Cumbrian Cistercian Way
Stage 1 of 5
Piel Island to Furness Abbey
on the Cumbrian Cistercian Way
5 miles South Cumbria
Begin with a small ferry to Piel Island and its 14th-century castle, built by the Abbot of Furness Abbey to guard against pirates. Continue past hillside views of Barrow-in-Furness to the red sandstone ruins of Furness Abbey, founded in 1123 and once the second-wealthiest Cistercian monastery in the country.