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It was very pleasant having a picnic in the sunshine beside the little river among the extensive ruins of Fountains Abbey.  13 monks set up Fountains Abbey in Yorkshire in 1132 and it became the largest Cistercian abbey in Britain until it was closed by Henry VIII in 1539 leaving behind the most complete monastic remains of any abbeys. With the adjacent supporting industries it must have been the size of a small town.  The ruins and neighbouring Georgian Studley Water Gardens are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and well worth a visit especially with the excellent guide who showed us round.

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