Arriving around one in the
afternoon, we picked up the key to the cottage at the main gate,
grabbing a quick lunch at the National Trust restaurant and visitor's
centre, a rather untidy, noisy bit of architecture that serves to
bewilder rather than please, before heading off to the accommodation to
drop off our gear and provisions. After a cup of tea and extended chat
in the kitchen with the healthy state of the hiking club's finances
being the main topic of conversation, the time idled on by and we headed off across the park
towards the entrance of Studley Water Royal Gardens and Fountains Abbey,
fenced off and subject to an entrance fee. Deciding to reserve
exploration of the inner sanctuary for a later visit over the weekend,
we wandered back past St Mary's church.
The church stands in a medieval deer park, home to a collection of 500
Red, Fallow and Sika deer and a wealth of flora and fauna. The Deer Park
once enclosed Studley Royal House, but this was largely destroyed by
fire in December 1716 and had to be almost entirely rebuilt. The
replacement building, was, in turn, extensively damaged by fire in 1946
and was demolished soon afterwards. Only the large stable block, built
between 1728 and 1732, has survived. The church, designed by architect
William Burgess, was commissioned in 1870. Work began in 1871 and the
late-Victorian church was consecrated in 1878. Arriving at the church
just as it was being locked up for the day, the caretaker emerged by
then generously invited us in for a quick view. The interior is
beautiful and light streamed in from the west through the stained glass
windows, which are located at both ends as well as down the sides.
A number of the
weekend hiking crowd had arrived back at the cottage but the time we had
returned. The rain began to set in and it rained heavily overnight.
Dinner saw us heading to the Grantley Arms, a fine old inn dating back
to the late 1600's and set in the picturesque village of High Grantley
on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, 3 miles from Fountains
Abbey. It took us a while to find the place as Tim and Gordon, who had
been map reading, managed to get us lost. A little on the pricey side in terms of what we are usually
accustomed to on weekend trips as regards pub food, a two-course
meal was on offer at £16 a head. It has to be said that the service was
excellent and the group of eight were attended to by an efficient if
aloof waitress whom I learnt later over the weekend was of Latvian
origin. The living quarters of the double-storey cottage occupies the
entire upper level. Martin and I shared a room, with two bunks spare for
late arrivals. Linen was not supplied so sleeping bags were required.
One of the adjacent rooms had been allocated to the kids, two of them of
Philippe Halsall, of French origin, whom I had not met before and whose
mother was once employed at Xerox. Cameron and Jasmine Halsall shared a
room with little Mathew, son of Chris and Angelica Platten.
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