‪Another impromptu visit on a January afternoon, out of curiosity. The Abbey is "on the way to nowhere", so it requires a dedicated visit, but one which repays the effort I think. The town is tiny, and the abbey is plonk in the middle, with a fast flowing river at its flank. Although sparsely ornamented, and relatively small, it is quite beautiful and rewarding inside, totally open with a central altar surrounded by rows of tiny wooden chairs, of a size to suit a primary school. There are very narrow ambulatory galleries round the walls, quite high up. The monks must have been almost elfin in size to move around them. There is a simplicity almost amounting to austerity about the abbey church, but I was much moved by it and was very glad to have spent time in it, and in walking the surrounding gardens in the pale wintry late-afternoon sun. It's history goes back 1000 years or more, but is has been rebuilt after war and time took its toll, and is a little miracle in the middle of nowhere.‬

‪We called in early evening. What a lovely peaceful place to visit. Interesting history and surrounding grounds‬