Cleeve Abbey Exmoor National Park

Most visitors buzz straight past tiny, tumbledown Cleeve Abbey, but it’s one of the best examples of traditional Cistercian architecture in southwest England, and offers a fine glimpse into the life of the monks who lived here 800 years ago. It was largely torn down during Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries, but you can still see the impressive cloister buildings, the original gatehouse, the refectory and the monks’ dormitory. It’s 5 miles east of Dunster.