York City Walls

We stumbled upon the free entrance to walk the city walls whilst exploring York. Definitely a must, you get an amazing view of the cathedral and there are points along the wall to stop and have a picnic or take some pictures. It was a bit of a sun trap when we visited in May 2023.

I had an amazing experience walking around the York city walls. You get a good idea of the the layout of the city. I would suggest you take a walk on the wall first. There are 4 sections of the wall. Each section is known as some gate.

You MUST walk the ancient walls of York City! Great history, lots of tower stop offs with convenient pubs nearby. Lots of historic views and photo opportunities. A beautiful way to see York. About 2 miles all around. All in the open - adverse weather beware and dress appropriately. Beware of rude people who take pushchairs up there, DESPITE some parts being barely single-file who think everyone (sometimes bottle-necks of 20+ people) should walk backwards or jump onto railings hangibg over edges to accommodate their selfishness! But that's some people for you. Some parts are narrow and barely single file, others have no railings with 8ft open drop sides. Children MUST be supervised! No pushchairs on some parts as it's just too narrow. No dogs. It's not good for people with a fear of heights and drop edges. Not good for elderly and infirm as lots lots of steps. Not disabled accessible.

One of the main places we wanted to visit in York was the City Walls. I had initially thought it was one complete wall, but it's not; it's split into separate sections, so you'd walk a little bit, then climb down the stairs and then cross the road before climbing back up again; most of the walls I did safe, but some sections had no barrier so it felt a little unsafe, especially in wet conditions. Still, otherwise, I'm happy I went to because i got a taste of the history, and there are many facts to educate on what happened in Yorks past. All are free, and you do not need to pay, but I know there are guided tours available, too, but I don't think you'd need that because it's self-explanatory. I wouldn't say this is suitable for people with mobility issues because there are no ramps, only medieval stairs, and some parts do not have a barrier, so there is a high risk of falling.

Only 2 miles in total distance, not too steep other than occasional climb up and down stairs as the wall breaks from time to time (which is a bit tricky to find the next continuous point). There are several nice views along the relax walk.