York walking tour

This scavenger hunt has a difficulty level of NORMAL.

Your group’s size should be between 2 and 6 persons. In fact, children are welcome.

After purchase, to begin your York walking tour, direct yourself to the sidewalk around Clifford’s Tower, Tower St, York YO1 9SA, United Kingdom. This is the start location.

Once there, log in to this website on your smartphone and begin your hunt.

Also, you’ll need a fully charged smartphone connected to the Internet (LTE or 4G with a data plan; Wi-Fi isn’t available throughout). Instructions will be supplied on-screen, along with directions and challenges, as well as some historical information.

Ancient History

The earliest settlements here date to between 9 and 10,000 years ago in the Mesolithic.

When the Romans arrived in the 1st century CE, a tribe called the Brigantes occupied this territory. 3 Roman Emperors held court in York: Hadrian (122), Sptimium Severus (207-211), and Constantius I (306)

After the Romans departed, the area was taken over by the Angles (5th century). Then it was Northumbria in the 6th century. The Vikings later raided and captured York in the 9th century. 

The Normans then conquered England including York in the 11th century.

King John granted the city’s first charter in 1212. It began trading throughout England and Europe. Its principal export was grain.

Modern History

The city went through an economic decline in the 16th to 18th centuries. This was the Tudor period. 

Railways established York’s prominence by the late 19th century. North Eastern Railway (5500 employees) made York its headquarters. This, in turn, allowed the expansion of Rowntree’s Cocoa Works, and later, Terry’s of York.

York was also a center of early photography.

The city was bombed during the 2nd world war. Both the rail station and Rowntree’s factory were hit.

From the 1960s onward, tourism given its long history became its principal asset. Many museums emerged..