Blow the cobwebs away at scenic ruin Fountains Abbey

Among the largest and best preserved ruined Cistercian monasteries in England, it is a majestic sight as you stroll down the path from the visitor centre.

Grade l-listed and owned by the National Trust, the abbey forms part of Studley Royal Park and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Visitors can look around the abbey, admiring the amazing craftsmanship. From the cloister to the infirmary, the chapter house and magnificent south aisle of the church. The ruin, near Ripon, is so atmospheric, its setting so beautiful, that you can’t fail but be impressed.

I love the floor tiles and the flight of stairs leading to the monks’ dormitory. You can see the arched stone towel cupboard which the monks used when washing their hands before meals in the refectory and the stone grating above the River Skell - the Medieval equivalent of a waste disposal unit.

This weekend archaeologists will be excavating the remains of Rustic Cottage at Fountains Abbey.

The cottage is one of several lost garden buildings at the abbey.

These buildings, known as follies, were often used in 18th century gardens as eye-catchers to surprise visitors and enhance views.

Currently little is known about the folly; Rustic Cottage is thought to have been built by William Aislabie as he set out to join up the estates of Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal, having purchased Fountains Abbey from the Messenger family of Fountains Hall in 1767.

Above ground only a small fraction of the cottage building still stands and very few images remain of the folly. The Picturesque style was fashionable in the late 18th century and images show that the dwelling was built in this style, constructed using rubble from the ruins of the abbey and cobbles assumed to be from nearby fields.

During the excavation archaeologists hope to discover more about the design of the building, how it looked inside and what it might have been used for.

That is if there is anything left underground at all… What is known about the cottage is that, unusually, it was home to several estate workers from the 1860s onwards.

Visitors can stand by to see the dig on a viewing platform between 10am and 5pm tomorrow and Sunday and hear more from National Trust archaeologist Mark Newman at talks throughout the day.

Throughout autumn visitors learn more about how staff are working hard all year round to care for the estate and see several conservation projects under way. Staff will be busy carrying out essential conservation works and restoring historic views which have been co-ordinated to take place over the coming season in order to reduce the impact of the work across the year.

Also this year, a new play area has opened. Twice the size of the previous playground, it was made by Flights of Fantasy, the custom built design including a mini wooden abbey - resembling Fountains Abbey itself.

Built from sustainable timber and hand-spliced ropes, the area has been designed to blend in with the landscape and woods around it, so that children can hop, skip and jump from one end to the other underneath the shade of the trees.

Situated close to the visitor centre - which has a shop and a wonderful restaurant - there’s plenty of play for all ages and abilities, the play area includes sensory equipment such as chimes, a ball roll and skittles, and an accessible swing and roundabout.

Young dare devils can climb on a rope bridge and whizz along a zipwire. There’s scramble nets and posts, swings, fireman’s poles, a woodland house, a slide and a wobbly bridge. Too old now, my children would have loved it.

My husband and I like to walk on from the abbey along easy pathways through the estate past mirror-surfaced ponds and lakes. Then we veer off through the woods, upwards to some fine viewpoints looking along the valley, back towards the abbey. It is a spectacular sight in all seasons, and one that never fails to lift the spirits.