castle

 

It can become all to easy to overlook a 900 year old castle when you walk past it every day. That is the position that I am fortunate enough to find myself in, as my daily commute involves passing Clifford’s Tower, York, England. With the largest Gothic cathedral in Western Europe right round the corner, even if you come to York to discover the city’s expansive history, the castle can be quickly overlooked.

 

I can’t quite put my finger on why, but this castle holds a special place in my heart. I have countless great memories involving the medieval structure, but one of my fondest, and oldest, involves my extended family from out of town coming to visit us in York. My dad and uncles were keen to take me and my cousins up to the castle to explore the ruins and have a little history lesson. Meanwhile, my elderly grandad waited at the bottom, as the steps were a little too much for him. We left him on a comfortable bench to watch the world go by and clambered up to see the tower.

 

An hour or so later we returned to find an empty bench, no sign of my grandad anywhere! He was quite a frail, old gentleman, and this was well before the time of mobile phones. Trips were made to nearby phone boxes to see if anyone at home had heard from him. Enquiries were made to friendly strangers passing by. Nobody knew anything.

 

A few more hours passed by, the parents starting to get a little worried, while us children remained a little oblivious. Then a hop-on hop-off tourist bus pulled up. And grandad jumped off! He’s only gone and taken himself off for a little sight-seeing!

 

Catherine McHughHello! I’m Catherine. Twenty-three years old. Living in York, England. A recent graduate trying to find her way through life. At the moment it’s a fairly standard life, working away while dreaming of being somewhere far away and exotic. It will all be changing soon though, as this year I will be leaving the UK to go travelling indefinitely. Follow along with all of Catherine’s adventures at Ever Changing Scenery.