The first time we ever visited the Kilburn White Horse was a complete accident. It was our very first date. Ian asked if I fancied going out for a drive but had no idea where to take me. And so he decided to show me some of the beautiful scenery around one of his favourite…
J is for … Jervaulx Abbey
Despite a grey start, the weather was very kind to us for our visit to Jervaulx Abbey in North Yorkshire. Not far from Ripon, this privately owned Cistercian abbey is located on the A6108 between Masham and Leyburn. Since the dissolution of the monasteries in the mid- to late 1500s, the property has been in private…
I is for … Ingleton
We can hardly believe how long it has been since our last adventure. We finished our three visits to Haworth on 21 October and posted on 28 October – last year! What on earth have we been up to? Deciding which “I” to choose was our first task. We had already chosen the rough area,…
H is for … Haworth
There is so much to see and do in and around Haworth that we made three separate journeys. It could all be done in one day if you get there early enough, are prepared to stay late, and don’t suffer with any health issues. As we’re quite late risers, as I can’t always manage a long-distance walk,…
G is for … Goathland
The day we visited Goathland was a very exciting day for us. We’d planned to go a few days beforehand, but once we knew our new “corporate” t-shirts were on the way, we decided to hang on so that we could “showcase” our latest additions. To celebrate the occasion, there’s a question at the end…
F is for … Fountains Abbey
At the end of May (how are we already 2 weeks into July?), we headed north towards Ripon. For a bank holiday weekend in the UK, the weather was glorious. We arrived early afternoon, which gave us chance to explore some of the abbey ruins as well as the Studley Royal Water Gardens, and still…
E is for … Elsecar
Elsecar is pronounced else-uh-kuh, although strangers and train announcers pronounce it else-carr. It’s a small village in the metropolitan borough of Barnsley between Hoyland, Jump and Wentworth. And it is steeped in industrial history. The houses there were built by Earl Fitzwilliam for the workers in his coal mines. Historically, the village was a series…
D is for … Danby Castle
The village of Danby can be found in the Esk Valley slightly north-west of Whitby. It is home to the Moors National Park Centre, which is free to enter and which has events happening throughout the year. While we were there they were in the middle of the Easter events programme for children. This included kite-making…
C is for … Cayton Bay
We had a change of plan for the letter C, as the original place we were going doesn’t allow dogs. As we have a dog with us, we try to find dog-friendly places to visit. Cayton Bay in North Yorkshire is just a few miles south of Scarborough, and a designated site of special scientific…
B is for … Bolton Abbey
Bolton Abbey is actually the name of the village. Bolton Priory is the name of the ecclesiastical building within the grounds. We didn’t know that. The priory was founded by Augustine monks, from nearby Embsay, in the mid-twelfth century. Twenty-six canons and around 200 lay-people lived at the priory, making their living from sheep farming,…
A is for … Aysgarth Falls
Just inside the Yorkshire Dales National Park, between Leyburn and Hawes, can be found the village of Aysgarth. The village itself is steeped in history and dates back at least as far as the Domesday Book. It was named after the old Norse for ‘open space among the oak’. We parked at the Aysgarth Falls National…
The Journey Begins
Thank you for joining us on our journey around our beautiful country. We’re Ian and Diane Wordsworth, and that’s our dog, Lord Rufus. We aim to visit as many places as possible – in Yorkshire at first – starting with the letter A and finishing with the letter Z. And when we’re done, we’re going to…
the alphabet adventurers 