Today the ruins of the great abbeys of England still provide spaces for contemplation and renewal.

Regardless of your religious beliefs, this autumn english heritage is inviting you to visit the monasteries in its care and to seek peace and inspiration amongst their ancient stones and beautiful landscapes.

One of the great monastic figures of the Middle ages ST ale red abbot of the magnificent Revo abbey in Yorkshire, wrote about life at the abbey.

Eldred described escaping from the tumult of the world and in today's busy and noisy world.

I hope his words ringing out across the centuries inspire you and evoke the serenity he found our food is scanty, our garments rough, our drink is from the stream and our sleep upon our book under our tired limbs.

There is a hard matt.

When sleep is sweetest, we must rise at a bells bidding self will, has no scope.

There is no moment for idleness or dissipation everywhere.

Peace everywhere, serenity and a marvelous freedom from the tumult of the world.

Such unity and concord is there among the brethren that each thing seems to belong to all and all to each.

To put all in brief, no perfection expressed in the words of the gospel or of the apostles, or in the writings of the fathers, or in the sayings of the monks of old, is wanting to our order and our way.