Romans, Saxons and Vikings left their stamp on York. Tim Hughes discovers there is no better time to explore it all than on its 800th birthday

BY the time the Roman legions marched into York, the place was already old. When the Vikings got round to sailing their dragon-headed long boats up the Ouse, the city was an historic relic.

And when King John finally granted the city its Royal Charter in 1212, it was positively creaking.

York, it is safe to say, is old news. How old no one is really sure, though it only really became a city in 71 AD when the Ninth Legion chased the local tribesmen out of the woods and built a fort – right on the spot where now stands one of the finest places of worship in the world – York Minster.

York’s streets and river banks are layered with history – civilization on top of civilization; each new wave building on the foundations of those who came before.

It all makes for a thrilling, if haunting, sensation – a sense of walking among ghosts, treading in the footsteps of the Emperors Hadrian and Septimius Severus, of Eric Bloodaxe, King Edred and William the Conqueror. Nowhere in Britain is that sense of the accumulation of history more in your face. It is, quite literally, in its stones.

This year, more than ever, York is celebrating its past by commemorating the anniversary of King John’s charter – which was granted 800 years ago this month. And, while eight centuries is nothing for a city like York, which was well into middle age by the time it was allowed to take charge of its own affairs (electing a council, creating a mayor and raising its own taxes) the good folk of the Yorkshire capital are celebrating it with typical Northern gusto – with a long year of events which peak this summer.

Frankly, there is no better time to visit. And the only way to go is by leaving the hard work to the invention which, in more recent years, went on to make the city its fortune – the train.

Leaving Oxford at a leisurely hour of the morning, you can be munching parkin in Betty’s tea rooms, in St Helen’s Square, for afternoon tea – heading first into London, then flying up from Kings Cross by East Coast train in just two hours. It is more than worth shelling out the supplement for first class on East Coast Trains – if only for the sublime treat of tucking into a hot meal with wine and endless cups of coffee brought to you by cheery waitresses, while gliding through the flatlands of Eastern England. There is something of the golden age of travel about the experience, and you’ll never want to get on a plane again.

York Station is still a hub of life in what has been voted Britain’s favourite small city by Rough Guide readers. And it is appropriate that its sidings are also home to one of its best attractions.

The National Railway Museum is worth a trip up north on its own – and you don’t have to own an anorak, let alone a notepad full of numbers, to fall under the spell of its gleaming exhibits. Mallard, Flying Scotsman, Green Arrow, Evening Star... some of the most famous names in railway history tower above the gawping visitors in its vast central hall, more like living creatures than machines. There is more neck-craning over the Ouse and into the tangle of ginnels and alleys of the medieval centre – a world where streets are ‘gates’ (from the Viking word ‘gata’) and gates are ‘bars’ – not to be confused with the cosy old pubs tucked away round every turn.

Linking those bars are the city walls, which open up panoramas over the city and tantalising views of its crowning glory: the Minster, with its ‘eight wonders’ – a sequence of architectural splendours including its vaulted Chapter House, vast stained glass West Window and quirky astronomical clock.

For a different perspective on an ancient scene, take to the sky with a ride on the Wheel of York, which offers views over the city and as far as the North York Moors.

Despite its history, York is no museum. This is a stylish city of smart bars, great restaurants and terrific hotels. Among the most spectacular is Middlethorpe Hall Hotel – a 17th century William and Mary country house, now owned by the National Trust. As well as 20 acres of gardens, there is a spa and one of the best restaurants in the North. Food is big in York; it always has been - a legacy, perhaps, of Emperor Hadrian’s epicurean tastes and hedonistic pursuits.

The city, which was voted best gastro destination in the UK, and fifth best in Europe, by Trip Advisor, celebrates its foodie fascination at September’s York Food Festival. Or go now and indulge in its other famous product – chocolate. Earlier this year a delicious new attraction opened. Called appropriately enough, Chocolate – York’s Sweet Story, it is run by Continuum, the people also behind Oxford Castle Unlocked, and is dedicated to the place that gave us the Kit Kat and the Chocolate Orange. For something more historic though, head up next month for the Medieval Festival and the sublime York Mystery Plays – and relish the unique atmosphere of a city which wears its past glories with ease, while making the most of its good-living present.

FACT FILE

VISIT YORK

  • For a full list of York’s 800 events and to book your 2012 break, go online at visityork.org/2012, drop into the Visit York Information Centre at 1 Museum Street, York, YO1 7DT, call 01904 550099, or email info@visityork.org.
  • Indulge yourself in the home of chocolate: Go to visityork.org/chocolate or contact the Visit York Information Centre.
  • Make the most of your visit with a York Pass, offering free entry to more than 25 York attractions and tours as well as restaurant and shopping offers. Buy a one, two or three-day pass.
  • Stay at Middlethorpe Hall Hotel, a 1699 country house with spa and restaurant, within easy reach of all York’s attractions. Visit middlethorpe.com or call 01904 641241.

GETTING THERE

  • Rail: There is no question about it, the only way to travel to the Northern home of the railways, is by train. York is on the East Coast mainline and it takes less than two hours to get to York from London by East Coast Trains, which offer speed, style, comfort, great food and drinks... and friendly service (which you can't say for many rail operators). York Station is a short walk from the city centre. Visit www.eastcoast.co.uk and National Rail enquiries at www.nationalrail.co.uk, or call 08457 484950.