After doing literally dozens of walking tours in dozens of cities across the world I’ve gone on some really good one and some really lame ones.

What makes a walking tour good?

It’s hard to put your finger on it but it mostly has to do with the way the stories are presented and told.

A good guide will keep his or her stories short and entertaining while a bad one will just drone on and on and on.

Well, today I got the droner.

So, for 2 1/2 hours I listened as I would at any school lecture and learned about the history of York.

Was I entertained?   Ah, no.

Did I learn?   Of course.

In fact I would say I now know so much more about the histories of different countries than I do of my own.

How about some photos?

Tomorrow I’m off to Newcastle for a few days where I’ll explore the Northumbland castles before heading over to Liverpool and then to Ireland at the end of the week.