VISITOR numbers at a picturesque attraction have been higher than ever during the recent festive period.

Between Boxing Day and New Year’s Day, 18,657 people visited the Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal National Trust site in Ripon – 37 per cent up on last year.

It was the estate’s second best recorded week, beaten only by Easter in 2014 when the weather was unseasonably warm.

The highlight of visiting this Christmas was the abbey ruins illuminated in coloured lights, with choirs singing carols adding to the atmosphere. Families were able to enjoy finding reindeer hidden around the World Heritage Site, make Christmas decorations and of course, see Father Christmas as he popped in for a visit. The annual Boxing Day Pilgrimage, cancelled due to extreme wet weather in 2015 returned this year too, with hundreds of people again joining the walk from Ripon Cathedral to the abbey, marking the journey originally made by the founding monks back in 1132.

Justin Scully, general manager at Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal, said: “We’re delighted that so many people chose to spend their precious holiday time here at Fountains, making memories with family and friends.”

For more information visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/fountainsabbey or telephone 01765-608888.