A couple of days in Yorkshire

Day one

We got up early and headed out to Richmond Castle. It is in the middle of a pretty market town right on the edge of the River Swale. Rumor has it that King Arthur lies in a cavern under the castle, but no-one has been able to prove or dis-prove it. The tower is over 100 feet high and the view from the top over the town was a step back in time! We were lucky enough to have sunny weather for the walk up to the tower and around the grounds, although the wind was freezing!





















After Richmond Castle we headed to Rievaulx Abbey - it was only supposed to be about 45 mins away, but driving on single track roads through the snow capped hills and national park made it take quite a bit longer!! This abbey is a MUST see - it is the most beautiful site I have seen to date. We walked around it and then headed up on top of the hill to take a look from the two viewing temples. It was a great hike around, and luckily the rain held off until right before we left!

Once we were done in Rievaulx we took a drive to the coast to Whitby Abbey - the inspiration behind Bram Stokers 'Dracula'... it is an eerie, Gothic Abbey - and the scene was set well since we arrived just as dusk was setting in. We just barely made it in to the grounds as we arrived 35 mins before closing (much to the delight of the teenage girl manning the entry gate), but since we were members we got to just wave our passes and go through! After a speedy walk around we jumped back in the car and took a coastal drive down past Scarborough Castle to our hotel.