Thursday, 6 days after arriving into Otley, it was time for us to venture north towards Houghton-le-Spring, but not without taking in some interesting locations on the way.
Avoiding the main roads at all cost, our first stop was the delightful town of Knaresborough in north Yorkshire.
It is hard to imagine a town that is blessed with such variety of interest and varying aspects, from the river, the castle, viaduct, busy high-street and an interesting, quirky, signal box at the well maintained railway station.
I loved our wonder, we parked down at the river level, and followed the bank down stream. This route meant a relatively steep path to climb up to town level, but it was totally the right choice, as it meant we could descend back through the streets to enjoy the castle grounds, with their large ruins, (a result of the civil war) and then down past the railway station to the main church.
The town was busy, with a variety of independent shops, while the railway station held a lot of interest, from antique shops, to the signal box built onto the end of the Victorian houses. I would return to Knaresborough in a shot.
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Burton Leonard
We needed milk, well lets say I did for the coffee – which meant a brief stop in Burton Leonard, which I am mentioning as a quaint village with a lovely green, old water well, and good post-office that appeared to sell very well respected sandwhiches based on the custom.
Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal
Impossible not to love exploring the ruins of the Cistercian monastry, Fountain’s Abbey, and then enjoy a walk down river to the water Gardens of Studley Royal.
Words do not do the abbey justice, the scale, and magnificence of the ruins can only leave you wondering at how beautiful it must’ve been – and personally envokes sadness at what a destructive species we are.
The visitor centre is modern and well thought out, with a large shop and easy routes to pass through to the main attraction, – the descent to the abbey ruins, in the valley below.
It takes only a short walk for the large impossing Huby’s tower to come into view, its strength and height only giving a hint of what is still hidden by the trees that grow off the side of the hill. Pheasants scattered as we strolled onwards, and finally got a full sight of the abbey.
How the monks built such structures, and how long it must’ve taken can only be guessed at, (or read on the boards) – and as you explore the nave, river works, and outbuildings you wish you had made more time, then a fleeting visit on the way north.
Studley royal gardens finished our walk off well, though the full spectacle was not on display as the NT work on restoring some of the features. We will return!