York is a walled city. Almost two miles of wall separate this ancient city from its (in some cases) less ancient surroundings. Though the walls were built for defensive purposes, they are now one of its primary tourist attractions.

A quick climb up and you’re on top of the world, or at least the walls.

Today I strolled two stretches of wall: one south from Lendal Bridge and the other north from Bootham Bar to Monk Bar, two of the Roman gates into the city.

As a walker in the suburbs, I don’t spend much time on top of walls. I generally stay away from walls entirely. So it was delightful to amble along the old stones today — and see what I could see.