Days out & UK travel

Fountains Abbey Review: Is It Worth Visiting with Kids?

Posted on by Claire
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Ruins of Fountains Abbey viewed across a green lawn with stone arches and a tall central tower surrounded by trees. Overlay text reads "FOUNTAINS ABBEY REVIEW".
19
Jun

Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Gardens is one of favourite national Trust Family walks. It is truly spectacular and not hard to see why it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We’ve visited Fountains Abbey a few tie over the years. Sometime for a quick stop on a longer journey and sometimes to spend a full day there to explore everything is has to offer for families.

In this Fountains Abbey review, I’ll share with you what you can expect if you choose to visit and the bits that are particularly good for families. I’ll also share our top tips for visiting with kids.

Is Fountain’s Abbey worth visiting with kids?

Yes, I recommend visiting Fountains Abbey as a family. We have visited a few time over the last decade with kids of different ages.

The adventure playground is one of the best at a National Trust property that we have visited! They also have regular family trails and activities in school holidays.

Stone viewing wall with interpretive panels overlooks a wide green meadow and a distant historic tower rising above the treeline. Overhanging branches frame the scene, while sunlight casts shadows across the weathered stonework in the foreground.

There are also lots of opportunities for family walks around the abbey and the water gardens. The abbey ruins and various information buildings appeal to adults and children too.

We have visited in all weathers too and always enjoyed our visit. Have I convinced you? Read on to find out everything you need to know.

Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Gardens

Fountains Abbey is a National Trust in Yorkshire. Its full name is Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Gardens. There are 2 distinct areas, Fountains Abbey (the stunning ruins) and Studley Royal Water gardens. Both areas are stunning and I’d encourage you to allow time to walk around the full estate.

Fountains Abbey ruins viewed from a wooded hillside, with the abbey tower rising above roofless stone walls, arches, and former monastery buildings. Visitors walk through the grassy courtyards below while tree trunks and branches frame the historic ruins in the foreground.

Where is Fountains Abbey?

The address is Fountains Abbey, Ripon, North Yorkshire, HG4 3DY (Search for Fountains Abbey in your satnav, don’t use this postcode).

Fountains Abbey is just off the B6265 between Ripon and Pateley Bridge. It is around 4 miles from the city of Ripon and around 11 miles from Harrogate. These are both great places to visit too.

There is plenty of free parking at Fountains Abbey Visitors Centre.

You can arrive by bus too. Find full details of the bus service here – Dales Buses

Fountains Abbey And Studley Royal Water Gardens

Fountains Abbey Visitors Centre

Access to Fountains Abbey is through the visitors centre. Here you will find toilets, a cafe, and shops. Shops include a plant shop and the usual type of National Trust shop with lots of gifts and souvenirs. There is also a place to refill water bottles for free.

Fountains Abbey playground

Our first stop is always Fountains Abbey adventure playground. It’s only a short walk from the visitors centre and it’s on your walk down to the abbey. You can’t miss it, unless you do the bird hide walk which cuts off the play area on to your way down to the abbey ruins.

Outdoor woodland play area with child-sized metal sinks, buckets, and cooking stations set up beside a wooden shelter. Visitors walk along the shaded path in the background, while the mud kitchen encourages hands-on nature play among the trees.

It’s one of our favourite National Trust playgrounds. it really is quite big and there is plenty of equipment for kids of all ages. There’s even Abbey shaped climbing frames!

Wooden activity panel in a woodland adventure playground featuring rotating blocks illustrated with animals, plants, and nature symbols. The panel is mounted within a timber climbing structure, while children and adults explore the shaded forest play area in the background.

There were some things suitable for little ones like bridges and places to hide under climbing frames. The mud kitchen has been added since we visited previously, presumably because something else needed replacing. It’s clear that this playground is very well looked after.

Circular illustrated map mounted on top of a tree stump in a woodland play area, showing landmarks, walking routes, wildlife, and attractions around the Fountains Abbey estate. Woodchip paths, a wooden climbing structure, fencing, and shaded trees surround the map, helping visitors explore the grounds.

The play area is woodlands which means it is slowly revealed to you and your kids and it is also welcome shade on a hot day.

Wooden play tower with a metal slide and small crawl-through entrance in a woodland playground. The structure is surrounded by trees and woodchip surfacing, offering a simple climbing and sliding area for children.
Natural woodland playground with rustic timber climbing frames, rope bridges, and balance elements set among mature trees. Woodchip surfacing covers the ground beneath the play equipment, creating an adventure play area that blends into the forest setting.
Fountains Abbey And Studley Royal Water Gardens
Fountains Abbey And Studley Royal Water Gardens

Swaley Grange

After the play area, you continue down the hill to Fountains Abbey ruins. You will pass a small building called Swaley Grange. You can learn all about yarn production and dying. This is a former medieval monastic farm.

Museum-style exhibition space inside a historic building with information panels, wooden furniture, and interpretive displays. A table holds historical artifacts including a woven beehive-shaped skep, while a sheep illustration, dried herbs hanging from the ceiling, and benches line the room.
Fountains Abbey And Studley Royal Water Gardens

We also love exploring the cute little medieval vegetable garden.

Rectangular kitchen garden with vegetable beds, climbing plant supports, and young crops growing in neatly organized rows. Protective netting covers part of the garden, with wooden fencing and mature trees surrounding the area under a sunny blue sky.

Fountains Abbey ruins

By this point, you are halfway down the valley and almost into the woodland. A short walk through the woods and the Abbey starts to come in to view and slowly its beauty is revealed. The abbey is half a mile from the visitors centre and takes about 15 minutes to get to.

Long medieval stone hall with rows of pointed Gothic arches supporting a vaulted ceiling. Sunlight streams through openings along one side, creating bright patches on the floor and highlighting the repeating architectural details of the historic structure.
Wide view of Fountains Abbey ruins with long stone walls, arched windows, and the central tower rising above the monastery complex. Visitors walk across the expansive grassy grounds in front of the historic ruins beneath a blue sky with scattered clouds.

There is a small porters lodge that has been sensitively turned in to an information room, packed full of information on Fountains Abbey history. In the centre is a large model of what the Abbey would have looked like.

Museum exhibit panels illustrating the history of Fountains Abbey, featuring large drawings of monks praying, sheep grazing, and medieval rural life. Display text includes "Growth and Splendour" and dates "1135 - 1290", highlighting the abbey's period of prosperity and agricultural wealth.
cale model of Fountains Abbey displayed inside a museum exhibit, showing the abbey church, central tower, and surrounding buildings as they would have appeared when complete. Visitors stand behind the display reading interpretive panels, including signs that read "Difficult Times" and "One Disaster After Another".

To the left is Fountains Abbey ruins and they are spectacular. Some areas still have stone ceilings but most areas do not. You really get a feeling for the grandeur and beauty that this impressive abbey would have had. Our 5 year old loved climbing staircases that lead to nowhere and walking through archways. This window was my favourite part. Can you imagine it full of glass?  

Fountains Abbey And Studley Royal Water Gardens

There is also Fountains Mill which has been sensitively restored and has lots more information and displays about life at the time the abbey was in use. There is also a small cafe in this area, great for buying an ice cream on a hot day!

Historic room inside a restored abbey building with exposed timber roof beams, weathered plaster walls, and a tall arched window. A long interpretive table displays historical information and replica objects, while a cast-iron stove stands against the wall, illustrating daily life at the site.

To the right of the Abbey if Fountains Hall, summer house and orchards. We didn’t realise you can go in the hall so we haven’t but the website says you can find information boards here and stay in one of the holiday flats.

Large historic stone manor house with tall windows, decorative gables, and tower-like sections rising above clipped hedges. Stone steps and an ornate entrance structure lead up from a formal garden lawn under a bright blue sky.
Formal garden with stone-paved paths winding between raised planting beds filled with greenery. Dense trees and carefully shaped topiary hedges surround the garden, with a small stone pedestal at the center beneath a bright blue sky.

Dotted around the Abbey are lots of lights and we wondered why. I discovered from reading the website later that there are a number of holiday rentals around the estate and if you stay there you get a key to the grounds and you can visit after dark. How amazing would it be to wander around these ruins in the dark and see Fountains Abbey floodlit? Definitely, one to add to the bucket list.  

Historic stone manor house overlooking formal gardens with clipped hedges and terraces. A small stone bridge crosses a sunken garden area in the foreground, while a pavilion-like building stands to the right beneath a bright blue sky.

Studley Royal Water Gardens

wall along the path from the abbey and as you turn the corner Studley Royal Water gardens appear. These gardens are beautiful and there are lots of hidden gems to find such as Octagon tower and Serpentine tunnel as well as the Temple of Fame to name just a few.

Long rectangular reflecting pool bordered by neatly trimmed lawns and hedges in a landscaped garden. Trees line both sides of the waterway, with a few visitors walking along the paths and statues visible in the distance.

Studley Royal is a landscape which has been artificially manipulated to such a standard as to be considered a ‘feat of human creative genius’. This is actually the reason that the site is a unesco World heritage site! I’d always assumed it was the abbey ruins!

It is a beautiful garden to walk around with many unique features, particularly water ones and follies. There are a few detours to these features that are well worth doing.

Formal landscaped garden with long rectangular canals and a circular pond surrounded by neatly trimmed grass and trees. A small classical pavilion stands beside the water, viewed through foreground shrubs and beneath the branches of a large tree.

Fountains Abbey walks

It is possible to do a circular walk around all of the gardens and abbey ruins. You could also shorten this and just do a circular walk around the abbey section of the grounds.

We haven’t done it yet but there is a Fountains Abbey 7 bridge walk which I’m keen to do on our next visit.

Mown grass path running through a wide meadow beside a narrow stream. Tall grasses and wildflowers border the water, while dense trees and flowering shrubs frame the landscape under a blue sky.

If you are ever anywhere near North Yorkshire I urge you to visit Fountains Abbey and make a day of exploring this stunning and historical site which is also fantastic for families.

Our top tips for visiting Fountains Abbey, Rippon

  • For up to date prices and Fountains Abbey opening times, as well as to check what extra events are on, visit the National Trust website.
  • Allow plenty of time to see the full estate. The visitor centre had options for what to do if you have a couple of hours, half a day or a full day. Make the Abbey ruins a priority, no matter how short your visit.
  • Fountains Abbey walks are perfect for all the family. We had no problem with a pushchair in any of these areas we explored.
  • Picnics are welcome so pack a blanket and enjoy a cheap day out (if you are a National Trust member).
  • There are baby changing facilities in both the ladies and men’s toilets at the visitor centre.
  • Check the visitor centre or website for details of different family events, especially in the school holidays.
When was fountains Abbey built?

Fountains Abbey was founded in 1132 by Benedictine monks.

How long to spend at Fountains Abbey?

You need to allow at least a couple of hours to visit Fountains Abbey but you’ll need longer if you want to see the abbey, enjoy the playground and enjoy a walk.

Is Fountains Abbey dog-friendly?

Dogs are welcome but they should be kept on a short lead.

What campsites are near fountains abbey?

We have camped nearby at Studfold which is a fantastic family campsite. It’s a 40 minute drive though.
Abbey falls is a pop up summer campsite with pitches that include views of the abbey! We haven’t stayed here yet, it is considered fairly basic.

I’d definitely recommend fountains abbey as a family-friendly day out. Other National Trust family days out you might enjoy:

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Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Gardens
Claire

Claire is a mum to two girls who love spending time outdoors on family walks, days out and camping trips in their family campervan. Find out more about us here

14 thoughts on “Fountains Abbey Review: Is It Worth Visiting with Kids?”

  2. Fiona Cambouropoulos says:

    I love the look of the Abbey, it is a real piece of history and beautiful architecture. The play areas look perfect for kids and the weaving loom is beautiful. I rather fancy creating one of these here so I may just have that picture for Farmer Nick to look at for me. A visit at night would be wonderful with the lighting on, I wonder if they do anything special for Halloween? #CountryKids

    Reply
    • Claire says:

      I bet they do. Most of the National Trust properties seem to do so. A loom would be a great addition to your farm.

      Reply
  3. michelle twin mum says:

    We love NT sites too, this looks lots of fun. My kids always enjoy the natural play parks, although they are getting a bit big for them now. Mich x

    Reply
  4. Sophie says:

    This looks like a great place to visit for all the family. I love National trust properties; we have a yearly membership and use it all the time. #countrykids

    Reply
  5. Mudpie Fridays says:

    This isn’t a National Trust property I’ve come across before but it looks brilliant. I can see why it’s your favourite play area. We’ve have passes for a number of years now and get so much use out of them x #CountryKids

    Reply
    • Claire says:

      14 times we used ours this summer! I think you are a lot further south than us. It’s well worth a visit if you are ever in North Yorkshire though.

      Reply
  6. Kids of the Wild says:

    I didn’t realise there was so much to do at Fountains Abbey. Brilliant it was so engaging you returned a second day. That weaving loom is very emotive too as we did a similar thing at my best friend’s funeral. I’ll be adding Fountains Abbey to my to visit list! #CountryKids

    Reply
    • Claire says:

      Neither did we before we visited. You really should add it to your list. I’m sorry to hear about your best friend x

      Reply
  7. Louise (Little Hearts, Big Love) says:

    What a beautiful place to visit – I can see why it has become your new favourite. The woodland play area looks brilliant and I love the colourful loom at Swaley Grange. The ruins of the Abbey are beautiful and that window must have been stunning when it had stained glass in. The water gardens look beautiful too. Thank you for sharing with #CountryKids

    Reply
    • Claire says:

      Thank you for visiting and commenting. It’s a stunning site and easy to see why it is a world heritage site.

      Reply

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