We woke up this morning to another tropical day in North Yorkshire.  Warm and sunny so we set off early and our first visit was to Rievaulx terrace.  On the way we passed by Rievaulx Abbey and we stopped to take some photos.

Rievalux Terrace is an 18^th century landscaped terrace overlooking the Abbey.  It was created by Thomas Duncombe in about 1750 so he could bring his guests from his nearby house to enjoy a walk, take in the spectacular views and food and entertainment.  Two temples were placed at either end and one has spectacular frescoes painted on the ceiling.  To get there you walk through the woods and then it opens out onto this grassy terrace with amazing views and overlooks the beautiful Rievalux Terrace.

 

After visiting Rievalux we drove to nearby Nunnington Hall.  A beautiful 18^th century manor house situated on the River Rye.  We wandered through the house, part of which is still lived in by decendants today.  There is a lovely walled garden, resident peacocks and weeping willows line the banks of the river.  We sat under the shade of a willow tree to eat our lunch.

 

 

After that we drove to the village of Knaresborough an historic market town situated on the River Nidd.  Full of history and charm.  The town square has a statue to Blind Jack sitting on a park bench.  He was a renowned road builder and as the name suggests blind from the age of 6. 

A ruined castle sits on the hill overlooking the river and the viaduct.  The river is lined with row boats to hire for a gentle row down the river.  We sat in a café opposite the river and enjoyed an ice-cream.

There is also a display of painted windows.  Georgian windows were built with bricked in windows to avoid window tax and the town has reinstated with the windows with pained panels.  It is fun to wander around the town and spot the paintings.