From pub crawls to go-karts: Micklegate Run's incredible U-turn

I'LL never forget my first Friday night in York. It was 20 years ago and I had just moved to the city to start work as a reporter. My sister had come down from Edinburgh to visit and we went for a curry at the top of Micklegate.

We had a window seat, and as we begun tucking into our onion bhajis, a group of fellas banged on the window. When we looked up, they turned their backs, dropped their trousers and mooned at us.

"Maxine," said my sister with wide open eyes. "Where on earth have you moved to?"

Back then Micklegate was known for three things: booze, booze and booze. The Micklegate Run was a legend in its own happy hour, and an attraction for locals and tourists alike, with the sole of aim of working your way from pub to pub before ending up in a nightclub having consumed your body weight in alcohol.

But not anymore.

Type "Micklegate Run" into Google and the top entry will be the Micklegate Run Soap Box Challenge – ahead of the Micklegate Run Pub Crawl.

The Soap Box Challenge took place for the first time last August and – if you excuse the pun – was a runaway success.

Almost 16,000 packed on to the pavements of the historic Georgian street to watch the handmade go-karts hurtle down over the cobbles at breakneck speed – bringing more than half a million pounds into the city's economy with the average visitor spending £25.20 each.

Its success far exceeded all expectations of the organisers – the Micklegate Business Initiative (MBI) which was set up in October 2015 by local traders – who had thought 8,000 might attend.

This year's Micklegate Run, on Bank Holiday Monday, August 28, looks set to be even better with organisers erecting two big screens at the top and bottom of Micklegate so people can see the start and finish of the race. There will be an expanded food court too.

Debbie McGee with Santa at the Micklegate Mingle

Last Christmas, the MBI also organised the Micklegate Mingle, complete with live reindeers, Santa on his sleigh and a visit from Debbie McGee who was starring in panto at the Grand Opera House. Again, it was another hit.

"We had 2-3,000 people that night," recalls Shelagh Garside, chair of MBI and owner of Curtain Up on Micklegate. "And everything was free to the people of York." The next one is planned for December 18 and, like the Soap Box Challenge, promises to be a bigger event, says Shelagh.

The success of these two events is undisputed, but there is more evidence of Micklegate's reviving fortunes and changing reputation. When the MBI was established 17 months ago there were 11 empty shops on Micklegate. Now there is just one – but even that is let.

It is a remarkable turnaround in what is a relatively short time – and mirrors in many ways changes that have happened elsewhere in the city.

Johnny Hayes is the local councillor for Micklegate and has been a key player in resurrecting both Bishopthorpe Road and Micklegate.

The blueprint for changing Micklegate was drawn from his experiences with Bishopthorpe Road, where he has a shop, Frankie and Johnny's Cookshop.

"In 2008 there were seven empty shops on Bishopthorpe Road. When the Post Office closed, there was a sense of 'where do we go from here'," said Johnny. Where they went was to set up a traders association and start working together. The transformation was felt beyond York with Clementhorpe being celebrated as one of the trendiest places to live in the UK and Bishopthorpe Road being named the best high street in the country in a national competition. It helped too that the route of the Tour De France's Grand Depart went along Bishopthorpe Road.

"You have got to get together and do events and make sure you are actively publicising the area," begins Johnny, who was made an MBE in 2015 for services to the community.

This is exactly what traders in Micklegate have done – as have others in the city, notably businesses in Fossgate who now run their own annual festival.

Johnny said: "Events are the main thing to do if you want to draw attention to a street or a part of town. Events encourage people to come and create news. The Micklegate Run brought more than 15,000 people – that's probably 15,000 people who haven't been down Micklegate in a very long time.

"But events are just one part of the story. You have got to get organised as a group of traders, get the publicity out there on websites and social media.

"What makes the big difference is having businesses moving in and if you get good businesses moving in, they work their own magic."

L-R: Chris Ceaser, Shelagh Garside and Johnny Hayes

York photographer Chris Ceaser has run his gallery on Micklegate for almost four years and has witnessed the street's resurrection.

He said: "The street today is different, with nice upmarket cafes and restaurants. The craft beer venues attract a different crowd from the city centre pubs with cheap beer and drink offers.

"The street is slowly dragging itself away from drinking culture and moving towards a destination area – but it is going to take a bit more time."

If anything, he would like more retail shops on the street – which is heavy with bars and cafes, hairdressers and barbers and estate agents. In particular, he wishes the former lingerie shop, Kathryn Rolfe, would be relet and opened as a shop. It looks empty at the moment, although it is let, but unused.

He feels there are too many bars and restaurants in the city at the expense of shops. He said tourist bosses measure the city's success if hotels and B&Bs are full. "That's OK if they just want to drink and eat – but if York only has bars and restaurants it is going to die."

Johnny Hayes agrees that areas need a healthy mix of businesses. "A balance is crucial. We have a mix of retail shops and cafes on Bishopthorpe Road and it really does help."

He is pleased that two more retail units will be opening on Micklegate – in a site currently under renovation by the York Conservation Trust.

Cafe owner Florencia Clifford outside Partisan, Micklegate

Florencia Clifford is one of the newest traders on the street. She opened her cafe Partisan last autumn, on the back of Micklegate's up and coming status. 

"Micklegate was always interesting, but nobody had anything to come to Micklegate for," she said. Things became interesting, she added, when The Rattle Owl eaterie opened. This sparked a culinary revolution, fuelled by the arrival of restaurant Skosh, which has won widespread acclaim, including a glowing review by national food critic Jay Rayner in the Observer last Sunday.

"Micklegate is now a destination, a place to come to find interesting places to eat," says Florencia. "It's the right time to open here, York is booming. I always wanted to open my own coffee shop, but never in the centre. I like the community feeling."

Back at Curtain Up, MBI chairman Shelagh says the York BID has been great news for the street too, sponsoring events and helping to clean up areas and provide Christmas lights on the bar wall.

She believes things can only get better. "My personal vision is for it to be a designated place where people come for a nice meal out – and I'd like it to be one way."

With two museums in the vicinity – the Bar Convent and the Micklegate Bar Museum – as well as beautiful churches and independent businesses such as the upmarket interiors emporium Plaskitt & Plaskitt, the area is worth visiting.

She said: "It should be on the tourist map. We want signage to be up so people know what we have up here.
"We want to re-educate people about Micklegate.

"The pubs have got behind us, they will not tolerate bad behaviour – they don't let people in with blow-up phallic symbols."

She added: "Micklegate is a beautiful street, known as York's finest street. It is the Queen's entrance into the city, it should be looked after and appreciated."