York's Snickelways — a word invented by local author Mark W. Jones in 1983 from "snicket" (alley), "ginnel" (passage), and "way" — are the network of narrow pedestrian paths that thread between the main streets through the medieval city. They range from covered passages barely wide enough for one person to open cobbled alleys between old buildings. Pope's Head Alley, Mad Alice Lane, Whip-ma-whop-ma-gate (York's shortest and most bizarrely named street) — the snickelways reward explorers who leave the main tourist routes.
Mark Jones published a guidebook to the snickelways in the 1980s that remains in print and is still sold in local bookshops. Following his route is a good way to see parts of the city centre that most visitors miss, and the alleys provide a different texture from the main thoroughfares — quieter, less visited, more clearly medieval in their scale and character. The best concentration is between Stonegate, the Shambles, and Goodramgate.