Reblogged from Josephine McCarthy:

Last week I headed north for a week, visiting with family and old friends, and going around some of the old sacred places in Yorkshire, England.

It is a very old land that was once the territory of the Celtic tribe of Brigantes, before becoming a Viking land under the Danelaw. It is an area that has seen successive incursions over hundreds and hundreds of years, with frequent raids from the Scots, to the establishment of Norman rule.

Some of these places were my old stomping grounds of youth and it was nice to touch base with ancient friends who sleep in the stones and to marvel at some of the beautiful hidden treasures of Yorkshire.

Of course I managed to time it just when a blast of Siberian weather plunged the temperatures down well below freezing, though I did manage to dodge the snowfalls! On some days the blinding low hung sunlight of deep winter dazzled our eyes while the freezing wind sliced through our faces – it was an adventure for the hardy and foolhardy.

One of the first places we visited was Bolton Abbey, an ancient Augustinian monastic settlement that was founded in 1120AD.

It sits in the beautiful Wharfedale valley in North Yorkshire, with a gentle river at its feet and rolling hills, valleys and forest all around it.

It was originally dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary (Sancte Marie de Bolton) and part of the church is still standing and is still in use to this day.

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