Ampleforth Abbey and Orchard

Ampleforth is a living monastery rather than a ruin, which after a week of Rievaulx, Byland and Fountains makes for a change of gear. The Benedictine community was established here in 1802 and still runs the place, and visitors are welcome in the church, the grounds and the visitor centre without paying a penny. What surprises most first timers is the orchard: around 200 years old, one of the largest in the north of England, roughly 1,500 trees across more than 60 apple varieties, and a cider mill at the end of it that has won awards for what it makes. Free entry, 1,200 acres of hillside, and a tea room at the top of it.

From Tea Time Cafe on the market place, take the A170 east and up Sutton Bank, then turn off onto the minor roads signed for Ampleforth. It is about 12 miles and 25 minutes. Visitor parking is at Alban Roe House and the abbey church is a short walk from there, though it is a walk with a slope in it.

The seasonal Moorsbus M5 passes through Ampleforth on the route that links Thirsk with Coxwold, Byland and Helmsley, so this is one of the few sites out here you can reach without a car, if your timing lines up with the summer weekend timetable. The 2026 season ran on Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays from 3 April to 27 September. Outside the season you need a car; check moorsbus.org for the next season's dates.

Start at the abbey church, which is the heart of the site and open to anyone. The visitor experience next to it sets out the history of the community and what Benedictine life actually involves day to day, and it was rebuilt recently, so it is in better shape than older guides suggest. Then walk. The grounds run to 1,200 acres and the orchard is the destination, free all year and worth a slow hour when the trees are in fruit. The cider mill sits alongside it. Finish at the tea room and the abbey shop, where the cider and the abbey's other produce are sold.

The orchard is the standout, and it is free, which still catches people out. Walking rows of apple varieties that most supermarkets have never heard of, with the valley below you, is a better afternoon than the description makes it sound. The church is the other draw, quiet in a way that ruined abbeys cannot be, because this one is still used for what it was built for. And the whole visit costs nothing unless you want it to.

Time a late summer or autumn visit around Pick Your Own, which runs on selected Saturdays from August through October and is one of the best family days in the area. BLOOM, the abbey's spring event, ran from 2 to 10 May 2026 and was free to attend, so check the events page early if you want to catch the next one. Book orchard tours ahead rather than turning up, since they are ticketed and limited. Wear proper shoes: the site is a hillside with steps and slopes, and the orchard ground is soft after rain. There is no dog policy published, so ring first if you are bringing one. Pair it with Byland Abbey, which is a short drive away and free to walk round, or carry on to Helmsley for the afternoon.