A sunny day in York
Hi, I’m Matthew and I’m a Music student at York St John University.
York is a lovely city to have a day off in during the summer. Although city life in the sun can be overwhelming, there are many ways you can enjoy your time off and make the most of it. For me personally, I like to have different plans depending on whether I want a quiet day or not. York allows for you to have a vast range of ideas and activities to do so!
A sunny day out and about
For a more eventful sunny day, whether you are out with your friends or just by yourself, there are always the markets. There, you can spend your time walking in the sunshine while also being able buy something nice for yourself. I’ve bought a range of badges from there. It’s nice to have a look around there in general. As a music student, being in places with lots of different art and colourful things people have made can be very inspiring to my own work. I imagine this also translates across other interests’ people have.
From there, you can head to the museum gardens and check out what is going on there. The museum gardens often have a lively atmosphere, whether you’re grabbing food and relaxing on the grass or listening to live music. It always feels like something is going on. You could have a picnic with friends, get food and relax in the sun.
Relaxing in the sun
If you want a sunny day that’s more chilled, you can always find a free spot by the river to sit and enjoy the sun and the water. During my second year at university, I often would go down by the river when it was warm to sit and play my guitar or write in my notebook. I find the river feels quite inspirational and motivating to be creative which sometimes is hard to do in the summer heat.
Also, if you need a break from the sun, there are plenty of lovely, air-conditioned coffee shops across the city which do iced drinks to cool you down for a while. A good few examples of places I like to go to are:
- Rise, which is especially great on mornings as they also do delicious breakfasts.
- 200 Degrees Coffee, which is ideal for chilling in due to its super cosy vibes with its dim lighting.
- Gatehouse Coffee, which is cool as you get to have coffee on the city walls. After you have coffee there, it also gives you a great opportunity to walk along the walls and take in the amazing views of the city.
Having a day off in the sun in York gives you so many great opportunities to explore and have a fun, eventful day whether you are with friends or by yourself. You just must brave enough to face the sun and remember sunscreen!
