Mike, the fount of knowledge.

Meet Mike (with the hat), a seasoned volunteer guide at Fountains Abbey, with Dave, on his first day!

Our group walked the 5 miles from Ripon to Fountains via Studley Park. We walked another 2 miles around the site.

I bought new walking socks in Ripon and a holder for my iPhone in the car.

The walk was very easy which was good news, because I have sore feet. My boots are no longer the comfortable footwear that I hardly notice. My feet have changed!

Mike and Dave were in the Abbey itself so were the perfect people to ask about the monks. They were Cistercians but started out as a breakaway group from the Benedictine Monastery of St Mary’s in York.

Wikipedia says that there was a riot at St Mary’s and 13 monks were expelled. A slightly different story!

I won’t bore you with much more, but the Abbey took 400 years to build.

It has been another excellent day in good company. Helen attracts really interesting women to walk together on her holidays.