Welcome to the Shambles, what I suspect is York's most photographed street. Towards the end of the day, the Shambles empties of tourists and I begin to enjoy the quaint narrow passage ways, or snickleways, that come off the street, and the way the buildings lean in towards each other, almost touching at the top.
The Shambles was once called "The Great Flesh Shambles" and was full of butchers shops. Now, the butchers shops are gone, replaced with jewelery shops, fudge and chocolate shops and tourist traps. Butchers in York are a dying breed. Scotts of York, a wonderful city centre butcher recently closed after 130 years in business. It's a sad thing when wonderful, local historical shops come to the end of their lives