Monday, 27 July 2026

Saturday at Fountains Abbey

Yes, again! My sister had bought Explorer Passes for us from the National Trust, valid for eight days. Our first visit was on Tuesday, so we were well within that for our second visit on Saturday (25 July).

This time, we walked in on a slightly different route, entering the estate at the tea house by the lake and making our way towards the abbey on the other side of the river.


A sign pointed to the Banqueting House being open, and since I had been there many years ago but didn‘t find it open then, we decided to have a look. And that little detour was well worth it!







The view from the Banqueting House goes straight to the Octagonal Tower on the other side of the river Skell‘s valley. Nothing was left to coincidence here when the grounds of the estate were designed.

I love such puzzles and mysteries as the one about the painting of the (presumed) Sultan of Surat! 





Back at Marmaduke Huby‘s tower



By the time we had walked past the ruins of the abbey and reached the visitor centre at the top end of the estate, lunch was a good idea, and we still had a good choice of tables at the restaurant before many more people arrived. I enjoyed my Cornish pasty; a hot meal was welcome after having walked a while in the very windy weather.

At the shop I bought a few little souvenirs and then we walked to St. Mary‘s. We had timed today‘s visit deliberately to find the church open and had a good look around. We‘d been inside before, but that was years ago.





Floor mosaic in front of the altar


Spiral stairs leading up to the organ






Back at the cottage, a rest was followed by coffee/tea on the bench in front of the house. Food shopping at Aldi was next, and for our evening meal I made avocado on toast with a leafy salad and coleslaw.

I ended the day facetiming with my husband.

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6 comments:

  1. Haggerty28 July 2026 at 00:25

    St Mary's is sublime. England's minimal interest in her churches baffles me.
    People would rather find their chakra or do yoga or mindfulness than visit an old church.

    The last 5 images are the England that expats dream about from Algarve or Benidorm.
    What a delicious little blue patch of sky in the second-last photo, only there a moment.

    GK Chesterton loved the grey skies of England ; Maugham missed them in the Med.

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    Replies
    1. Librarian28 July 2026 at 09:50

      Maybe it‘s different in Yorkshire, but I can‘t see a lack of interest in old churches here. When we are visiting, there are usually other people around, too, and often there will be volunteers to ask for information about a particular feature or the general history of the place. Even the small Leper Chapel in Ripon has a visitors book filled with comments from visitors from near and far.

      When I spotted the stag in front of the hunting lodge at Studley Royal, I found the scene rather iconic, as if staged for a photo to go on their website or a brochure.

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    2. Haggerty28 July 2026 at 14:39

      I never mentioned the stag ; its beauty and dignity entranced me.
      I'm heartened to hear old churches are visited in Yorkshire, the county has many.
      Os Guinness said we live in a cut flower civilization ; the roots of faith severed.
      TS Eliot's Little Gidding could be about St Mary's or the Leper Chapel.

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    3. Haggerty28 July 2026 at 15:05

      * Os Guinness Warns : America is at a Crossroads with James Tour. *
      YouTube.
      Dr James Tour is a chemistry professor at Rice University, Texas.

      Delete
  2. DawnTreader28 July 2026 at 11:01

    Beautiful place with lots to explore, and I can see why you like to return! :)

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    Replies
    1. Librarian28 July 2026 at 11:16

      And even after so many years of returning, there is always something we haven‘t seen yet, like the Banqueting House from the inside.

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