Love among the ruins

January 16, 2012

Love among the ruins

It’s that time again - the cards have infiltrated the shelves in WH Smiths and women everywhere are practising their ‘disinterested’ face. Yes, Valentine’s day is only a month away and, much as I would like to discourage the idea that romance is a once-yearly event, if you’re planning a night / weekend away to celebrate, you’d better get a move on.

The Weekenders website is, of course, the best place to look for romantic places to stay if inspiration has failed you, but we will be scattering this blog with more than a few inspiring ideas over the next few weeks too. The UK is choc-full with love-inducing places to visit -whether you’re feeling soppy, heroic or angst-ridden - and we thought we’d make a start with something that should appeal to all three: romantic ruins.

There can be nothing more love-inducing than the tumble-down remnants of a romantic past - those gothic novelists and pre-Raph painters can’t all be wrong - and while it might mean traipsing around the muddy countryside on a cold February afternoon, this all adds to the drama. Pick a cosy pub nearby to base yourself and you’ll cover all bases.

Our particular favourite has to be Fountains Abbey in North Yorkshire (in the picture) - in fact a friend thought it was so romantic he spontaneously proposed there. But you can’t get a better-named Valentine’s destination than the ruins of Sweetheart Abbey in Dumfries. Here are some other top tumbledown tips:

Whitby Abbey, North Yorkshire
Corfe Castle, Dorset
Carreg Cennen Castle, Brecon Beacons
Kenilworth Castle, Midlands
Llansteffan Castle, Carmarthenshire
Dunluce Castle, County Antrim
Dunstanburgh Castle, Northumberland
Kilchurn Castle, Loch Awe



Top of page