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York City Wall Walk
York has more miles of intact wall than any other city in England with some of them following the exact line of the original Roman ones. This tour takes you around it all giving you insight and history of this unique landmark. See the City and the Cathedral from many different perspectives, visit medieval gateways, stone towers and even a brick one that caused a murder. This walk includes several stone staircases so its not appropriate for wheel chairs, and dogs are not allowed on the walls.
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FREE App with A FREE WALK in Every City
Each walk delivers a unique and fascinating user experience. Through Tourist Walks’ self guided tour application you can explore the hidden gems created by local experts. For people wanting to explore the neighbourhood and experience the local culture, we provide a unique experience of exploring the city using GPS guided audio tours. We provide a free walk to our new users.
Full Audio Visual Commentary
Tourist Walks is an application that can give you the freedom to explore the famous walks at your own discretion. We have created a full audio-visual self-guided experience that gives you the confidence to explore and discover the stories of various cities on your own.
Visit the Best Tourist Sites & Explore Them
Get a list of all the tourist sites you can visit. The Tourist Walks application will guide you to your next destination because every journey starts with a single step.
GPS and Multilingual Audio and Text Guidance
Even if you don’t understand the local language of the city you are visiting, Don’t worry. Audio guided walks have multilingual text assistance that will guide you in your native language.
Start/Stop/Rewind
/Restart Go at Your Own Pace
Tourist Walks’ audios are narrated by professionals who will keep you entertained while you are walking your way to the next destination. We help you discover the city around you in a more impressive way.
Download the Walk App & Use Offline. No Mobile Data Required.
It is always frustrating when you wish to travel somewhere but your mobile phone service is out-of-order. Don’t worry! Tourist Walks comes with an offline version of built-in maps you might need, even without internet access.
FREE App & Walk Summaries
Each walk delivers a unique and fascinating user experience. Through Tourist Walks’ self guided tour application you can explore the hidden gems created by local experts. For people wanting to explore the neighbourhood and experience the local culture, we provide a unique experience of exploring the city using GPS guided audio tours. The App is FREE, and all the walk summaries are FREE, each walk is individually priced and you can buy all the walks for a city at a discounted price.
Full Audio Visual Commentary
Tourist Walks is an application that can give you the freedom to explore the famous walks at your own discretion. We have created a full audio-visual self-guided experience that gives you the confidence to explore and discover the stories of various cities on your own.
Visit the Best Tourist Sites & Explore Them
Get a list of all the tourist sites you can visit. The Tourist Walks application will guide you to your next destination because every journey starts with a single step.
GPS and Multilingual Audio and Text Guidance
Even if you don’t understand the local language of the city you are visiting, Don’t worry. Audio guided walks have multilingual text assistance that will guide you in your native language.
Start/Stop/Rewind
/Restart Go at Your Own Pace
Tourist Walks’ audios are narrated by professionals who will keep you entertained while you are walking your way to the next destination. We help you discover the city around you in a more impressive way.
Download the Walk App & Use Offline. No Mobile Data Required.
It is always frustrating when you wish to travel somewhere but your mobile phone service is out-of-order. Don’t worry! Tourist Walks comes with an offline version of built-in maps you might need, even without internet access.
Explore what history you can see and feel on this York City Wall Walk
- Tour Name - York City Wall Walk
- Tour Location - York
- No. of Attractions - #17
- Tour Starting Point - Bootham Bar
- Tour Ending Point - Roman Tower
If we go back in time, the City wall’s purpose was just to guard the medieval city. With the turn of centuries, the City walls became an excellent gateway to the historical part of York. Who knew bare walls built for protection would ever attract tourists from all over the world? The walls from the 13th century are way too glorious to witness. And if you enjoy the historical side of things and places, then this York tour is for you.
As time changed, City walls became out of purpose and were no longer used to protect the city. To have a larger space in the town, the City council came up with the idea of bringing down these walls. But thankfully, as the public refused to accept this decision, the walls remained intact. Today, those walls make a charismatic monument and add pride to the city.
Would you enjoy coming across a gateway to York that is 2000 years old? If yes, let’s head to the Bootham Bar, the most historic gateway out of the four surrounding York. Spotting a stunning tower of stone with a deep layer of history on your walk would make your day. You would love some luxury stay and dining on your trip to York, wouldn’t you? Allow us to lead you to Gray’s Court. A hotel that has hosted countless kings, so you can only imagine the level of extravagance this place holds. There’s much more to this that you’ll learn on this City Wall Walk.
Get on this stunningly historical walk with us, and we promise you won’t regret it. We can’t wait to show you places that have remained the same even with drastic changes over centuries.
Let’s Explore The Building Blocks of The York Wall Walk
Bootham Bar
Bootham Bar has been the site of the city’s main gateway, to the north, for 2000 years, and it was one of the four main entrances to the Roman Fortress here at York, or, as it was then called, Eboracum. Just imagine all the different peoples that have passed through this gateway, or the Roman one that lies just beneath it. They include Roman Legions and medieval armies, all out to conquer the tribes of Scotland, mostly unsuccessfully. Also using this gateway over the centuries were the multitudes of ordinary people coming to the weekly market. In fact that’s how this place got its name, Bar in Anglo-Saxon means Gateway and Bootham refers to the market booths that once lined the streets here. The stone arch of the gateway is nearly a thousand years old, while the top half dates from the 14th Century.
Grays Court Garden
Grays Court hotel which is thought to be the oldest continually occupied house in York. In the 19th Century the owners of the court sacrificed what they thought of as “their bit of the Wall” to contribute to the walk you are now on, for which we are very grateful. There is a plaque on the wall to commemorate the event just a bit further on. We visit Grays Court on the Shadow of the Minster Walk.
Monks Bar
Monks Bar is mostly around 700 years old. The top storey was probably added at the time of the so-called Wars of the Roses during the reign of Richard III. When you look up at the back of the Bar you are looking at the only medieval back wall still in existence. You will see it has proper windows rather than arrow slits showing that it doubled as a home in the Middle Ages. Renting out rooms in the Bar was one way to pay for the upkeep and repairs to the Walls and gateways. The balcony just above the arch is thought to have been used for public announcements. Find out more on our tour
Georgian Ice House / Roman Interval Tower
The Georgian Ice House was used for storing ice in the days before freezers. It has been cut into the outer ramparts to improve insulation from the warmer air outside. Nearby there are the remains of a Roman interval tower to see.
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Merchant Taylors
This is the Merchant Taylors Hall. Built in 1415 it was the home of the honorable guild of Merchant Taylors where the Guild used to meet to discuss business and make merry. The Guilds of York were partly Trade Associations, partly religious organizations and partly Charities. They strictly controlled trade in the City and you had to be member of one to conduct business in the area. Tailoring was one of the biggest trades in York. In 1386 when the first records were taken there were 128 master tailors who would be full members of the Guild.
Layerthorpe Bridge Postern Gate
There has been a Bridge crossing the River Foss since medieval times. The road led to the village of Layerthorpe so it is known as Layerthorpe Bridge. Find out more on our tour.
Roman Corner Tower Remains
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Red Tower
The Red Tower was built in the 15th Century this is the only Tower on the Wall built of brick, presumably to save money, and Its brick construction was not appreciated by the local stone masons, to the extent that it was the cause of dispute, and even murder. Apparently the Stonemasons unhappiness with Tilers, who were the brick layers of their day, being employed to build it led to them attempting to sabotage its construction. The Tilers had to ask for protection from the city council to stop the threats against them and the sabotaging of their tools. Despite the request in 1491, Tiler John Patrik was murdered. Two leading masons, William Hindley and Christopher Homer, were arrested and charged but quickly acquitted.
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Walmgate Bar
This is the only gateway to have retained its medieval barbican so its worth taking the time to take a closer look. This Bar saw a lot of action in 1644 during the English Civil War being pounded with cannon fire and mined from underneath. Find out more on our tour.
Fishergate Bar
This gateway is Fishergate Bar. One of the five medieval gateways to the City it was built in the 14th Century, when it is recorded as being called Barram Fishergate. It was bricked up following riots during the Yorkshire Rebellion against Henry VII taxes in 1489 when the gates of the Bar were burned. It was reopened in 1827. Today it provides pedestrian access through the walls between the Fishergate area and George Street.
Fishergate Tower
This tower was built to replace an earlier tower in about 1500. The outside of the Tower was originally built at the point where the city walls meet the River Foss. The waters edge once went right up to the tower. Now the Foss runs on the other side of the modern pub that you see built like a castle tower. Originally the tower had no roof and if you look just under the roof you will see how the battlement has been turned into a window. The whole top of the tower was covered by the 17th Century.
Davy Tower
This tower, which was once right next to the river, has been made into a house but at one time it was instrumental in the defense of the City from the river. A chain would be strung between this tower and another that no longer exists on the other side. This chain stopped invasion by river and controlled trade, making sure all the traders paid their taxes.
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Baille Hill
This is what is left of the Motte or mound, similar to the one Cliffords tower now sits on, of the castle built on this side of the river by William the Conqueror. York is the only place in the country other than London to have two castles. It is not known which was first but most people think it was Cliffords Tower. They would have originally been built of wood. Cliffords Tower was rebuilt in stone in the thirteenth century but this castle was abandoned and there is now no trace of it.
Bitchdaughter Tower
This tower is known as “Bitchdaughter” tower though nobody knows why. It is thought much of stone work here was from the 17th Century English Civil War.
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Micklegate Bar
This is the medieval gateway known as Micklegate. Micklegate is known as the Principal Bar in that it is the main gateway to the South. The gate where every Monarch, by tradition, has to stop and ask for the Lord Mayors permission to enter, though it is never refused of course. You can see statues on top that remind us that it is also where the heads of traitors were once displayed. The last ones being supporters of Bonnie Prince Charlie in the Jacobite rebellion of 1745. Find out more on our tour.
York Railway Station
The present railway station was built in the 1870’s. When it was built it was thought to be the largest in the world and the flagship station for the North Eastern Railway company or LNER as it was known. It is thought to be the finest Victorian Building in York so its worth making a note to go back and have a look inside. At the back of the station is the National Railway Museum which is free to go in. We definitely recommend you visit the amazing exhibits on show.
Lendal Tower & Bridge
This is Lendal Tower and it has stood proudly next to the River Ouse since around 1300. In the 17th Century it was leased out to the York waterworks company. Water was pumped from the tower throughout York until 1836.
Roman Tower
The tower is popularly known as the Roman Multi-angular tower. The bottom half with the smaller stones and the brick stripesis Roman and was built in the 4th Century. The brick stripes are a common feature in Roman buildings and are meant to help stabilize the structure. The top half is medieval from the 13th Century. It was the corner tower of the Roman Fort and the Medieval City.
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Other Recommended Walks in the City
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SELF GUIDED WALKS
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Frequently Asked Questions
No. After the walks have been downloaded, for which you need an internet connection, no mobile data is required to do the walks.
No you can pause and resume at any point within the walk. Whether you need a coffee or a comfort break the walks are entirely flexible.
Yes you will receive both verbal guidance and a GPS enabled map to take you around each of the points of interest on the walks.
No the walks are circular so you will receive multiple options of where to start each walk.
Yes there are providing you buy them as a bundle, not one at a time. You can even buy all the walks in one package at a very generous price.
For each point of interest you will get information both verbally and in text and sometimes video form together with helpful images to get the most from each one.
You can pay by all manner of credit and debit cards as well as Paypal.
In the walk summary we point out if the walk is suitable for wheelchairs and pets, and there is also an indication of the distance of the walk, and how long it will take.
Yes we would love to hear from you through our website: www.touristwalks.co.uk
Happy Tourists
I absolutely enjoyed using the Tourist Walk app! The guided walking tours are very informative and interesting. I was able to find the tour I wanted quickly and easily, and the app was very easy to navigate. The walking tour itself was a lot of fun, and I learned a lot about the city. Overall, I would highly recommend this.
Carla Mathew
Tourist Walk is an excellent walking guide app. It is extremely user-friendly and provides great information on the various tours available. I would highly recommend this app to anyone visiting a new city!
Shaun Miles
Tourist Walk is an amazing app that provides guided tours of various cities. The app is extremely user-friendly and easy to navigate. I was able to find the tour I was looking for quickly and easily. The tour itself was very informative and interesting. I would highly recommend this app to anyone visiting a new city!
