For our next day out, we headed into Devon. Our first stop was Buckland Abbey, which was originally a Cisterician abbey, founded in the 13th century, until the Dissolution. In the 16th century, it was converted into a home, which came into the possession of Sir Frances Drake. The house has a lot of interesting Drake artifacts. The third floor is really cool – it’s set up to be like the deck of his ship (The Golden Hind) – I’m sure kids love it.
The other neat thing about the house is spotting the bits that were once part of the abbey – you come across the most random church features in very random places.
The grounds are beautiful. The old Great Barn is enormous, and there are extensive gardens, both ornamental and productive. It’s definitely a neat place to wander around.