Jorvik

I am starting a course on the Vikings and decided I needed to go to the Jorvik Viking Centre in York. It must be 30 odd years since we were last there, probably with our daughters when they were young. It has gone through several what they call ‘updates’ over the years, including one after floods of 2015.

All I could remember of Jorvik was that you got on a train and were taken back in time, so we were both a bit dubious as to whether this would be something we really wanted to do. I even wondered whether one could avoid the ‘train’ and get through to the museum bit. But no! It was a train, or more like a pod. And it was excellent.

Once seated in these little pods you are taken on a journey through the reconstruction of Viking-Age streets and experience life as it would have been in 10th century York. I must admit that I was entranced by it all, although I did spend a lot of time wondering just how they created it. How could the ‘people’ be so like people? But the best thing I thought was that the whole thing is securely archaeologically based. Every detail is based on what has been found on the very site through which we were travelling - below the new shopping centre, which was how they ‘found’ the Viking town anyway. So you would see such as this guy making combs from antlers and on your little screen would be a photo of a comb that had been found and later you could see these in the displays - (see extra). The detail of the research is extraordinary.

It could have been bad, but it was very, very good. We were also most impressed with the reconstruction and details of the actual dig, which took place in the 70s. The displays of findings are great. And the staff are brilliant, very keen to answer questions and explain things.

We are now in Bridlington, have had wonderful fish and chips (we are in Yorkshire) sat by the sea on a lovely evening. I think a few people might know where we are heading in the morning, before going home in time to vote.