This weekend we escaped the city and headed north to Yorkshire, and enjoyed a few hours at Studley Royal and Fountains Abbey, near Ripon.
The autumn colours over the deer park at the National Trust park are breathtaking, flaming orange and red hues mixed with yellows and scarlet - great camoflage for the 500 red, fallow and sika deer who graze on the parkland.
The Fountains Abbey was founded in 1132 by Benedictine monks, and is now the largest monastic ruins in the country and in 1986 the entire Park was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. We barely brushed the surface of activities to do there, from the Visitors Centre to exploring the reknown Jacobean mansion ' Fountains Hall - or having a rest at 'Anne Boleyn's Seat' - there is much to explore at this National Trust site.
Instead we made the most of the fresh Yorkshire air, and wandered around the beautiful lake, armed with bread and soon made a few insistent friends...
Scones with clotted cream and jam in the visitor's cafe with hot tea were a great way to ward off the cold day, as dog walkers and families wandered past, enjoying the amazing view across the lake.
As you drive out you can see Ripon Cathedral at one end of the road - definately another site to visit on another trip!
By Diana M