#CountryKids at Lanercost Priory #WhateverTheWeather

When we visited Hadrian's Wall my dad left his jumper behind so we had an excuse to head back up to the area to collect it! This time it was just my son and my parents who headed up to the north of Cumbria with Lanercost Priory as our main destination. To make the journey more interesting we went across country for part of the route. This meant we had a giggle at the signposts at Castle Carrock asking us to please dance:

We arrived just in time for a snack at the tea room and then popped into the free little museum:

There were fascinating things to read about the history of the Wall and the region around it:

Our favourite bit was probably trying on the helmets:

Think the Great Helm improved the view:

Here is my cheeky legionary:

Or maybe a medieval knight:

I bet Roman soldiers didn't wear spectacles as the helmet didn't sit right on me:

Then we walked around to the actual priory past the original gateway:

The first view was of the Parish Church and the guest houses in front of it:

Entry into the church was free although I had to make a donation to take photographs such as this of a William Morris stained glass window:

Behind the altar we could see the ruins of the monastic part of the church:

One of the most famous things in the church is the top part of the Lanercost Cross which dates from the Priory's foundation (the base is in the churchyard):

Then it was time to go into the main Priory which is managed by English Heritage so we used our memberships:

We entered into the cloisters which go along the side of the church:

My son acted as tour guide and read all the information panels as we headed into the refectory with its beautiful arches:

He also enjoyed praying at the Roman altars that were on display:

We were advised to look for mason's marks in the walls and managed to find a few:

Then it was into Dacre Tower which was built after the Priory was dissolved:

It really is a beautiful setting:

The monastic part of the church contained several impressive tombs including some of the Earls of Carlisle:

Also on site is Dacre Hall which dates from the 12th Century and is now the local village hall. Inside was a craft fair with lots of tempting local goodies as well as these impressive carvings:

We then spotted a stile into the graveyard which took us to the back of the monastic church:

I have to say that the houses do look a lovely spot for a holiday:

It also proved to be a good spot for Pokemon Go:

We then nipped back up to the wall and into Northumbria and passed the Sycamore Gap that we had walked past before:

The road was an interesting one to drive on and we had a theme park ride effect on this severe dip:

Then we made it back to Greenhead's Old Forge tea room for a slice of cake:

Another super three generation trip to a historic part of Cumbria.