still catching up. -S


Since it was a gorgeous day here (finally!) we decided to rent a car to go explore in the countryside and get some hands-on driving experience!  We drove west, towards the Yorkshire Dales National Park. The scenery was beautiful. You can’t really tell from the pictures, but the heather is blooming and many of the hills were all purpley and full of sheep. This picture was taken from a random roadside pull-off area.

After driving around for a while, We ended up at Fountains Abbey, ruined monastery and a World Heritage site. Unfortunately, we forgot our camera, so all of the pictures are from my phone.

Fountains Abbey was amazing. Every time you turn a corner or duck under an arch you realize that there are even more ruins. The best part was that you can walk around pretty much anywhere you want, so it feels more like you are exploring ruins instead of following a roped off path.

There are also an 18th Century water garden with statues and a fake Roman temple. There are paths all around the abbey ruins and the gardens.

This site is a National Trust site and has free admission to members. We joined the Royal Oak Foundation, the American branch of the British National Trust, so I’m sure we’ll be back many times.

-S