Route: Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal
Area: North Yorkshire
Date of walk: 23rd July 2019
Walkers: Andrew
Distance: 3.0 miles
Ascent: 100 feet
Weather: Sunny and hot
Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden is a World Heritage Site and makes for a wonderful visit, especially when combined with a walk. There are various possible routes, as the estate contains numerous paths both within the grounds and around the perimeter. There was only sufficient time to stroll round the site of the Abbey and the water gardens today. For longer walks which feature this place visit the Search Walks page and search ‘Fountains Abbey’
After passing through the Visitor Centre entrance (entry is free to members of the National Trust) I made my way to nearby Fountains Abbey, which has a long and interesting history dating back to 1132. After wandering around the atmospheric ruins for a while I strolled along the De Grey’s Walk beside the River Skell to the adjacent Studley Royal Water Garden. The garden was laid out in the 18th century by John Aislabie to impress his guests, and contains follies, statues and eye-catching vistas. It’s a stunning garden, and the strength of the design is such that it doesn’t matter that there are no flowers in it
The formal section of the gardens ends at Studley Lake and since I was short of time I retraced my steps from here back to the Abbey and the Visitor Centre. Beyond the lake lies Studley Royal Deer Park which is well worth visiting to see its herds of red, sika and fallow deer, as well as the magnificent views of Ripon Cathedral. The photos which follow only paint a superficial picture of this fascinating place, but I hope that they will serve to whet the appetite of anyone who hasn’t been here before….
For other walks here, visit my Find Walks page and enter the name in the ‘Search site’ box
Click on the icon below for a location map – on arrival at Fountains Abbey a free and detailed map of the grounds is available, from which you may choose your preferred route
Scroll down – or click on any photo to enlarge it and you can then view as a slideshow
Entrance to Fountains Abbey
Huby's Tower, which appears much smaller from here than it is - there's a 30 foot cliff at the end of the entrance path
Having followed the path around the cliff, Huby's Tower into view again, along with the nave to its right
Inside the nave...
Looking back to the Abbey as I walk to the adjacent Studley Royal Water Gardens
I follow this grassy path by the bank of the River Skell
Another view back to the Abbey
The start of the Water Garden...
The Upper Canal
Technically this is still the River Skell, which has been manipulated into all sorts of shapes to accommodate the garden design
The Statue of Neptune in the circular Moon Pond - there are two half Moon Ponds on either side of it
Looking along the Lower Canal
Looking across the Moon Pond to the Temple of Piety
The Wrestler Statue
The Temple of Piety again...
View along the Lower Canal - there's much more to see beyond the canal, but I've run out of time and have to retrace my steps...
Fountains Abbey comes back into view...
The ruins of the Infirmary
The Cellarium, the area where the monks ate, slept and socialised...
The vegetable garden at Swanley Grange on the way out, at the end of a short but sweet walk
Sunset the same day, and a bank of incoming storm clouds resembling a tidal wave, gradually covering the Lake District skies
