Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal

On Saturday (27th) we visited the National Trust property of Fountains Abbbey and the Studley Royal Deer Park. As time was limited due to the short daylight, we spent most of the time at the Deer Park.

The Deer Park at Studley Royal dates from medieval times and once surrounded Studley Royal House which burnt down just after the Second World War.

The entrance to the Deer Park takes you through an ornate stone gatehouse. Stone ice houses from the hey-day of Studley Royal House can still be seen in the Deer Park and avenues of ancient oak trees line the entrance and exit route. Situated within the Deer Park are St Mary’s Church and Chorister’s House. The Deer Park is home to 500 wild deer. Three breeds of deer live in the Deer Park: Red, Fallow and Sika.

The pictures below start at the Church and then we walked past the Chorister's House and into the Deer Park itself, where the deer were extremely tame, before walking across to the top of the ridge where the views down into the Studley Royal Water Garden could be seen. We finally returned back up past the Chorister's House and St Mary's Church to the car.