Abbey Inn

It's film set stuff, a bewitching if austere-looking inn with 800 year foundations overlooking the beautiful Cistercian ruins of Byland Abbey.

You know that feeling, when you just know you couldn't be in a better place at that particular moment...you guessed it - this was one of those. I've had others - such as being in Vieux Port in Marseille on the night England beat Australia in the Rugby World Cup - but this was a different feeling, not of crazy elation but of cozy satisfaction.

I was at a wedding where the real star of the show was actually the reception venue rather than the place of marriage. The location the bride & groom chose was either one of supreme luck or a stroke of genius and I expect the latter.

We had aperitifs and cocktails amongst the ruins whilst minstrels played, before we settled down to a hearty ripaste in the main dining room of the Inn, with its Yorkshire stone and deep maroon soft furnishings giving the perfect backdrop.

It offers something to everyone, well appointed luxurious rooms (with handcarved local furniture) lend themselves to a romantic weekend; a diminutive front bar for the casual rambler passing by and a restaurant for the Gastro-afficianado. A sizeable beer garden caters for families to complete the offering.

The food's good, the bar has a good selection of beer, wine & sprits and the location is divine. Nuff said...!