Jervaulx Abbey
Jervaulx Abbey
4.5
9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
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  • Menumore
    Blackburn, United Kingdom309 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Peaceful
    May be only ruins but such a relaxing place to visit. Entrance is by honesty box and to be honest it is cheap as the upkeep of this property must be high. The tearooms have reopened and only supplement the visit. The tearooms have home baked produce which is so tasty. Parking is perfect
    Visited May 2024
    Travelled solo
    Written 2 May 2024
  • Val W
    Merthyr Tydfil, United Kingdom1,223 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Beautiful and Peaceful
    There is something so special about this place! The atmosphere envelopes you as soon as you enter. The ruins are beautiful but it's more than that - there is a real sense of tranquility. There is aways the sound of birds and the bleating of sheep - no doubt similar sounds to those heard by the monks of old. There are masses of flowers - mainly wild but some "escapees" and it is an absolute haven for pollinators. There parking the other side of the road and both parking and entrance are via honesty boxes.
    Visited May 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 2 May 2024
  • Helen H
    6 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Magical
    Don’t go expecting it to be anything like English Heritage or National Trust places which are lovely but essentially very similar. There are no notice boards, maps of where to go or audio guides here but this place is all the more special for it. You pay for entry in the cafe or in the honesty box and explore at your own pace taking any route you fancy around the ruins. When we visited we hardly saw anyone and all we could hear were birds tweeting and sheep bahing. The ruins of the abbey are like stumbling across a scene from a fairytale and the wild flowers are stunning! The newly re-opened tearoom serves delicious sandwiches, pastries and cakes and is run by the owners of the abbey who are happy to chat about the history of the abbey, the flora and how they came to own it. How often do you get to meet the owners of these historic places? Magical - we loved it!
    Visited May 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 3 May 2024
  • David T
    41 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A Real Gem
    Spendic ruins in a relaxing environment. A real sense of calm. Lots of photo oppurtunities. Fantastic wild flowers on the ruins, and great surroundings. Cafe is great, with friendly staff.
    Visited May 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 16 May 2024
  • Karen B
    Chesterfield, United Kingdom320 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Peaceful stroll
    Lovely peaceful place for a 30 minute stroll, dogs allowed. It is free, although there are honest boxes for parking (£1) and at the entrance (£5 adult £3 child). Definitely worth a stroll around and then grab an icecream up the road at Bymor Dairy.
    Visited September 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 1 September 2024
  • Paula D
    Cheshire, United Kingdom5 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A fascinating place & a warm welcome
    Even though we were staying local we stumbled across the Abbey and it was such a perfect surprise. We visited on a soggy wet day, but we enjoyed strolling round the beautiful remains and we had such a warm welcome at the tea room. Lovely food too and their own local baking cook book was an added bonus. Definitely 5 stars and highly recommended, we will even consider their camping huts for a future visit.
    Visited September 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 26 September 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

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4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles359 reviews
Excellent
219
Very good
104
Average
27
Poor
6
Terrible
3

Fred1953
Manchester, UK48 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2020
Visited the Abbey today with my wife, as usual everything was superb, helped by the sun coming out for a few hours. Owners Ian and Carol, and daughters Gayle and Anna are lovely, very helpful, we were fortunate to be their guests seven years ago when they ran the B&B. Unfortunately today (Tuesday) the cafe was closed which was a shame, but wandering around the ruins of the abbey was a delight. Please make sure you put some money in the honesty box, it's only the price of a cup of coffee.
Written 8 September 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Martin S
Lincolnshire, UK30 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2020
Jervaulx is a privately owned ruin, and that makes for very different feel to other similar abbeys that are in the care of English Heritage. Not exactly neglected, the place has the feel of a romantic ruin, with wild flowers and trees softening the original austere buildings. Jervaulx is a place for exploration, with hidden corners and unexpected views, and it’s set in a beautiful landscape. It’s also very good value for money, at just £3 paid into the honesty box as you go in. You can also pay online via PayPal, which is handy if you haven’t any change.
Written 30 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

AddVis
Bridlington, UK95 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2020
Called in early on a nice sunny day to see this very interesting privately owned site.
The owners are very trusting with an honesty box for entry and guide books - I certainly hope that everybody who visits is honest.

Beautifully tranquil , especially as for 30 minutes we were the only people on the site, rather mystic in a way.

Tea rooms were not open at the time we visited so cannot comment on that aspect.
Written 30 September 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Helen H
6 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2024 • Couples
Don’t go expecting it to be anything like English Heritage or National Trust places which are lovely but essentially very similar. There are no notice boards, maps of where to go or audio guides here but this place is all the more special for it. You pay for entry in the cafe or in the honesty box and explore at your own pace taking any route you fancy around the ruins. When we visited we hardly saw anyone and all we could hear were birds tweeting and sheep bahing. The ruins of the abbey are like stumbling across a scene from a fairytale and the wild flowers are stunning! The newly re-opened tearoom serves delicious sandwiches, pastries and cakes and is run by the owners of the abbey who are happy to chat about the history of the abbey, the flora and how they came to own it. How often do you get to meet the owners of these historic places? Magical - we loved it!
Written 3 May 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Louise G
Bolton, UK3 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2020
We visited in early August. Lovely day, not too warm with a nice breeze. From some of the previous reviews we were led to believe it was undiscovered gem so we were a bit surprised to see the car park almost full !
First stop was the tea room. It was the first day to open after lockdown.
Apparently it was a last minute decision to open so they possibly weren't as well prepared as usual ! Saying that we had 2 delicious quiches and some pretty decent coffee. They seemed well prepared with regards to social distancing, hand sanitiser was freely available and people were socially distancing outside. The young lady serving (daughter of the owners) was really helpful and happy to answer questions about the area.
The actual abbey was really picturesque, a properly romantic ruin, with abundant wild flowers pouring over the stones and arches like in a victorian print, not like the manicured foutains abbey down the road. Funnily enough although the car park was full the abbey itself really was a tranquil oasis, just a lovely place to wander and soak up the peace.
Good idea to get one of the guides as there aren't many explanatory boards around and the upkeep of the abbey is dependent on 'honesty' donations - it's the largest privately owned monastry and gets nothing from the NT or EH. We walked through the extensive parkland too as part of a longer circular walk from the abbey via thornton steward and along tne river ure - well recommended also.
Written 9 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

kengarnerashby
Ashby de la Zouch, UK3 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2023 • Family
A privately owned abbey, Jervaulx Abbey ruins have been sensitively preserved by three generations of the same family. The Abbey grounds are open to the public and visitors are asked to make a donation via the honesty box at the entrance to the ruins. Don't be a cheapskate and pass by the honesty box nor walk alongside the grounds to take photographs. The grounds have plenty of benches to sit on and soak up the atmosphere and peace. The family rely totally on public donations.
Written 11 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

A N
Woodbridge, UK113 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2021 • Couples
Lovely, calm and peaceful place to spend an hour or so. We liked the way it is kept a little more naturally than the bigger abbey's. We would have given a higher rating but we love a cup of tea and cake, but the tea rooms are still closed and there are no toilet facilities.
Written 30 May 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

chuckthechimp
Darlington, UK209 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2024 • Family
Visited during the school holidays, website and Facebook page not kept up to date with current opening information. Beautiful sunshine and kids off school, yet the cafe is closed despite the website stating extending opening hours during the holidays. A cafe and toilets are a basic part of attracting people to visit and making places like this successful (or not)
Written 30 July 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The website clearly states that the tearooms have been closed for four years after recovering from covid and that it’s open Thursday to Sunday this year as we again try to rebuild our business. We regularly put what time we are open and updates on social media to encourage visitors. Reviews like this, just because you have not looked at the information correctly, are not helpful to small businesses. Maybe there are reasons that a business can not be open on a sunny school holiday day, did you perhaps think that if a business could be open and trading it would be? Unhelpful type of review!
Written 1 August 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

AlbertSalichs
Manresa, Spain22,840 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2022 • Solo
Jervaulx Abbey is located on land, in the middle of England. It is located in a region, where you can see some ruins of abbeys like Fountains Abbey or Bolton Abbey. It is for me the least pretty, because you can see some walls, parts of the main church or some other rooms. You cannot see any staff in all route around the abbey. Also, there are too much vegetation. However, ruins are nice and you can walk around them.
(See also Bolton Abbey and Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden)
Written 12 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Val W
Merthyr Tydfil, UK1,223 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2022
The air of tranquility in Jervaulx draws us back again and again. We usually visit early in the day as we did this time and we were the only people on the site. This ads to the sense of both spiritual and natural serenity. We usually visit later in the year so the wild flowers were different ones but just as lovely.

Given the area, it seems very appropriate that the Abbey was famous both for its horses and its cheese!

There is plenty of parking opposite the Abbey. Both the parking and admission are via honesty boxes. Although this isn't directly to do with visiting the Abbey, we were sorry that the tearooms are no longer open.
Written 8 May 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Jervaulx Abbey

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