Be afraid - be very afraid... (Attractions in York in general)

Member Name: ermintrude

Product:	Attractions in York in general
Date:	03/08/00 (86 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great entertainment; learn a bit about York's history

Disadvantages: Not for slow walkers!

York is a historic city. And if there's one thing historic cities have lots of, it's ghosts (or ghost stories, depending on your viewpoint).

When you walk around York, you'll see lots of posters for Ghost Walks, there are a few different people/companies doing them, and if you ask me, it's a good start to a night out.

All you do is turn up at the assigned place and time on the poster, where you'll most likely find a mysterious-looking man in a top hat and cloak, just hanging around or bantering with people who are already there. He'll relieve you of your cash, and then lead your happy band through the streets of York, stopping to recount ghost stories at the appropriate places. For maximum effect, the walks are probably best experienced on a foggy autumn night :)

The stories aren't particularly scary or nasty, although some are a bit gory, but the people who do these tours are absolutely excellent storytellers, and they stay in character for the whole walk (about an hour). They won't hesitate to make sarcastic remarks to members of the group, and especially to children who are being a bit annoying! It's basically a bit of theatre where the audience is part of it.

My only word of caution is that small children might not be up to the walking, or could possibly find it scary (although probably not). Also, the guides tend to move pretty fast, so keep up!

All in all, it's very entertaining, and as the walks usually begin around 8 or 9pm, there's time for a meal or pint afterwards. It's worth the £3.50 or so they charge, but watch out for money-off vouchers in B&Bs etc. and you can probably get it for £2.

One website:
http://www.yorkshirenet.co.uk/yorkghostwalk/

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