There must be a book in this

We didn’t walk on Friday. Mainly because I was getting my hair done. So, as is the way of things, we lunched instead. At Harville’s. I hadn’t been for a while, and they’ve had it closed for a few weeks, to expand and refurbish. It’s now got a new cocktail bar upstairs, and an expanded champagne and oyster bar downstairs, but unfortunately I didn't have time to explore, so I'll need to make a return visit. In celebration of the fact, however, we drank champagne with our ‘express lunch’. It may not be a natural combination with fish and chips, but it was pretty damn good.

So yesterday, I decided that I would go for a walk, rather than do house work (or, more likely, veg out in front of the tv, or read a book). We walked along the river, into town, and out to the millennium bridge, accompanied by our ‘honorary handbag walker’, K, (his camera bag gives him admittance to the group), who didn’t so much walk with us, as trail about 50 yards behind, taking photos.

As always, we stopped at a tea shop, one of our favourites, the little Belgian café which is built into Skeldergate bridge. We decided to be hardy and sit outside by the river, but it did get pretty cold, and I was chilled through for the rest of the walk. Once again, walking through town makes me realise how lucky we are to live in such a beautiful city. You pass by so much history on the route, the station and the railway which brought a new lease of life to the city in the 19th Century, and which also brought my maternal ancestors here. The bar walls, the Roman multangular tower, the site of St Mary’s Abbey, the old medieval houses which are now shops, and that you don’t even realise their age until you look up, rather than charging, head down, along the street from shop to shop. Further along, we come to Rowntree Park, and the Quaker/chocolate heritage of York. I mention that the first place I ever went swimming was the open air pool. As we pass by the duck pond, V asks if you could paddle in it, clearly thinking this is the pool! I explain that it was a 'proper' pool, though long demolished now.

As we walk, we talk about our plans for the ‘handbag walkers’ book, for surely there must be other ‘casual walkers’ like us. It would feature walks, and teas shops, and shopping, all the essential elements, and all rated. I think there's a market out there.