Another day of culture! This abbey dates back to 1123 and was once, after Fountains Abbey, the second wealthiest and most powerful Cistercian monastery in the country. Sacked by Henry VIII the ruins are still impressive. History lesson over. Situated in the southern most part of Cumbria the journey was well worth while.
Restoration work has been going on since 2010 with fears that part of the abbey might collapse. This meant I had to be clever with my photography and one of my pictures shows a very large crack from top to bottom. (should that be bottom to top?)
With a group of lovely friends we spent a few hours exploring and then the obligatory time to eat. Soup and sandwiches were a reward for all our historical study. We chose the right day to go as the next day it snowed. Maybe snow would have added drama to my pictures.
Carol, the budding historian