Jesmond Dene


Jesmond Dene is a public park in Newcastle, alongside the Ouseburn river. Lord Armstrong (known for Cragside) had the park built during the 1860s. Near the entrance there’s an area of enclosures that house a variety of birds and animals including goats and peacocks.



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Finchale Abbey


Finchale Abbey (pronounced Finkle) is a 13th-century Benedictine Priory by the River Wear in Durham. The priory is grade I listed and managed by the English Heritage. As with most priories and abbeys, Finchale was dissolved in 1536 by my 14 times great-grandfather, Henry VIII.

The car park is £3, whether you stay for an hour or all day. Dating back to 1196, many of the abbey ruins are still intact and quite impressive as you wander round. The ruins in the picture below reminded me of those at Fountains Abbey. 


After exploring the abbey, we crossed the bridge over the River Wear and walked along the woodland footpath alongside the river. There are two paths – one leading through woodland and the other that would eventually take you to nearby Durham (although it’s a good 5-mile walk!)



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Byland Abbey


Byland Abbey is a ruined abbey and small village in Ryedale, North Yorkshire. The abbey was founded in 1135 and dissolved in 1538. In 1322, King Edward II was at Byland when the Battle of Old Byland took place.


The grade I listed building is now maintained by the English Heritage, who oversaw conservation work to repair water damage and repoint stone walls in late 2017, which is when we had decided to visit. The website had told us that the site was open, but as you can see, this wasn’t the case, and we were instead met with a large picture of what it should look like.


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Staithes


Staithes is a little seaside village in North Yorkshire. My previous post from Staithes was from when I visited at the end of summer. This visit was a lot quieter, with it being the middle of winter and absolutely freezing.


We found a new track that took us to the top of a hill, and from there, you get a unique view of Staithes’ harbour and all the little rooftops. Coming back down into the village, we crossed the bridge onto the other side just in time to capture the sun setting.


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