Set in large grounds, there is plenty of space for energetic legs to run around, explore and spot some wildlife including rabbits and swifts. Refuel in the family-friendly Tea Room, located in the Visitor Centre. There is plenty of free parking (the whole place is free entry, though donations are appreciated), level paths for buggies, high chairs, baby-changing, hot and cold food including delicious cakes, and a children’s menu.
Outside seating offers stunning views across the valley, and an external serving hatch gives cyclists and walkers a useful place to stop and refuel while enjoying the local cycle routes.
The Abbey Church was designed by distinguished architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott and is open to the public to visit. It is full of Robert ‘Mousey’ Thompson furniture, so younger visitors will enjoy finding and counting all the mice carved into the beautiful old oak stalls.
Ampleforth Abbey is home to a community of Benedictine monks who often welcome visitors in the Visitor Centre, so you might get the opportunity to meet and chat with one of them.
For a special experience, the public are welcome to join the monks in their daily prayer services, or ‘office’ in the Abbey Church. The 1 o’clock service is a short service conducted entirely in song.
The Visitor Centre offers a fascinating insight into the monastic community, their lives, and the history of the Abbey. Founded in 1802, the Benedictine community at Ampleforth Abbey is the largest community of monks in the UK and remains faithful to the expectations of St Benedict, who said that no monastery is complete without guests.
Explore the Grounds
The wider Ampleforth estate covers 1,200 acres of lakes and woodland in the Howardian Hills National Landscape, with the North York Moors National Park to the north. For those that really want to stretch their legs, public footpaths weave across the Ampleforth valley over to Yearsley Woods and can be followed using an OS Howardian Hills and Malton map. Please be aware that some routes include some uneven and narrow footpath along the lake sides.
Dogs are very welcome in the Abbey grounds, but please make sure that they remain on a lead. Unfortunately we cannot accommodate dogs indoors, with the exception of assistance dogs.
Ampleforth Abbey, York, YO62 4EN
