Head are worth looking into, both have close access to public transport.
York is a stunning city, with incredible architecture, culture, history, and most importantly a cracking selection of bars and breweries to choose from!
Whether it’s for a quick city break or for an overnight stop off when travelling further afield, you can’t ask for much more!
BEER. BREWERIES. CAMPING. CAMPERVANS.
