National Parks

Peak District well dressing

Well dressing is an ancient custom, probably dating back to Celtic times, that is still followed in the English Peak District. Every year, in summer or early autumn, teams of volunteers in villages and towns […]

Castles

Conwy Castle, Wales

I’d seen Conwy Castle a few times from the A55 before I first visited: it’s something you can’t really miss when you’re driving through North Wales, looming over the landscape in the 21st century just […]

Churches

Rievaulx Abbey

Abbey and monastery ruins are not uncommon in England, thanks to Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries, but Rievaulx is a particularly striking and relatively intact example of English history and social change. Rievaulx Abbey […]