The place has quite extensive grounds and gardens, a conference centre, several shops and a handsome refectory. At least one of the shops sells the tonic wine for which the abbey is famous. And at least one sells stuff from Quarr. There must be some reciprocal arrangement.
Started off with the shops and their associated buildings, one of which was the interesting timbered hall in which we found the table illustrated, with its top having a grain which I though elmy. No idea how old it was or why it was standing on blocks. I hope they get to use it for feasts or something from time to time.
For lunch I tried a nut roast, lightened with a mushroom sauce and served with plenty of well cooked vegetables. Nut roast rather good. This was followed by a full-on treacle tart served with a good dollop of golden syrup and clotted cream. In the interests of health and safety, I settled for a small dollop of golden syrup and no clotted cream. The treacle filling was not much like that which gets into the treacle tarts we have at home, but this tart was still pretty good for a restaurant effort. A very handsome restaurant it is too, with plenty of height and light.
By the time we got into the abbey it was after 1500 and it was looking very good in the fading light. Some impressive decorative and figure work in and around the various altars. Plus, of course, the replica of the Barbarossaleuchter. Some organ music, variety rather plain than fancy; perhaps Bendictines do not approve of fancy. Although slightly puzzled to notice that one of the carved capitols had been chipped and appeared to have a cinder core with a cement outing coating, not the solid stone one might have taken it for at all. I couldn't find a suitable trusty to ask about this. However, despite being an impressive church, it seemed a little cold and did not feel like a church with much congregation. I don't even suppose that there are very many monks.
Out for a further foray into the shops and leaving the shop early I managed to catch a buzzard high over the woods across the Dart from the abbey. The first and only tweet of our outing to the west country.
The inter alia included a visit to what seems to be the HQ of the Riverford Organic Farm operation (see reference 2), where in addition to taking tea (there was an attached café, naturally), we also bought some potatoes (a variety of which I had never heard), a fine crinkly cabbage and some small apples which turned out to be adequate rather than good. But I suppose the season for real apples is getting on a bit now.
On the way back from the HQ, we spotted a puffing poirot (see reference 3), attached to the South Devon Railway. We pulled up outside the local sewage treatment works, hoping to get a proper look at it, but failed, it having pulled up somewhere.
Reference 1: for our last visit see http://psmv2.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/more-devon-churches.html.
Reference 2: http://www.riverford.co.uk/.
Reference 3: http://psmv2.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/vintage-agatha.html or http://psmv2.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=puffing+poirot&max-results=20&by-date=true for the full monty.
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