Parking
Cleveland Way car park, Helmsley (SE 609 838). Toilets and refreshments are available in Helmsley; refreshments are also available at Rievaulx Abbey.
Overview
About Helmsley and Rievaulx Abbey
Why go
- Ruined abbey and terrace views
- Varied woodland, field and Cleveland Way scenery
Heads up
- Minor-road walking and livestock fields
- Steps, gates and soft ground after rain
The ruined Cistercian abbey in its wooded valley is the centrepiece, and the Terrace above it gives the broad view over Ryedale with the ruins framed below. Add the castle views from the Helmsley side, quiet field and woodland scenery, and the old estate landscape and earthworks around Griff Grange, the Abbey's former home farm.
Parkwolf’s verdictThe PayoffMap & elevation
The route
Loading the North York Moors map
Full mapElevation62–181 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Best time to go
Safety
8 active North York Moors alerts
- ClosureHawnby Bridleway 110 closurePublic Bridleway 25.122/110/1 in Hawnby is closed to pedestrians, cyclists and equestrians because its bridge is unsafe. - The closure is between grid references SE 5309 9073 and SE 5335 9097.Official details
- ClosureWest Ayton Footpath 1 closurePublic Footpath 1 in West Ayton (Forge Valley) is temporarily closed because its boardwalk is unsafe. - The closure is between SE 9860 8494 and SE 9839 8712.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
North York Moors Tour Guide
Your drive to Helmsley and Rievaulx Abbey, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for North York Moors National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this trailhead
Helmsley Castle and Town0:00 / 0:34
“Helmsley's market square is coming up, with the castle a short walk away. Inside those medieval defences, look for the surviving timber panelling and plasterwork: part of the fortress became an Elizabethan mansion.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf North York Moors Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- National Centre for Birds of Prey
- A Buzzard's Free Lift
- Helmsley's Garden with Two Purposes
- Rievaulx Terrace
- 298 audio storiesacross North York Moors’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Eurasian Otter, Red Deer, Grey Seal, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 126 trails, 65 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Helmsley and Rievaulx Abbey
The RouteA complete circular loop of about 7 miles (11 km), starting and finishing at the Cleveland Way…
A complete circular loop of about 7 miles (11 km), starting and finishing at the Cleveland Way car park in Helmsley. Allow around 4 hours at a steady pace with time to look around at the Abbey and the Terrace.
The walk leaves Helmsley past the Walled Garden and follows the Cleveland Way through fields and woodland, with views back to Helmsley Castle early on. It then descends toward Rievaulx and passes the Abbey, climbs to Rievaulx Terrace, and returns by field edges and tracks via Griff Farm to rejoin the outward approach back into town.
Difficulty and FootingModerate, around 5/10.
Moderate, around 5/10. Roughly 640 ft of ascent and a similar amount of descent, with the route rising from about 190 ft to a high point near 600 ft. Underfoot you get a mix of established roads, lanes and tracks, field paths that can be soft after rain, and two woodland paths with steps and gates.
One durable point to plan for: a section of about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) near Rievaulx follows a minor road to the Abbey and up toward the Terrace. A concessionary path can cut some of that road walking, but only during the Terrace's opening days and hours. From the Terrace, do not walk back along the busy B1257; take the concessionary field paths via Griff Farm as the route intends.
History and NatureRievaulx was a major Cistercian monastery until its dissolution in 1538, and the surrounding…
Rievaulx was a major Cistercian monastery until its dissolution in 1538, and the surrounding farmland long served it. The woods on the route are known for bluebells, and the Terrace is associated with wildflowers including primroses and orchids through spring and summer.
Dogs, Access and FacilitiesDogs are welcome, but the route crosses fields where sheep and horses may graze, so keep dogs…
Dogs are welcome, but the route crosses fields where sheep and horses may graze, so keep dogs under close control and on a short lead around livestock. Begin and end at the named Cleveland Way car park in Helmsley. Toilets and refreshments are available in Helmsley, and refreshments are also available at Rievaulx Abbey.
A Shorter AlternativeIf you mainly want the Abbey without the Terrace and Griff Farm circuit, the shorter 3-mile (5…
If you mainly want the Abbey without the Terrace and Griff Farm circuit, the shorter 3-mile (5 km) Helmsley Castle to Rievaulx Abbey walk covers the same valley on more level established lanes and roads.
Wildlife
Wildlife in North York Moors
15 sightingsEurasian OtterMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
10 sightingsRed DeerMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
79 sightingsGrey SealMost seen around noonSighting map
26 sightingsWestern Barn OwlMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
33 sightingsEuropean BadgerMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
10 sightingsMute SwanMost seen around noonSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across North York Moors. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
