I braved the spiral staircase at Hull Minster for a glimpse of the best views in Hull

I'll be the first to admit it, heights make me nervous.

Or, as the late author Terry Pratchett once wisely pointed out, it is not "heights" so much as "depths" that are the problem. And there is quite a remarkable depth when you look over the edge on the roof of Hull Minster, one of the oldest buildings in Hull still standing after the Blitz.

Various parts of the Minster were built in the 1300s and the tower was finished around 1520. It was rather disquieting to think of someone scuttling up the dark staircase some 500 years ago with just a candle to light their way.

READ MORE:

• 'The shocks just keep on coming' - 2:22 A Ghost Story at Hull New Theatre review

• Rudest restaurant experience Karen’s Diner is coming to Beverley

Fortunately, navigating the 180 steps is made much easier in the 21st century thanks to electric lighting and a rope you can grip until your knuckles go white. That's exactly what I did when I visited Hull Minster for a tower tour on a breezy day in May.

My guide was Don, a bellringer with heaps of knowledge about the tower and the English art of bellringing. I'd never considered it before, but elsewhere in Europe bells make a simple rhymic clanging rather than the wide array of notes and sequences we're accustomed to here.

This is because change-ringing bells - which can rotate a full circle and give control over the timing - were invented in England 400 years ago and have not really caught on in Europe, although there are groups of bellringers in former colonies such as the US and Australia.

Don guided us up the first set of spiral stairs, which were steep but even, and into the bell chamber where ropes for the gigantic bells above - some weighing more than a tonne - dangle from the ceiling. The next set of steps, up to the top of the tower, are more difficult.

For starters, some steps are taller than others and it's completely random so you have to watch your feet. There is also sandy material on the steps - perhaps from the slowly eroding stone - which doesn't make them too slippery for good shoes but is something to bear in mind if you're a nervous climber.

The handrail was very welcome at this point, but I made it to the top without any problems and it was more for reassurance. Once at the top, I beheld a breathtaking sight.

On the way up, you don't appreciate how high you have climbed and the first few minutes were disorientating as I looked across the entire city. Down below at street level, people were having drinks in the sunshine at The Kingston in Trinity House Lane - they looked like stick drawings.

Now on firmer ground in the form of the lead-lined roof, I found my head for heights. Feeling more confident, I was able to get nearer to the edge to take some photographs.

I felt glad to have faced my fears and grateful for the opportunity to view Hull from a unique location. When we went back down again - which I found much easier - we made a visit to another room en route where we saw the clock mechanism in action as it struck for the hour.

The engineering that goes into such a design is beyond my comprehension and it was fascinating to watch. If you don't have vertigo or other health issues, a Hull Minster tower tour is well worth it.