Exploring the Yorkshire Dales, I saw the World Heritage Site that is Fountains Abbey. I did not visit the Georgian part of the site which is called Studley Royal, however I liked the cloisters and the huge size of the ruined tower. My favourite part of Fountains Abbey was the green man.
It is comparable to Tintern as it has a woodland setting although the ruin is much larger.
Go into the old barn at the abbey some weird things in there, I saw a man wearing a leather tabard im a skeptic it was strange. Jules
ReplyDeleteYou should have visited the park and looked at the follies there - the Octagon on the hillside has a very uncomfortable air about it, even on the sunniest of days. The walk following the river towards Ripon - I can't remember if it's the Seven or Nine bridges walk, is quite unnerving. I walked it one day in September, 1987, and I was on my own. The walk takes you into a valley, and here it started to feel uncomfortable. I had gone a good way, the day was bright, the sky blue, but I had to keep stopping. I was sure that somebody was keeping pace with me, up on the sheer valley side. After a while, I noticed that there was no birdsong anymore, despite it not yet being mid afternoon. The path dog-legged round to the left - and I had to stop. I was absolutely sure that I was alone, but that a watch was being kept on me, and I could not go round that bend, lest there was something waiting. As I stood there, it felt that waves of anger, hate, resentment and general enmity were being directed towards me, by what, I don't to this day know, but I turned and ran. For one of the few times in my life, I was terrified. I kept running until the lake came into view. I lived in Ripon for a year or so, and several times visited Fountains Abbey at night,(illicitly), but only ever felt an air of calm, never the terror that I felt on a bright, sunny day.
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