Travels to Northern Yorkshire

We began this morning with a delightful breakfast and entertaining chat with our B&B host before departing on our way south.  The timing was just about perfect, considering the River Tweed was blanketed in fog when we headed out the door.  

The drive was extremely busy as our route took us past the city of Newcastle towards Durham. But we finally arrived at our destination which was Crook Hall Gardens located in the heart of the city of Durham.  

It was drizzling when we arrived, but the temperatures were a bit warmer than yesterday, so we popped on our raincoats and headed into the Visitor Center. Our membership cards were scanned, and we were soon exploring these exceptional gardens that had been preserved for centuries. 

The walled garden is believed to be over 700 years old. It stands adjacent to Medieval Hall which was built in 1286. 

 

The hall itself served various purposes, beginning as a place to gather, and it was even used as a beer bottling plant at one point.  But in the 1990's, a private family purchased the lands which hold the hall, a house, and medieval gardens and they set about making improvements.  They gifted it to the National Trust and the property has only been open for six months.   The trust is working on recreating the house to its original Georgian period for future tours. 

But, for now, the visitor has the opportunity to explore the vast array of gardens that stand in this hidden area of the city.

There were so many lovely flowers to peruse, that it really is difficult to decide which ones to pick for viewing.  By the way, if any of my readers know of a free plant identification application for the phone, I'd appreciate you letting me know.  We'd LOVE to know just what it is we are looking at!

As you can see, the gardens certainly did not disappoint, despite the dreary weather!  

Interspersed among the gardens were various entertaining statues. 

(oops!  That's not a statue!)

I really enjoyed the look of this shrubbery.

And as you can see, the gardens offer a view of the cathedral and castle in the distance. 

Certainly a real treasure for this city to enjoy. 

At this point, we hopped in the car and Marty drove even further south, into northern Yorkshire.  Our destination this afternoon was Fountains Abbey, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

We parked in the visitor center and carefully made our way past a field of sheep to explore the grounds.

The bluebells are in full bloom and added a romantic ambiance to the Abbey.

When we got to the ground level, the size of this abbey was absolutely amazing!

One can see how this property would be considered a treasure worth preserving.  

A brief history for those who might be interested:  this abbey was built in the 12th century, and served the Cisterian order until King Henry VIII ordered that catholic monasteries be demolished.   

From nearly its beginning, the monks were able to earn money raising sheep and selling the pelts to France.  They grew their own food, and aided the poor as well as the wealthy traveler.  Records have been preserved that outline all of the workings of the monastery so that the visitor has a real appreciation for the work that this order did to help those around the monastery.

After the monastery was demolished, the grounds were preserved for use as an entertainment venue.  In the 1800's, people would flock to Ripton to view the abbey grounds, and Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee Celebration was held on these grounds.  It seems only fitting that these same grounds have now been preserved by the National Trust to continue the tradition. 

It's not difficult to see just why this would have been a popular tourist site, even in the 1800's. 

You must admit, that is truly stunning!

Adjacent to the grounds stands a Georgian water garden, Studley Royal.  It is considered to be one of the best surviving examples, with it's elegant lakes, canals, waterfalls, and temples interspersed for viewing. 

Marty and I really enjoyed our visit here and we ended up walking a few miles when it was all said and done.  

We had been under the threat of a thunderstorm lurking nearby, but it seemed that we managed to escape any rain.....until the last five minutes walking to our car!  No worries....we didn't get TOO wet!

We headed to our B&B, Callender House located in a tiny village here in Yorkshire.  

Carol, the hostess, is a delight, and we were welcomed with these treats upon arrival.

They were truly appreciated after a day's hiking! 

We  were all settled, enjoying our treats, when the skies broke loose, and we were both feeling pretty lucky that we weren't out in the middle of a garden path when that happened.  Especially, when we realized that hail was interspersed with the raindrops!

It certainly was a crazy experience, and I certainly hope that kind of excitement will be limited, or, possibly non existent for the remainder of the trip.   

I'll keep you posted.  In the meantime, I hope that you enjoyed the beauty of our day! Feel free to add a comment if you feel so inclined!