Shall we pop out for a coffee?

What a lovely visit Indinana - my favourite kind of spontaneous day. An expensive coffee, but so worth it!

So pleased you enjoyed your visit Alima. I always think Buckfast Abbey is just a little bit different from so many 'visitor centres'. The whole setting is so beautiful and is worth seeing in all seasons. There is a fabulous lavender garden - one of the gardeners once told me that they used to house the national collection of lavenders, about 170 varieties if I remember rightly, but the upkeep became too much, so although they still have the garden, they no longer have the responsibility to maintain all the varieties.

Indiana, we thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Buckfast Abby, it is a beautiful place and the story of how the monks rebuilt it was inspiring. The glass panel at the back was breathtaking like you said. We visited the coffee shop and their coffee cake was delicious! The gift shop was unusual too, filled with things you would like to buy and not at rip-off prices either. I bought a bag too, much nicer than the bog-standard S'bury one I have been using. DH bought a bottle of their tonic wine, as yet untasted and we also bought a couple of their Homity pies which we had for dinner last night. It was well worth the visit.

Thanks for that link Jalima. I do remember this coming up on the local news now - I had forgotten all about it! I'll have to try to find out how this progressed.

I wonder what has happened, if anything:

www.torquayheraldexpress.co.uk/New-lease-life-Buckfast-spinning-site-closed-loss/story-19193248-detail/story.html

Yes Jalima there is still an Axminster shop there - we pass it on the way to the Abbey. I don't know whether carpets were ever actually manufactured in Buckfastleigh - the Axminster factory is at Axminster itself, about 50 miles away.

My good friend and neighbour always invited Father - can't remember his name- for drinks in the run up to Christmas, and he always drove himself- how he escaped with his life is beyond me! Fun times though. That was when the children were tiny, and I always have a picture of him playing with the children crawling on the floor with them.

There used to be a place making carpets near there too - is it still there?
Were they Axminster or Wilton?

Yes minimouse Dartmoor Otters and Buckfast Butterflies is just up the road - known colloquially as Otts and Butts . Also, right on top of the sanctuary is the beautiful Buckfastleigh Steam Railway Station, so there's a lot to see in this little area. Well worth a visit!

They make a fortified tonic wine, known as Buckfast or Buckie. They don't actually sell it at the Abbey, though, because they lost their licence many years ago. So it's sold through a distribution company. I'm not sure that it's mead, although Buckfast is also famous for its beekeeping, so perhaps they have made mead at some point.

Yes, we bought a bottle of mead years ago when we visited.

We went there donkeys years ago and met Br Adam, the beekeeper and author. I think the mead was/is made from the honey produced by their own bees??

Isn't there a butterfly sanctuary nearby? I seem to remember seeing otters there.

I think so, it's a secret recipe of the monks dating back to goodness knows when.

Buckfast Abbey is a beautiful place. We always included it as a school trip for the scardey cats who didn't want to go caving nearby. I was always glad to take the Abbey group and spend time in the medicine garden. My husband's choir sang there on several occasions too.

The bag is very pretty Indinana.

I think went as a teenager many moons ago.
I am I right in saying they make their own Mead?
Or maybe I'm a bit mixed up!

I went there once around age 10 and again when my girls were little. It's lovely. Next time we're in the West Country I must make sure we pay another visit.

Oh it is, roses. Come down for a visit!

Yes, it is rather beautiful, isn't it Jane10? They do have some of their items in their online shop, but not these, sadly. Understandably, their online focus is on religious and monastic items.

Even though we have lived in Devon ( twice!) we never got round to visiting Buckfast, but it sounds wonderful ( the Abbey may be worth a peek as well.)

roses no, not in this case. It is in a separate building and you can choose to visit it or not. I always choose to, because I love it

Alima you will not be disappointed. It's a lovely place to visit, and the desserts on offer in the restaurant are irresistible!

Make sure you go right to the far end of the church, behind the main altar, where you will see the wonderful stained glass panel in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel. It is truly breathtaking!

Another case of 'exit through the gift shop'?

Lovely bag too. I'd have snapped it up.

Ooh, that is worth knowing Indianna. We are off to Torquay over Easter on a coachy break. There is a trip to Buckfast Abby included. Looking forward to seeing the Abbey and sampling the tea room!

I bought a car from South Brent once; it was a very nice pale blue Ford Cortina. DH was away at the time and not very happy that I swapped his horrible monster of a car rather heavy car for something that suited me.

We went to Buckfast Abbey on a trip two or three years ago; it was lashing down with rain in Dartmouth, all the way up the river and for the hike to the train. However, when we got to the Abbey the sun came out

It's beautiful, isn't it? I keep promising myself that I'll go there for midnight mass one of these years, but it's a bit of a hike from Plymouth in the middle of the night .
You're in Cornwall now, aren't you?