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Most people visiting York only explore the city centre. However, there is a lot of fantastic sites and attractions in the surrounding area as well. Following a weekend in York city, we returned to spend a long weekend in the nearby Howardian Hills, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). This area joins onto the North York Moors (also a beautiful area) and features beautiful rolling countryside, quaint English villages, manor houses, and abbey ruins.
Day 1
Castle Howard
Castle Howard, York YO60 7DA – Entry fee applies, but parking is free
In the morning we drove up to the Howardian Hills. It absolutely bucketed down so we had our fingers crossed that it would clear up by the time we arrived. We planned to spend the day exploring the magnificent Castle Howard, the jewel of the Howardian Hills. Even the drive up to it was impressive as there are narrow old stone arches that you have to drive through (trucks beware!).
This amazing castle and its beautiful grounds have been the filming location for many great movies and TV shows over the years including Brideshead Revisited both in 1981 and again later in 2008. It was also used to film the popular ITV Victoria TV series. This property is huge and you can easily spend all day here. Thankfully the rain had cleared, but it was super windy. We enjoyed walking around the beautifully manicured gardens and admiring the statues and huge water fountain which was spraying everyone thanks to the strong winds!
The rolling countryside views from the Temple of the Four Winds is worth the walk. From there we enjoyed a stroll through the woodlands with the bluebells in bloom. We eventually came to the Great Lake which has a large outside decked area to enjoy lunch. There’s a cafe here selling light lunches and delicious cakes and slices – the baking at all of the Castle Howard eateries are very good – they taste just like home baked.
Finally, we went in to explore the house. Only a small section of it is open to the public as I believe the family still live in part of it. They began building the house in 1699 but it took over 100 years for them to complete it. However, sadly they experienced a great fire in 1940. At the time the house was home to the girls of Queen Margaret’s School who had been evacuated there as it was WWII. However, thanks to the girls brave efforts, they were able to save a lot of the books and paintings.
On your way out, there is a lovely Farm Shop in the stable courtyard that is worth a visit.
Tip
We were staying in the quaint little village of Scawton, so spent the afternoon strolling through the public footpaths that trailed through the rolling hills. As it was spring there were lots of cute lambs jumping and frolicking in the fields.
Day 2
On our second day we headed out early in the morning for a full days hiking. To find these tracks, use a walking app like View Ranger GPS. There are lots of walking paths throughout this area. We took the path from Scawton to the nearby fishing lakes (near Bridge Road). It was a really beautiful scenic spot, perfect for a picnic. We then walked up Spring Wood, through a woodland, and then across farmland to a peaceful river valley. We continued up the other side to Lambert Hagwood then took the walking track across the fields to Rievaulx.
Rievaulx Abbey
Rievaulx Bank, Rievaulx, Helmsley, York YO62 5LB – Fee applies but see tips how you can see it without paying for entry
Our first attraction for the day was Rievaulx Abbey. It is set in the most adorable village with chocolate box thatched cottages and ponies grazing in the fields. The village was the site of a magnificent 11th century Abbey which now lies in ruins. It is run by the English Heritage so you have to pay an entry fee to enter the site. However, if you are on a tight budget and can’t afford it, you can still quite easily see the abbey by going into the visitor centre and walking through to their cafe outdoor seating area. You can also see it up close in the local village car park which is beside the English Heritage car park.
Tip
- Parking is available in the Rievaulx Abbey English Heritage car park. But there is also a very cheap community owned car park right next door to it that runs on an honesty box system – so have coins on you.
- There are toilets available in the English Heritage car park – you don’t need to buy an entry ticket to be able to use them.
- If you enjoy visiting ruined abbeys, then visit Byland Abbey (Byland, Coxwold, North Yorkshire, YO61 4BD) which is also in the Howardian Hills. It is managed by the English Heritage, but is free to visit.
Rievaulx Terrace – National Trust
Rievaulx, Helmsley, York YO62 5LJ – Free entry for members, but entry fee applies for non-members
Our next site was Rievaulx Terrace which sits high on the hill overlooking the abbey. To get to it we walked up the hill through the village. You can follow the winding road up the hill, but it is rather narrow and busy with tourists, so we found a path off to the right that was steeper, but shorter and took us directly to the terrace entrance. Rievaulx Terrace is owned by the National Trust so there is an entry fee for non-members.
This beautiful 18th-century landscape features a woodland, temples and of course the terrace with its stunning views over Rievaulx Abbey. Rievaulx Terrace was once part of the abbey estate but eventually wound up in the hands of Thomas Duncombe II along with the adjoining Helmsley estate (now Duncombe Park). Following his Grand Tour in 1747, he was inspired to create his own landscape, complete with views over the magnificent ruined abbey.
At each end of the terrace stands a temple. At the northern end is the rectangular Ionic Temple inspired by the Temple of Fortuna Virilis in Rome. Here the Duncombe family and guests would have dined and socialised under the magnificent painted ceiling. When we visited they had the room set up as if the family was about to arrive at any moment to dine. The volunteer did a wonderful job of telling its history to us. The basement, which would have once housed a kitchen for preparing the meals, is now a small museum outlining the history of the property and the families that owned it over the years.
At the south end of the terrace there is the rotunda Tuscan Temple that has a medieval tiled floor and painted ceiling. Unfortunately, it is closed to visitors but we still had a nosy through the windows.
Helmsley Village
After we finished exploring Rievaulx, we continued our walk through the beautiful Yorkshire countryside to the village of Helmsley. This bustling historic village has lots of lovely shops, cafes and restaurants. There is quite a bit to see and do in Helmsley and you could easily spend an entire day here exploring the castle ruin, the walled garden (we didn’t get time to visit but we could see part of it and it looked lovely), and for beer drinkers there is also the Helmsley Brewing Company to enjoy.
Mannion & Co
5 Castlegate, Helmsley, York YO62 5AB
We stopped into Mannion & Co for a late lunch. They are located in a quaint little historic building where you can see them cooking in an open kitchen as you walk in on the ground floor. This place is very popular so I would think that you would usually have to book. We only got in because it was so late in the afternoon and some people had vacated their seat just as we arrived.
This place has a relaxed feel and the food is exellent. I enjoyed some smoked salmon and my husband had fish. They are famous for their ginormous meringues which we watched someone attempt to devour, but they were defeated as I imagine most people are.
Helmsley Castle
Castlegate, Helmsley YO62 5AB – Free entry for members, but entry fee applies for non-members
After eating, we explored more of the town. Right beside the main street is the historic ruins of Helmsley Castle. If you are on a tight budget, then you can get a pretty good view of it from the perimeter without having to pay for entry.
We hiked back to Scawton in the evening. This was a full days hike, but not too strenuous with lots of interesting spots to admire and enjoy along the way.
Day 3
Ampleforth Abbey
East Lane, York YO62 4ER – Free entry and parking
On our final day in the Howardian Hills, we visited Ampleforth Abbey which has been home to a community of Benedictine monks since 1802. There is a small onsite museum which provides some information on the history of this site. This is also the site of rather posh private school focused on sports, so they have rather impressive sporting grounds. We headed off for a morning walk through their expansive grounds to a nature trail down by the lake with surrounding woodland. When we got back we had lunch at their tea room which also sells their homemade cider and apple juice. Personally I found the cider a bit too medicinal tasting for me, but the apple juice was nice. There is also an onsite shop selling their goods.
Nunnington Hall – National Trust
Free entry for members, but entry fee applies for non-members
After exploring Ampleforth Abbey we drove on to the nearby Yorkshire Manor house, Nunnington Hall. It is owned by the National Trust so is free for members.
We explored the period rooms where they have an interesting display of miniature houses in the attic. It has a lovely walled garden that had a peacock strolling around it, in fact when we were looking out the windows of the property we saw him perched on the roof of the house.
Other Howardian Hills Attractions
These are the attractions we didn’t get to visit, but hope to in the future.
Newburgh Priory
Coxwold, York YO61 4AS – Entry fee applies
Newburgh Priory was originally founded in 1145 on land granted to Robert de Mowbray by William the Conqueror. It originally began as an Augustinian Priory, but very little is known about it until it became the home of the Bellasis family. They converted the Priory to their home between 1720 and 1760, and the house is in Tudor style. The house is allegedly cursed and the final resting place for the body of Oliver Cromwell – minus his head. The House is now owned by the Wombwell family but the house and gardens are open to visitors from April to June on Wednesdays and Sundays. Check their website for opening times.
Lavender Farm
Terrington, York YO60 6PB – Entry fee applies
The best time to see the lavender is from June to August. We were visiting at the start of May, so we didn’t go since the lavender wasn’t out yet, but I do hope to get back here in summer as I love lavender. They also have an onsite cafe and shop where they selltheir lavender products.
Accommodation Options in the Howardian Hills
Budget
- The Fauconberg – Guest house in the village of Coxwold. This historical country inn has a bar and a restaurant with live music and theatrical performances.
- The Parcel Shed – Double room with balcony in the countryside.
- Waterside Shepherds Hut – This cosy chalet features river and garden views.
Moderate
- Shallowdale House – An award winning property featuring views of the countryside located in the historic village of Helmsley.
- Riccal Dale Cottage – 2 bedroom holiday cottage in the countryside.
- Brook Cottage – 2 bedroom countryside cottage with a garden and fire.
Luxury
- Feversham Arms Hotel & Verbena Spa – An elegant hotel and spa nearby in Helmsley that has junior and deluxe suites.
- The Devonshire Fell Hotel – This hotel in the pretty village of Burnsall has luxury suites with river views.
Practical Tips for Visiting The Howardian Hills
- How long should I visit the Howardian Hills for? We stayed for 2 nights/3 days and didn’t get to all of the attractions, so you could easily stay longer if you want to see more.
- How to Get Around the Howardian Hills: You really need a car to get around the countryside. There are local buses but they are limited, however, you can get to Castle Howard by bus from York. There are also tours available – see below.
- Tours: You can visit York on a tour. Alongside a city tour, you can also join a tour that includes other interesting sites in the surrounding area.
- This York & Yorkshire tour takes in York, Rievaulx Abbey, and Helmsley as well as other Yorkshire sites.
- This tour leaving from York takes in Castle Howard
- Currency: British pound.
- Language: English
- Tipping: Not required, but people usually round up.
- Electricity: The electrical current is 230 volts AC. Wall outlets take a three pronged plug only used in the United Kingdom and Ireland. However, you are better off purchasing a worldwide adaptor that can be used in the United Kingdom as well other countries. At least then you can potentially get some further use out of it on future vacations. If you’re taking a number of electronics with you, then I would recommend purchasing a couple of these adaptors.
- Driving: In the UK they drive on the left hand side of the road with speed signs in miles per hour (mph).
- Navigating: We used Google’s free Offline Maps. Google Offline Maps allows you to access free maps for navigating that can be used offline i.e. you don’t need WIFI, data, or roaming to be able to use them. Follow my detailed guide on how to use Googles Offline Maps.
- Using your phone as a GPS will drain your battery quickly, so use a portable battery charger which you can use to charge your phone and any other USB chargeable devices.
- If you prefer a paper map, then purchase a road map before you go. At least it’s reliable and won’t run out of battery or malfunction like the electronic options!
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