Byland Abbey and Black Sheep Brewery
Topic: Day Trips
The York Pass we bought on Friday was a two day pass. We thought for our second day we would visit some places the pass covers that were outside of York. Saturday our first stop was Byland Abbey ruins, located in Coxwold. It's only about fifteen miles or so north of York. However, like pretty much anywhere over here, it took a lot longer to get to than you would think because there's no straight way to get there.
There's a picturesque inn across the road from the ruins, and a friendly attendant at the ruins' entrance. The surrounding countryside is beautiful. The weather was perfect for exploring. It was cool but not cold, and luckily not rainy.
The Abbey was gorgeous. A moody, cloudy sky was the perfect backdrop for the Gothic ruins. Everywhere we looked, we were greeted with amazing views. We were the only people there, which was nice. We let Ryan have run of the place, and run he did. As Larry put it, Ryan "ran around like an idiot in heaven!"
I took plenty of pictures. It was impossible not to. Click here to view our album.
Byland Abbey
Also here's a link to a website about the Abbey.
Byland Abbey Website Interestingly, it is said that Byland's rose window inspired the famous rose window at the York Minster. However, Byland's rose window was actually almost an afterthought in the abbey's construction.
We spent about an hour at the ruins, just wandering around, chasing after Ryan, very much enjoying ourselves.
As we drove around that day, I couldn't help thinking that the countryside feels steeped in magic. There's something very old, in the sense of old traditions and long histories, that is palpable in the air and the land. It's no wonder so many tales of magic both ancient and new are set in Britain.
Our next stop was the Black Sheep Brewery in Masham. We got turned around a bit on our way there, then had some trouble finding somewhere to park. We did finally get there though. Masham is a small market town, rural and Gregorian. It was a pleasant place to stroll through on our way to the brewery.
All three of us were hungry, so we got something to eat in the brewery's restaurant. Over here, pubs and breweries and such are much more family oriented. The restaurant had a welcoming, family friendly atmosphere, which made our late lunch very enjoyable.
After we ate, we went on a tour of the brewery. Click here for the brewery's website.
Black Sheep Brewery This was Ryan's first brewery. He was very tired at this point, but was a trooper. The tour itself was fun, with an enthusiastic tour guide leading the way. We got to taste some of the grains and handle the hops that go into beer. (Not being a beer drinker myself, I would rather eat the grains than drink the beer! :P The gains tasted a lot like Grapenuts cereal.) The hops were interesting. They seemed dry at first, but upon handling became oily. Apparently beer is not technically beer until the hops are added (for flavor). Until then, it's an ale.
At the end of the tour, Ryan got a huge pencil decorated with sheep on it as a parting gift. A half pint of beer was included with the tour. The brewery kindly let me and Larry combine our half pints for a pint bottle of beer to take with us, since we needed to get Ryan home.
We of course got some goodies at the gift shop before leaving. :) I'm afraid I didn't take any pictures though.
We all had a good time, Larry especially. Black Sheep Ale is his favorite beer here, and I think going to the brewery was a bit like going back to the mother ship!
Posted by hkvlayman
at 2:40 PM BST
Updated: Monday, 29 May 2006 10:15 AM BST
This picture was taken on the morning of June 1. Ryan put Larry's boots on and walked around in them. A few weeks ago, the boots were too heavy for him. Now Ryan's got no problem tromping around in them!