2021 Autumn Holiday Part One - Belinda Carlisle once said "Heaven is a place on Earth"

 October came, and with it, two weeks off! Hooray! I know you must all think that I have too much holiday each year! I get 5 weeks off a year from where I work, plus extra days from working bank holidays, so it's normally an additional half a week each year. I am also terrible for fully booking the time off, so I normally come home in the evening and I'm back to work the next day. No point in getting those post holiday blues! 

We didn't feel comfortable flying, and the government travel advice was confusing, with countries getting added and removed from the green list on almost a daily basis. We decided instead to head up north, and explore more of the North of England. It's beautiful place, full of history and culture. Just a shame they put gravy on everything and talk strangely. Can't have it all I guess!  

We did something different this time, normally we like to stop on the way every 2 hours and do something, but instead we decided to head straight up North, and get ourselves started right away. 

We were staying in a lodge (although I would argue and say it was just a glorified static caravan) just outside of Easingwold, not far from York. There was a hot tub and a basic enough set up, which was fine for the week. Easingwold was nice enough, we had a little wander round that afternoon. It's got a charming town hall building, and after spending what felt like a thousand hours in the car, it was good to stretch our legs and move around for a bit. We grabbed ourselves some dinner (Chinese takeaway of course) and got ourselves back to the lodge, where we stuffed ourselves and sat in the hot tub enjoying some drinks (cranberry juice for me, I was on medication where I was advised not to drink alcohol). The heat of the hot tub actually eased my back somewhat, I think it was a mixture of the heat and the bubbling water to relax everything.

The next day, we got up, made ourselves a full English Breakfast, which we scoffed with the leftover prawn crackers (fusion foods) and got ready to explore. Our first stop, was Rievaulx Abbey. Now, I think Rievaulx Abbey may win the award for one of the most beautiful places on earth. It sits in a charming little valley, surrounded by farms and woodlands, and has the most glorious ambience of anywhere I have visited.

When we arrived, the sun was out and beaming down on us, and it made the stones of the Abbey shine. Here's a shot of main abbey church building.

And a closer look at the end, with the beautiful Gothic pointed arches.

The Abbey was founded in 1132, and rapidly became one of the most influential and powerful Abbey's in England. However, the loss of the lay brothers, and the effects of the Black death caused the Abbey to decline, until finally closing its doors due to the suppression of the monasteries in 1538.

Activity at the site continued after the monastic life ended, an iron works was created in the abbey which continued for another century. The site had become a ruin, and visitors began to grow in numbers, all marvelling at this romantic ruin, a trend which has continued up to the present day! 

We found Rievaulx one of the most beautiful & charming ruined Abbey we have visited, and we have visited a lot, so it's quite high praise! The whole site is packed full of intricate details and detailed stonework, much of which can be seen in the small museum onsite, just opposite the main church building.

A view across the former cloister up towards the abbey church. By now, the sun was being hidden behind dark clouds - a rather typical event while we are on holiday!

These are just some of the many examples of the beautiful detailed stoneworks across the abbey. Why do we not do this now? I'd love some stone flowers above the doors at home!

Tickets start at £13 for an adult, but as usual with English Heritage (EH), if you book online in advance you can save up to 15%. I think that's a steal for what's on offer here at this historic site, and it's one of my most recommended places to visit in Yorkshire. Of course, EH & CSSC get free entry, and also a small discount in the gift shops too, just in case you wanted to buy a bit of tat, a book, or in my case, an ice cream. Well, it might be a cold October day, but we are still on holiday!