A sunny March in Rievaulx.

In this blog I will introduce the traditional style village of Rievaulx. This village is home to some spectacular scenery. The scenery is beautiful and if visited in early Spring, the sunlight enhances the surrounding  countryside which has a very natural feel providing incredible views.

The village is also home to  Rievaulx Abbey, which is an astonishing  location in which one can feel the deep history of the place. Unfortunately, the abbey was closed, as in March the abbey, which is an English Heritage site, opens Thursday to Monday. However you can still get spectacular views of the abbey from the nearby hills and road.

The abbey was founded in 1132 and was the first Cistercian abbey in the North.  It was well suited to the Cistercian monks, who lived a life of strict prayer and self-sufficiency. The monks became very profitable through iron and lead mining. They also farmed sheep and sold the wool to buyers from all over Europe. From this profit they were able to build this magnificent abbey, the remains of which still hold great beauty.

Rievaulx also has beautiful walks that lead into great forests with relatively steep steps, which provide good exercise for humans and dogs. It is an excellent walk that gets the blood moving while allowing stimulating views of this peaceful village with a wonderful country feel. The village of Rievaulx remains as a small traditional style farming village.  I feel that  this village has a great natural feel that can be appreciated by people of all ages. The village has a easy feel to it and can be explored at ones own pace.

Rievaulx is worth visiting as it is a proper English country village and has a excellent genuine ambience.  

Episode 2: Yorkshire Sculpture Park

In this blog I will review the Yorkshire Sulpture Park. 

The Yorkshire Sculpture Park has vast acres of land and a huge collection of fascinating sculptures guaranteed to intrigue and and delight people of all ages

 As well as having extensive sculptures, it has a delightful landscape dating from the 18th century suitable for walking with magnificent views and is suitable for dog owners.

 On the landscape there are fantastic views of the surrounding countryside.  The sculptures vary throughout the park which highlights the surrounding countryside enhancing its beauty.

Three in York

　
Welcome to my blog. My name is Alex Chester. I hope that you enjoy this blog, which reviews the various attractions in the county of Yorkshire.

For my first blog I will review my top three favourite attractions in the beautiful city of York.

Firstly I chose the city walls, as they give as sense of the history of York and offer magnificent views of the city. The walls surround the city and are available to the public to walk on.

The walls have been present since the time of the Romans and are the most intact city walls in England. They were originally constructed for the purpose of defence on the orders of the Roman emperor Septimius Severus. The best time to walk on the walls is early Autumn as it adds an atmosphere of peace and tranquility. There is a delightful section of the wall that gives a splendid view of the Minster.

The wall walk that goes across Monk Bar gives a real feel of what the city was like in Medieval times. Bootham Bar also gives a good feel of the city’s Medieval period and gives a excellent view of the city as a whole and of the minister.
Micklegate Bar offers a grand entrance into York and gives a historical feel to the city. It also works as a good starting place to explore the various sections of the wall.

I hope this gives some idea of the feel of the walls and their history.

Secondly, the Jorvik Viking Centre is a museum built over the site of the Viking occupation of York or as they called it, Jorvik.

At the archaeological site, Viking artefacts were discovered including some of the timber buildings of the Viking settlers. The artefacts also include pottery, metal work and bones. Unusually, at the site, wood and leather items were found preserved in clay. Inside the Jorvik Centre, the Viking city is brought to life with the sights and smells of the era.

You take a ride in a chariot and are talked through the history of Jorvik and get to see an excellent recreation of the Viking society. Also in the museum area, beyond the time capsule ride, are interactive displays suitable for young children. The displays also include a replica of the Coppergate Helmet.

Lastly, the York Dungeons demonstrate the grisly past of York with the use of actors and models showing the stories of characters such as Dick Turpin and Eric Bloodaxe the Viking.

There is also an excellent show of the plague, which gives a grisly portrayal of the Black Death in York.

The dungeons may be frightening for the very young, but for older children can prove an exiting and entertaining day out.


　
I hope that people find this useful if they visit York.