York, as you were probably told off a script by your tour guide when you came to look round the University, is home to enough pubs and bars to allow you to visit a different one every day for an entire calendar year. Every single one is different, and only a select few see regular student visitors. Here York Vision gives a more experienced view of the town’s bars from those who’ve seen it, and drank it, all before.
Nagshead – 100 Micklegate
Not to be confused with the Bed & Breakfast on the outskirts of York, Micklegate’s ‘Nagshead’ is arguably the jewel in the crown of York’s most famous bar crawl, the ‘Micklegate Run’. Famous for its ‘Trebles for Singles’ slogan, Nagshead is a haven of different mixers to combine with your three shots of your chosen spirit, starting at £3.
Ideally positioned for a Ziggy’s night at Mansion just down the road, or a Thursday night jaunt to Tokyo, ‘Nags’ as it’s affectionately known is packed on most nights with students crammed into the small, long room with low ceilings (if you’re over 6ft watch your head down the far end).
Out the back there’s a small outdoor area if inside is making you a little claustrophobic, as well as offering somewhere for smokers to exercise their addiction. Neighbouring ‘Rumours’ is barely worth considering in comparison, unless you like your drink with so little mixer that you can barely taste it to accompany the smell of piss that seems to prevail throughout.
If something as strong as a treble doesn’t appeal to you, Nags also offers a ‘4 for £5’ deal on bottled drinks including Fosters and the student classic, VKs, while shots start at a pound. My personal recommendation goes towards Lilt as a mixer option, but the variety stretches from the staples of Coke and lemonade to Irn-Bru and various flavours of Fanta.
Just try not to lose your dignity by tripping up on the cobbled road outside, although isn’t that what nights out in York are supposedly all about?