York Castle Museum

Museums, Museums and Museums

November 28, 2018 in Days out with James

This week I am having a cheeky little staycation. Having not really had any time to take my holidays this year, I had a week spare so I decided to take it at the end of November as work is about a quiet as it is going to be.

Lyns had the Monday and Tuesday off and I have always wanted to go to Beamish, the living history museum, so we though we would have night away. Seeing as it was dad’s birthday on the Monday, we invited nana and grandad to come with us. Lyns was working on the Sunday night so we headed up on Monday afternoon after she had got up. It was going to be our first night in a hotel with James, but more on that later.

With Lyns sleeping on Monday morning, James and I headed into York early on so we would not make too much noise around the house. We got into town and first things first, breakfast. Lyns had introduced me to a little independent cafe called Bruks so we headed there for a sausage sandwich for me and a scone for James, as they had no teacakes. The sausage sandwiches are probably the best ones in York, the sausages are amazing, real meaty butchers sausages, definitely recommended.

The face I got when I asked if I could try some of his scone

After we had finished our breakfast we headed off to the Castle Museum as James wanted to explore the Victorian street. However, as we were walking across it started raining. Conveniently we were outside the Jorvik centre. Now, it must be at least ten years since I have been here and certainly not since it was flooded so I decided to take James in. It was £11 for me and James was free. Not too expensive for us two but there is not a lot there and would be pricey for a family.

James loved the ride round. We went round and he was a little apprehensive the first time but by the time we got to the end of the ride he was in full swing and giving me a running commentary of what he could see. As soon as we got off all he kept saying was ‘again, again’. Luckily there was no queue so we headed back and went round on the ride again. In fact, it is the only time I have ever walked past and there has been no queue, I suppose that is the benefit of going mid week on a wet November day.

After the Jorvik centre we were running a little short on time but James still wanted to see the Victorian street at the Castle Museum, or as it turned out, the street toilet, so we headed across. We had about forty five minutes there so we had a quick wander around the street and then headed to the 60s area, so James could play in the space ship, and then through the prison before heading out. After the museum, we jumped straight on the bus and headed home to wake mummy up.

We were staying at the Beamish Hall Hotel, which is about ten minutes from Beamish. It is a grand old country house and whilst it is a little dated it was perfect for our night away. It also had a lovely restaurant, called The Stables, where we went for dinner with mum and dad. Even better, it has its own micro brewery and the beer was great.

Before dinner though, we got settled into our room. We have never stayed in a hotel with James before and he could not quite grasp the concept as we usually stay in cottages where we have the run of the house. It was lovely to see him unpacking and wanted to get himself settled in. After we had all showered and changed we headed out for dinner.

What to draw on?? The children’s packs here were great

The food in the restaurant was lovely. I had a burger and what a burger it was. They did all sorts on the menu and everyone thoroughly enjoyed their food. James ate off the children’s menu and I would have been more than happy with the portions. For the five of us, including drinks, it was less than £100 which for the meal it was, was really reasonable.

We were back at the hotel room by 8 and said good night to nana and grandad. At this point, James was hyper active, so we did what any reasonable parents would do and put his earphones and a tv programme on for him to watch. Ok ok, not great but it did settle him down. Once he had settled it was story and bed. With his sleeping right next to our bed, getting him to sleep was interesting. The only way we could think to do it, was to pretend we were asleep and hopefully he would fall asleep. This was about 9 o’clock. Lyns and I promptly fell asleep and when we woke up James was asleep so we called it quits, turned the lights off and got our heads down.

After breakfast in the morning, it was time to head to Beamish. I was really excited, Lyns not so much. We stepped outside and it was cold, very cold. Luckily though, we had all brought our woolies with us. After the short drive to Beamish, we all kitted up and then Lyns announced, ‘I did not realise there would be this much walking’ when she saw how large the site is. Luckily, I had packed her walking shoes which she mocked me for bringing but wasn’t she glad I did. If you have never been, there are trams and buses to take you around the site. With it being this time of year and rain forecast, there were very few people around and a lot of the time, it did feel like we had the site to ourselves. We did not have to wait for anything.

Keenly waiting for the first tram of the day

The first thing we did was to jump on a tram to head to the Edwardian Town. James was in an absolute grump when we got off the tram and Lyns and I both thought, here we go, he is over tired but no, turns out he would have spent the whole day going round on the tram if he had been given the choice. Every time he saw one he squealed and wanted to get on and he was adamant that he had to sit at the top.

Getting off in the town, we headed to the sweet shop where they were making Jam and Creams. It was really interesting to watch the process, and even more enjoyable to try the sweets afterwards. James wanted to try one, so with our hearts in our mouths we let him have one of the hard boiled sweets. For me personally it was terrifying watching him eat it, however, he was very good and stood still until he had sucked it into nothing.

After the sweet shop we had a wander around the other shops in the town. We bought some ginger bread in the bakers for James and when we got to the garage, the gentleman running the shop let James play with some of the old fashioned car horns, much to his delight, James’ that is.

After the town we walked down to the fun fair which is there for the Christmas period. James loves a carousel! You have to pay extra for the rides but it was only the carousel that James had eyes for.

After the town, we jumped back on the tram and headed to the colliery and pit village. There is a lovely fish and chip shop here and we treated ourselves to some lunch. Nana and grandad had come earlier in the year and apparently the queue was about an hour long. Today though there was no queue.

After lunch Grandad, James ands I headed down the pit. The gentleman who took us down had worked in the pits for over twenty years before Beamish and his knowledge was outstanding and he clearly had a passion for the mines. It was a really interesting trip and I have no idea how people used to work down the mines. The one we went down was mere metres below the ground and had a working height of over four feet. Some of the mines had a height of eighteen inches. How people worked there in those conditions, I will never know.

Torn between the embarrassment of wearing my hat and the fact it was keeping her warm

Me being told off for standing on the road

Lyns loving the fact that this tram had an enclosed upstairs

I could have gone on about all the different places we visited and the experiences we had but that would take all the fun away for anyone who has not already visited. Hopefully though I have given you a flavour of it. Despite the fact is was really cold, the six hours we were there absolutely flew by and with your ticket you can go back anytime for a whole year free of charge. We will definitely be going back. It is absolutely worth a visit and even Lyns who, by her own admission, said it was not her thing, really enjoyed it. As for the little man, who went home with nana and grandad, well he said nothing, as soon as he got it the car he was collecting zzz’s, must be a sign that he enjoyed it.

Two Museums and a Restaurant

July 29, 2018 in Days out with James

So today saw the second real wet day of the summer. We have been blessed with weeks of sunshine but all good things must come to an end. With Lyns not working, had the weather have been good we would have headed out somewhere, but with things as they were we decided to head into York. Nana and Grandad had offered to take us out for lunch so bonus. We were not due to meet them until around 12:30 so we got up early and headed in to go to the Castle Museum.

We were all up and going early and were at the park and ride for the second bus of the day, that must be record for us. We were halfway into York when Lyns remembered that in our rush, we had forgotten to let James go to the toilet! Disaster!! Luckily our little man has the world's biggest bladder, it did not stop me dreading him coming out with the infamous words, "Mummy, Daddy, need the toilet". As we were getting off the bus near the Yorkshire Museum and being York Museum Trust members, therefore free entry, we headed there first, under the pretext of seeing the dinosaurs.

We got there a couple of minutes before opening time, not that it mattered as it meant we were some of the first into the museum. After getting our tickets we headed straight to the toilets. Twenty minutes, yes you did read that correctly, later we headed out of there. Bless him, the little man had struggled a little. The comedy bit being that as it was so hot in the disabled toilet, we had left the door open. This meant that anyone walking up and down the corridor outside would have heard floating over the air,"I'm pushing daddy" or, "I'm squeezing really hard". I dread to think what people thought! Anyway after he was all done we headed back up tot he museum itself.

As we were on a tight schedule as the main aim of the day was to go to the Castle Museum, we just had a look round the dinosaur part of our unscheduled stop.

After we had explored the dinosaurs, which I am still a little disappointed with the display, we headed into the lashing rain and off to the Castle Museum. Again though, this was to be a flying visit. We just wanted to go to the Victorian street then it was off to lunch. Where had the morning gone? However, there was time for a coffee / hot chocolate and a piece of cake before we got into the serious business of exploring.

Walking through the exhibitions to get to the street, we took the opportunity to get James to stand behind the chimney sweep cut out. I would love to say he believed us when we told him he would be going up chimneys to clean them if he was not a good boy, however, in one ear and out the other, there is no sweeping needed there. Worth a try though.

Lyns after telling James there were rats!

Do the prison cells offer a day care facility?

After we had had a quick wander round it was time to meet Nana and Grandad for lunch. They had booked a table at a favourite of theirs, La Vecchia Scuola. If you have not been, the restaurant is in the building on Petergate that was once a girl's school, such a lovely building. To make it even better, they have a lovely conservatory that you can sit in to eat. Absolutely stunning, even on a wet, miserable day like today. For once we arrived bang on time but as always, this face greeted us as we walked in...

The face of a man who knows that we will never arrive before him.

The food here is really tasty, we all ate off the set menu, £15.95 for a three course dinner. I had the steak and chips and it was cooked to perfection. All the food was stunning, definitely worth a visit. Lyns and I are now trying to work out how we can go back for an evening meal, just the two of us. James was seriously tired today and it showed as he was a stroppy little monster over lunch. He had no less than three time outs during the hour and a half or so we were there! However, by the time ice cream came around, he had cheered himself up.

Trying not to laugh at the ice cream moustache

After we had finished lunch, it was time for a walk round York. Lyns was looking for a present for here little sister's 21st birthday. We went in a few shops and Lyns has come away with a host of ideas. James by this point was more or less asleep on his feet. Luckily Grandad was on hand...

Suddenly not so tired once Grandad had picked him up

We headed back to the bus stop and home. The little man fell asleep in the car on the way back from the bus, yes we drove to the bus stop but in our defence the weather was horrendous, and had a good hours nap when we got home. The rest of us made the most of this and had a cup of coffee and a chat. All in all, a lovely day out!

One very tired little boy, ready to go home but enjoying being fussed over

A Cheeky Little Bonus

April 28, 2018 in Days out with James

So a Saturday is usually a day of Gym Bobs in the morning and then swimming in the afternoon, with a little fun along the way. However, as I went to load the little man into the car, I could not find the car seat. Lyns had taken it to work!!! Not that I could be annoyed as I have done it time enough, even on three consecutive days in one instance. This meant that James and I had a bonus day together to do something. Bundling him into the buggy while he was still in the mood to go out, we headed to the bus stop.

Now, James it not shy when it comes to speaking about what he sees. As we were getting onto the bus he had a quizzical look on his face and was unusually quiet. I did not think anything of it. However, just after we sat down, his little voice rang out across the bus, "Daddy, why does that lady have a hairy face?". He had spotted an old lady who, to be fair, was sporting an impressive white beard. Luckily she had not heard, but there were a few laughs from the people sat around me! I was mortified.

After that, the rest of the trip was uneventful. We arrived in York in time for lunch. I gave James the choice and he chose fish and chips, one of his favourites. We found a fish and chip shop, James had fish goujons, five good sized pieces of fish, and I have a small fish and chips as I am trying to lose a bit of weight and get fit. My fish was a good size, but as I unwrapped I thought they had forgotten the chips, alas no, the fifteen chips that I had were hidden under the fish. By the time James had had his share, the James tax as we call it in our household, there were only the scraps left for me. At least he is helping me cut down. It was very pleasant sat in the Minster Gardens eating our lunch. It is somewhere we go quite often when we are in town and eating a picnic lunch.

The winner of the biggest mouthful is ...

How much can one little boy fit in his mount?

After we had eaten lunch we went to have a look around the Castle Museum. James loves exploring in there, especially the victorian street. There is so much for him to do and to see. He cannot take it all in. Because we were late into town, we did not have a huge amount of time as Nana and Grandad were coming for dinner. As we are YMT card holders, it does not matter if it is only a short visit.

This time, the first place we stopped for a look was the room that shows some of the fashions through the ages. James was not so much interested in the clothing, rather the cat walk which he loved running up and down.

Next it was onto the victorian street. Instantly I could tell James has visited here far too often recently as he knew how many carriages there are and took me to see each one in turn. Every time though, I think he finds something different to look at. Today he was intrigued by the toilets.

The other place James spent a lot of time today was in the prison cell. He loved opening and closing the big iron gate.

The last bit we looked round today was the World War One display. I always find this very difficult as James asks what happened to all the people and wants the memorials reading out to him. Very hard to explain to a toddler the concept of death, so we tell him that all the people have gone up to the stars. Lyns has a lovely way of remembering those who are no longer with us and every time she sees a robin, it is granny coming back to see us. James knows of this so as I read all the names to him, he looked at me very seriously and told me that all the people would be going to see their families as a robin so that they could see them again and then they would not be sad. You have got to marvel at how simply a child sees the world and how amazing it is to start experiencing the world again through them.

It was then off to play in the trench tunnel and the hollowed out tree.

By now we had run out of time. Back to the buggy, onto the bus and home. James saw none of this because, as soon as I sat him in the buggy, he had fallen asleep. Half an hour later we were home and I was enjoying a drink whilst James had a snooze. Another successful day of wearing him out done.

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