Another local insider tip and I was tempted to reintroduce pot plants into my home. Botanic was…read morelike a trip back to my childhood in Germany when I had a bedroom filled with cactus and succulents ... there were even pots hanging in macrame nets just like the ones I used to make - not sure if this made me feel young again or just very, very old. Luckily I couldn't take too many plants on the train back to London, but it was a joy just looking around and overhearing the very knowledeable owner giving advice to customers. I hope some of the many people crammed into the small shop bought more than just a couple of greeting cards!

From the owner: Plant themed, independent shop within the historic York City walls specialising in house plants…read moreincluding foliage plants, cacti and succulents.

If you have a full day left in your York adventure I would highly, highly recommend this amazing,…read morebeautiful, historical Castle Howard. It is not only a Castle but the inside that is well worth the visit. With amazing treasures that you can seriously not find elsewhere. Plan your day accordingly and I would suggest coming here right when they open. Which is 10:30 AM and parking is free. It is a little track to get here but it is well worth it. This place has tons and I mean tons of great places to take photos. Overall you could spend the whole afternoon here and not even notice that time has went by so quickly. It was truly amazing and I'm grateful that I was able to see this in person and honestly I wouldn't mind coming back a second time just to visit this amazing Castle Howard. Put it on your must see places!! You won't be unsatisfied for sure I guarantee it!

We visited Castle Howard three days ago and it was a very enjoyable experience. Firstly, the…read moregardens: although very little was in bloom, there's a lot of beautiful statuary and also a large/beautiful fountain. The home is large and has many rooms filled with lovely items. Another very appealing aspect concerns all of the people working there; we spoke to three women working in various sections of the home and they were quite friendly, and the young guy working at the ticket desk was equally friendly. There are a few gift shops and they have some nice items. An interesting aspect is that Castle Howard is still lived in by descendants of the original owners.

The Garden of Eden in York, run by Angela Ellis-Skelton, is truly a great find. The staff in there…read moreare helpful and so knowledgeable, which is useful as I know nothing about flowers! Angela is a Master Florist and does everything from general bouquets to weddings and funerals. She once even made a car out of flowers (how?!) If you're looking for flowers in York I'd definitely recommend popping in here.

don't go to B and Q or homebase. This is a real traditional hardware store that sells just about…read moreeverything with fantastic friendly service. I took a broken table lamp in to replace the bulb and they ended up changing the fuse for me as well.