I love York. There is so much to do and see for all the family. We visited to enjoy the York ice trail this February and loved it. It’s an annual event and it’s one of the many fantastic free things to do in York with kids (or even without kids).
York ice trail is an annual event. It used to be on in the run-up to December but it was moved to February a few years back. It certainly seems to be doing the trick of pulling in the crowds at what could otherwise be a quiet time for the city.
We started by picking up the free York ice trail map from the tourist information centre. This year there were 40 sculptures throughout the city. The theme was fantastical fiction and fairy tales.
The York ice trail is organised by Make It York and sponsored by The York BID. There were a variety of sculptures and some activities too like live ice carving and a local hotel (Middletons) was turned in to a Harry Potter themed area complete with 3 sculptures and various backdrops and props where you can pretend to be in Harry Potter yourself. One sculpture was filled with chocolates that you can attempt to dig out with spoons.
There were so many great sculptures that we loved. Some of my favourites were a pocket watch, the Stephenson rocket, gingerbread man and sword in the stone.
I love visiting York and the York Ice Trail really added to the atmosphere. Yes, it was busy but in a good way. There was a mix of families and adults. All were keen to tick off seeing the sculptures and take their photo with them. There were so many opportunities for fun photos such as in the Ice Pillories.
The Ice trail was on Saturday and Sunday 1st and 2nd February 10 am until 5 pm. The mild temperatures meant the sculptures did melt somewhat through the day. I was relieved to see that a completely new set of sculptures were put out on Sunday.
My tips for visiting York Ice Trail
- Get there early both to beat the crowds and to catch the sculptures before they start melting.
- Pick up your free ice trail map and bring a pen or pencil to tick off the sculptures as you find them.
- Be prepared for the crowds. Expect to have to wait your turn at the ice sculptures if you want to get your photo taken with them.
- Wear comfortable shoes and expect to do a lot of walking if you want to see them all.
- If you are going with young children then be prepared not to see all 40 sculptures. There are plenty of them in central York. Get the trail map and see which ones you can see without walking miles.
- Most of all, enjoy the atmosphere.
Where to next?
- If you’re visiting York Ice Trail with kids then you’ll love my post on the best things to do in York with kids.
- Adults and children will all love York’s Chocolate story where you can find out the history of chocolate making in York
- Find more events in York by visiting Visit York website.
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This looks so fun!
So much fun. York do amazing free events like this. Next week is their annual mini viking festival