Rievaulx Abbey

I hadn’t heard of Rievaulx Abbey before I went, though I'd driven past it a good few times. It’s just off the main road between Chop Gate and Helmsley and there’s also Rievaulx Terrace next door to it. The Abbey is looked after by the English Heritage whereas the Terrace is run by the National Trust. It costs about £8 to get in and you can walk around the whole Abbey and grounds. There was also the option to buy a map or an audio guide to help you walk round.

The Abbey itself is impressive; it was founded in 1132 and most of the Abbey is still standing. Parts of the tiled floor and other rooms and buildings were also still intact. I particularly liked the arches where the windows would have been and took lots of photos. It’s strange to think how the Abbey would have once looked before it was pulled down on the orders of Henry VIII (my 14 times great-grandfather nonetheless) in 1538. 

Once you've made your way round the Abbey (there's lots to look round) there's a café at the end to enjoy a cup of tea.

Knaresborough

I hadn’t been to Knaresborough before but I’d had it recommended to me a few times. We visited at the end of October and arrived to find the city under a blanket of mist, creating some lovely photos. We parked near to Knaresborough Castle and headed over to the castle wall where we were greeted by the amazing view of Knaresborough’s famous viaduct. After taking in the view, we walked down some really steep steps to reach the bottom, then walked along by the River Nidd, making sure to turn around and see the castle from a different angle. 

We were going to go to Mother Shipton’s cave, but the people who worked there were dressed up in Hallowe’en outfits – I think it was the school holidays – so we’re going to go another time instead. Speaking (or writing) of Hallowe’en, we came across a bat as we walked through the park. I didn’t think bats came out during the day so I’m not sure what this one was doing. I got a brilliant picture of a squirrel sat on the wall of the churchyard as we headed back to the castle; I also made sure to capture the beautiful oranges and reds of the autumn trees. We had lunch in a lovely little café, The Moat Buttery Tea Shoppe then after a wander round the castle, we headed back home as it was freezing by this point!