Sociability Mapping Day: Accessible Places in York
Jennie Berry
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At the start of June 2022, the Sociability team headed to York for a day of mapping, chatting, and laughs! Knowing that York is hardly renowned as being the UK’s most accessible city, we were keen to see for ourselves and find a few hidden gems to add to the app.
Our mapping days (which we now call Sociability Community Days) are about so much more than just tagging venues. They are a chance for the community to get together in a safe space to share experiences with people who, as our user Ciara says, "just get it."
Exploring the City: From Stonegate to the Shambles
The day began in St Helen’s Square and Stonegate. We were impressed by the level access at Ellie Warburtons Cakes and the thoughtful use of internal ramps at The White Company.
However, York is an old city, and access fails are still common. We witnessed the reality of historic barriers when our brave user Azariah (@azariahmykel) attempted to navigate a shop with an incredibly steep ramp. This is exactly why detailed tagging is so important: a ramp on its own does not always equal accessibility!
The Challenge of the Shambles
If you have never visited York, the Shambles is a must-see medieval street. With its wonky buildings and narrow paths, it is often cited as the inspiration for Diagon Alley.
The Reality: The street is heavily cobbled, the paths are narrow, and it gets very busy.
Our Tip: We successfully navigated it as a group, but we highly recommend visiting early in the morning or late in the afternoon when it is quieter. For a smoother experience, the nearby Shambles Market offers a more navigable, vibrant atmosphere.
We decided to split off into teams to cover as much ground as we could in an hour, with Ciara (@allthingslovely_cmf), Damian (@djw80) and Alison (@4li50n_x) coming with me and Jennie, whilst Barbara (@wheelienicehome), Azariah and her boyfriend Ben joined Charlotte. Our group were pleased to see that The Slug and Lettuce Swinegate had level access to enter and a ramp to access one of their side sections, whilst Charlotte’s team recommend Wagamama Goodramgate which has a range of downstairs seating options with wide paths and a variety of hearing and visual accommodations including hearing induction loops and braille signage.
We regrouped outside Browns where we were joined by another user, Claire (@clever24_7) and decided it was time to tackle the Shambles! For those of you who haven’t visited York, the Shambles is a tourist hotspot – a gorgeous medieval cobbled street with wonky old buildings which may or may not have been the inspiration for Harry Potter’s Diagon Alley – it doesn’t immediately spring to mind when thinking about accessibility! The paths are narrow, the flooring uneven and it does get very busy, however happily we did all make it (and you can watch some of this journey below), although I would recommend coming earlier in the day or in the late afternoon when it’s slightly quieter.
Ciara mapping The Slug and Lettuce!
After a final quick tagging of three more spaces around King’s Square we headed to Caffe Nero for some refreshments and a welcome chance to chat and catch up. This time is always some of the most precious on mapping days, which we like to think are about so much more than just tagging, but instead are a chance for members of the community to get together in a safe and open space to share and discuss experiences with people who, as Ciara says, “just get it”.
Why our mapping days are important…
Overall, we were thrilled with how the York Mapping Day went – I think it was our best one yet! It was great to meet so many fantastic users and have the chance to share our insights into the app, and the importance of all the different accessibility considerations when tagging a space and the atmosphere across the day was super warm, welcoming and friendly.
More importantly, we managed to find some great accessible places to add to the app, and can’t wait to visit again to find more – this work is so important in a city like York which it is fair to say does have a number of less accessible venues, but don’t let this put you off visiting as on the whole we found businesses were really friendly and helpful.
3 Top Accessible Places in York City Centre
After splitting into teams, our mappers identified these 3 standout venues for their inclusive approach:
The Slug and Lettuce (Swinegate): This venue offers level access to enter and a well-placed ramp to reach the side sections.
Wagamama (Goodramgate): A fantastic example of inclusive design, featuring wide paths, downstairs seating, and sensory accommodations like hearing induction loops and Braille signage.
National Railway Museum: While a short distance from the very centre, this is one of the best accessible places in York. It features wide, level pathways and excellent facilities throughout.
Want to attend a Sociability Community Day?
Dates for 2026 are now live on the website with a form to sign up, see you there!
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