No Bears but a Mallard & a Hippopotamus

We arrived at our campsite just outside York late in the afternoon. The only restaurant in walking distance was a Toby Carvery and although York was only a 30 min cycle away, a good part of it was along a busy A road before you hit the segregated cycle path so with the variable weather decided to go for a midweek roast.

The roof resounded with rain most of the night but the weather cleared by morning and all forecasts promised a dry day. As one of us went large at the Toby Carvery, (yes, you Charlie) we skipped breakfast and cycled into York.

Cycled past York Minster and headed to the National Railway Museum. Mostly a celebration of steam, I found the carriages equally as fascinating as the engines. from the opulent, velvet plush interiors of Queen Victoria’s state carriage to the very plain and practical interior of King George VI and our Queen’s carriages. Also a 3rd class carriage for London to Edinburgh service in the 1950’s looked positively posh, with tea served on delicate china.

Seeing The Mallard brought back memories of a primary school visit to the London Transport Museum where The Mallard was a star attraction and the memory of that beautiful engine has remained strong. I loved there was an engine called Hippopotamus and my namesake ‘Coppernob’, a name I used to be called as a child.

The Mallard which still holds the record for the fastest steam locomotive at 126 mph

With tummies rumbling, as deep-fried scone did not appeal, we headed to lunch, at a lovely restaurant called ‘Ate O’clock’ where a full 3 courses were devoured and then we headed to the Jorvik Centre for a date with Vikings, but a I was a tad upset that none of them looked like Ragnar Lothbrok. However I did learn that there is a possibility that my family has Viking genes. Apparently Dupuytren’s contracture (where fingers become permanently bent) is also known as Viking disease as it most common among those of Nordic descent. Some members of my family have this.

Then a wander around The Shambles, apparently the inspiration for Diagon Alley (Harry Potter) before the cycle home. We had just put the bikes away when the rain started (I am writing this 24 hours later and it hasn’t stopped).