Stopped off briefly at Kirkham Priory, a ruined Augustinian monastery founded in the 1120s on the banks of the river Derwent. It's cared for by English Heritage and I don't have membership, so decided it was too pricey to bother entering for just a short visit. We contented ourselves with an ice cream at the gatehouse.
It was a nostalgia trip for me as, when I was a child, we always used to stop off there for a break and a picnic on our way to the coast at Scarborough. In those days, as you drove down the hill into the valley, there was a magnificent view of the abbey ruins and the river. Now, trees have grown up to block the view, so it's not as dramatic as it used to be.
It's set in a pretty valley and as well as the river crossing you have to cross a railway too. It's funny how it still seems quite exciting when the level crossing gates are closed and you have to wait for a train to pass... in fact two, one in either direction, as we waited!
I've somehow always been fascinated by old ruins.
ReplyDeleteLike that last shot and the hint of what the building was like.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful ruins.
ReplyDelete