Diary Wednesday 29th May 2019 Bolton Abbey

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I was on a community centre organized outing today, to the beautiful Bolton Abbey ruins in Swarfedale, Yorkshire, near Skipton. It was an hour’s journey by mini-bus organized by the community centre. Twelve of us went. Though cloudy, it stayed warm and only started raining as we were due to leave. Bolton Abbey was an Augustine Order monastery, dating from around 1120. It was closed during Henry V111’s Reformation, and much of the Abbey (strictly a monastery) fell into ruins though the central parish church survived and remains in use for worship to this day. The extensive building, its graveyard and surrounds are a major tourist attraction, along with several footpaths and trails along the nearby River Swarfe. We took one of the trails ourselves and it was a lovely walk, which eventually brought us round to the Abbey itself and the nearby memorial fountain to honour the memory of Lord Frederick Cavendish, who had been assassinated in Ireland in 1886. We visited three cafes too, the last of which also served beer. A lovely day at one of Britain’s most beautiful corners, last visited by me in 1978 with my school. A big thanks to Pete, our driver, Nuri, who printed out notes to guide us round the substantial village, river trails and the ruins themselves, and everyone who came along. Arthur Chappell