Rievaulx Abbey in Middlesbrough

Beautiful historic place...and there is not horde of turist so if you wait minute on two you can take nicecpictures

Im not religious in the classic sense and not really into history - but this place has an extraordinary atmosphere, very calm, peaceful. We were lucky with the weather - that certainly helped - and did a hike from Helmsley to the Abbey and back, 10km with some beautiful sights.

Really beautiful place which is well worth a visit. You can park very close. Beautiful views and all sorts of history to see

Impressive ruins, can imagine it was a sight to behold in its heyday. Not as striking a location as Whitby or as grand a scale as Fountains but most definitely worth a visit. Staff on site friendly and helpful. Parking free for English Heritage members but carpark is quite small and can imagine its difficult to find a space on busy days. Nearby lanes are narrow. Take in the nearby Helmsley Castle on the same day and explore the town

Haunting and affecting spot - a ruin set within a wide historic landscape, with fine walks all around. Museum is small but full of very interesting stonework, and, currently, a separate small but effective and well-displayed exhibit on water use in Abbeys. (Connect with Byland Abbey nearby and then York Minster for an incredible contrast of what is versus what once had been….)

Fascinating Abbey to visit. Extensive buildings left as Henry the 8 destroyed it. There is a lovely cafe here and toilets. Beware there is limited parking here. There is a narrow road to navigate to site. If your a member you get 10 per cent off.

Absolutely breathtaking. A beautiful place to have a picnic. The ruins of the abbey are preserved better than most other medieval ruins. There is an audio guide as well as sign posts explaining parts of the abbey for the visitors to learn about its history.

I’d been dragged round various ruins on my recent trip to Yorkshire and really wasn’t looking forward to going to Riveraulx, but what a surprise. It really is quite amazing. We were lucky to visit on a sunny day and it is breathtakingly stunning against a blue sky. We were given a headset on arrival, and it was really interesting learning all about the abbey. The staff were SUPER friendly and museum good. My only regret is that I didn’t take a picnic so I had an excuse to stay longer and just sit and stare at it’s magnificence.

Always worth a visit and great walk from Helmsley and return. We are 72 so it’s not a taxing walk. Lovely cafe, shop and facilities. Not just a ruin but a wonderful informative insight into life 900 years ago. On a par with nearby Fountains Abbey.

Awesome!! Such an amazing place with such a history of early Monastic living. Loved the audio tour guide as this added much value. Well worth a visit.

An absolute must for those interested in historical sites. This Cistercian Monastry is full of information and with the audio guides make your day memorable. Great cafe too.

Lovely ruins now in Rye valley!! Lovely new cafe area and shop. Museum is being renovated at the moment. More parking available in a nearby field with honesty box.

One of our favorite places during our vacation in the United Kingdom! The beautiful Rievaulx Abbey is situated in a beautiful valley and dates back to the 11th century, founded by French Cistercian monks. The staff is very friendly and helpful and has shown us around, telling many interesting aspects about the history of this place. There is also a small exhibition which you should not miss before visiting the ruins. After visiting the Abbey, you can relax in the café and buy beautiful souvenirs in the gift shop.

Great day out, lots to see and gear about the Abbey if Heritage member free entry and parking, cafe on site the gift shop allows wine tasting ended up with a rather potent bottle of nettle wi which can totally recommend

This is a special place. I enjoy spening the whole day here. Bring a picnic for the family or you and your other half.Audioguides bring the place to life. English Heritage have done a great job in restoring the place and developing it for tourists. There are toilets and food for purchase.

Absolutely brilliant day. Car park is miniscule so parked on the road, which is fairly narrow. On entering we saw the cafe which I must say was great, good value and the home made scones were delicious. Staff were simply awesome throughout. Went thro the gift shop which had a fairly usual selection of postcards, soft toys, mead, tapestries and all sorts. The Abbey itself is very impressive, my advice is to take the free audio guide with you to get the full history, I had a 3 year old with me so couldnt. Why not take a picnic and blanket and eat out on the manicured grass aplenty. Theres plenty of space to allow children to burn off energy. Theres a small but interesting museum of artefacts recovered from the Abbey, how on earth the medieval monks built such a magnificent building is astounding. Well worth a visit, well worth joining English Heritage

Fantastic Abbey experience. Quite large and though it is a ruin there is quite a bit to see. Leave yourself a good 30 - 45 minutes to walk around. I would also suggest taking to free self guided walking tour until they offer. It was very informative.

What an amazing site.Much bigger then expected.Lots to see and read on the boardsAnd extra bits for the kids to do.Staff were super friendly and helpful

Loved the atmosphere!! Was blown away by the beauty of the abbey. A fairytale capture surrounded by peaceful scenery. Nice to spend a few hours here. Really enjoyed the experience.

The Abbey is a wonderful example of a Cistercian Monastery, theres lots of wonderful examples of carved stone work and building remains to explore, theres toilet facilities for Disabled and able bodied people on site, a cafe serving food and drinks (also carried some food for celiac sufferersand a English Heritage shop to.

Fantastic to see history cared for. It was so impressive to walk through a 900 year old building.

Fabulous place to visit. The Abbey is stunning and the food on the cafe was lovely. Staff are very helpful and assisted us with hats on one of the hottest days ever. Top visit!! 🙂

Saw this on a Facebook ad and it led to an entire weekend up north.A very serene experience being surrounded by the ruins. Very informative and detailed audio guide.

This beautiful Abbey and grounds is not to be missed. The peace, tranquility is awesome. Sad this gorgeous structure was decimated .. very sad indeed.

Rievaulx abbey is somewhat of a poster boy for ruined abbeys . All the hype is well worth it. Its is under the care of English heritage, and there is a reasonable parking area but that may get full at weekend and holidays, there is a shop, cafe and toilets.This cistercian abbey was built 1132 and ruined about 400 years later. The ruins are substantial and very evocative of a time long past. It is definitely worth the trip to soak up not just the ruins but the beautiful valley its situated in

June 2022. Visited the Rievaulx Abbey. In my view nothing special. Didnt go into the grounds as I were unwilling to pay £13+ to see ruins that I can see afar for free. Plus only a few miles away Byland Abbeys ruins are free!

Always wanted to visit, finally got the chance today, wasnt disappointed. Very quiet when we visited. Coffee very good in the cafe.

Magnificent ruins of the abbey. Plenty of signs with info about the history. Great views around. Good gift shop, but cafe was too busy, even at 3pm. Easy to park.

Great place to visit for all ages.Historically interesting with the benefit of having a lovely view all around and a nice walk by the river or into the woodland across from the Abbey.There is a gift shop and cafe at the entrance to the Abbey.Two carparks. One a few yards away in a field...donations for parking via honesty box or refundable parking fees at carpark outside Abbey entrance.Definitely worth a visit.

Atmospheric remains of a huge range of ecclesiastical buildings in a lovely location. The history of the abbey is exceptionally well explained at the interesting museum and by panels strategically scattered around the site.There is an adequate car park, or you can walk from Helmsley on a well-signposted route.Oh, and the cafe has one of the best views anywhere!

Beautiful ruins in a quiet valley, great east parking overlooking and close to the ruins.

Lovely Abbey with plenty of information boards dotted around. Has a little museum with some interesting stuff. The café has some lovely food. Loved the lamb and bean stew.

Impressive buildings, interesting history and nice cafe. Walked the 3 mile trail from Helmsley to Rievaulx which was a pleasant walk.

Excellent. Free parking. Friendly welcoming staff. Excellent information boards explaining the different areas. Dog friendly.

Interesting historical place, run by English Heritage. The Easter egg hunt was fun, while exploring the site in April. We were very lucky with the weather, open nice sky with lots of sunshine. The place opens at 10am- It was fairly quiet - it got busier 11ish. The cafe shop was nice, sandwiches and scones etc.

So beautiful place 😍 💕 ❤️ bought family ticket 35£ ,stuff is very kind ,place is so tidy, weather brilliant....I wish in one day go living close that area.Fantastic day out again! There you can make picnic i think is well so much space around ☺️

Let me just start by saying that you will not regret a visit here in the slightest.The ruins themselves are astonishing and the little museum is fantastic! I recommend visiting the museum first (on the grounds), this will simply setup the rest of the experience and as you walk around, you may not find yourself wondering what different parts of the abbey are for.On that note (if you want to skip the museum or do it last), you’ll find lots of different plaques in and around the grounds which will explain the different elements of the abbey.Overall, for £11 a head, this is a great day out if you make the most of it!

Rievaulx Abbey is part of English Heritage. The place is fantastic and definitely worth a visit.On site there is a small museum which tells you the history of the abbey, it is small but educational.The abbey is really old and I am amazed how ruins survived after so many years. It is sad that you can’t see how the place looked back in the days.The ruins are beautiful and what is left of them reminds you how people use to live and build castles, villages and abbeys long time ago.If you are coming on a rainy day like we did, I would suggest wearing a welly boots or a waterproof trainers as your feet will get muddy.The abbey is not opened every day, so before you go visit English Heritage web site for opening times to avoid disappointment.

Yesterday my partner and I visited the Rievaulx Abbey, which was built in the 12th century. It is absolutely incredible and the entire place is mystical. The audio tour is very informative and the staff are so welcoming and inviting. The tiny museum is also worth a visit and houses more information about the abbey. There is onsite parking which is a bonus and there is a café and gift store too. If you’re up for it, take a walk along the tranquil river too. The area is great for a picnic as well. Definitely well worth it and it makes for a lovely day exploring.

Spectacular buildings, great place to visit.Friendly warm welcome, with very knowledgeable staff.Well worth the entrance fee.

We opted for the English Heritage narrated guide as we viewed the abbey. This was terrific for helping explain the what we were seeing in the context of how it used to be. The historical embellishments really helped bring things to life.The little museum was interesting and provided further detail.Most importantly the ruins of the abbey are quite lovely in their way and beautiful to look at. All things considered this was a great visit.

An hour or so outside of York the iconic remains of Rievaulx Abbey, a former Cistercian monastery is impressive in scale.A small onsite museum show some of the remains of the stained glass that once adorned the site as well as telling the tale of the sites history and how it evolved over time.£10.90 per adult it’s expensive for ruins, and somewhat remote to visit. However the drive is worth it and the abbey is set amongst picture postcard Yorkshire villages.

The abby is very beautiful and easy to access. Lots to look at if you are a fan of ruins. There is a small museum on site, offering more information and some cool finds.Also a cafe, that does a good quality bacon bap, tea, coffee and cakes etc. The staff were very friendly and helpful. A pleasure to visit, will go again if Im near by

Excellent place to visit, set in a lovely area in North Yorkshire. nice place to wander round the ruins or go into the small museum on site. Lovely cafe. Staff are informative and welcoming.

Absolutely fantastic place to visit, stunning location, and amazing place. Very helpful staff on the ticket desk, well priced cafe with good selection of snacks and drinks.Allow at least an hour if not more to explore the ruins of the Abbey. It is a fascinating historical monument, and lends itself to some great photos.Well worth a visit. We took the walk from Helmsley so a word of warning, the route is NOT 2.5miles as indicated on the signage, but around 3.5m, and the route back is probably more tiring than the route there (we cheated and arranged a taxi back at £9.00as we were both a bit tired and didnt fancy the walk.I imagine it would be very picturesque on a cold winters day, or at sunrise or sunset, but whatever time of day, it is highly recommended.

We last visited this site 40 years ago and English Heritage have certainly improved the experience!!The shop is well stocked and there is a pleasant cafe on site.The audio guided tour is excellent and it brings the ruins to life. Tucked away from the ruins to the right is a small building which contains a lot of artefacts from the site. Many people seemed to miss it.Allow at least an hour for an unhurried tour.

What an incredible piece of history. This site is simply jaw dropping and I was blown away by the sheer size of the ruins.The facilities were excellent and the staff were very friendly and helpful. It has a lovely little museum which offers a real insight to the history surrounding Rievaulx Abbey and St Aelred.

Its a very beautiful large set of ruins with a very interesting past that it explained through boards scattered around the ruins. The difference in architecture from the older section and the newer section is astounding and it is overall a great experience for all the family.

Well maintained grounds and visitor centre by English Heritage. The Abbey itself is highly impressive and you can only imagine what it once would have been like before falling to ruin.We did a circular walk from Helmsley that was around 8 miles. Be prepared for some hills, and I can imagine in wet weather (completely dry when we visitedthe path to Rievaulx could become tricky in places.

For ecclesiastical ruins this is great. Still a lot there. It was and is a complex of buildings as the intention was self sufficiency. Interesting progression from stark simplicity to moderate decoration. So as well as beautiful and historical it is also food for thought.The swallows which nest here are fun to watch flying between the columns.