Fountains Abbey: Access Review

Fountains Abbey near Ripon in Yorkshire is an immense ruined abbey rich in history. Run by the National Trust it offers a spectacular insight into life as a Cistercian monk prior to the dissolution of the monasteries. We planned on making this a quick stop to stretch our legs and so didn't think to go through the access information leading to a fair amount of disappointment (see Our Verdict below).

🎟️ Booking.

Certain places for the National Trust need to be pre-booked on their website, but Fountains Abbey isn't one of them. Free for members prices start at £23.10 for adults (with gift aid) and £11.60 for children (also with gift aid). Family tickets are available offering a small discount but if you plan on visiting any other National Trust sites, it may be worth considering a membership which start at £8.40 per month for an individual, £14 per month for a couple or £14.70 per month for a family. Companion tickets are free allowing up to two carers per member/paying individual, however these must be ordered in advance and can only be done via phone, email or post, not on the website (details here).

ℹ️ Access Information Availability.

There is a dedicated accessibility section under plan your visit on the website which includes detailed information about the facilities available and the terrain as well as a map with accessible information on it. There is also a comprehensive guide through Accessable. This is the reason it is important to check the accessible information available prior to visiting places because if we had have checked, we would have had a very different day out.

🚗 Parking.

The main car park at the visitor centre is free to use. Studley car park is free for National Trust members, otherwise it is pay and display (£7 for 4 hours, £10 for all day parking). There is accessible parking at the West Gate offering level access to the abbey and gardens (Sat Nav postcode HG4 3DZ). There are EV chargers in the car park near the visitor centre.

🩼 Mobility.

Fountains Abbey is a ruined 12th century monastery in a grassy valley. The walk from the visitors centre is brutal with a 15-20% incline. There is level access to the abbey from the West Gate car park (see Parking). There are powered wheelchairs and scooters available to hire free of charge but must be pre-booked (01765 608888) with collection at set times from the West Gate entrance. There is also a complimentary visitor transport service operating between all three entrances between 10am and 4pm (ask a member of staff to use this service). There are wheelchairs also available to hire.

There is level access to food and drink as well as the gift shop. Generally the ground on site is uneven, even the accessible route has some slopes and cobbles. The abbey itself is located on a grassed green space, when wet this may be challenging to those with mobility issues and their aids. Once inside the abbey there are uneven surfaces and small steps up to access some areas. There is a lift to the upper levels of Fountains Mill. There abbey sits alongside a river.

🎧 Sensory.

The abbey is sits in a valley and is open to the elements. It gets busy with families picnicking and playing. Some areas of the abbey such as the Cellarium are darker. In 2019 it was announced on their Facebook page that they would be providing sensory packs but doesn't detail what is in them. If visiting, it is worth asking to see if this is a service they continue to offer.

🚽 Toilets.

There are accessible and none accessible toilets available at each entrance to the site. You can also find accessible toilets in the tea room and the Studley Gardens car park. There is also a changing places toilet at the visitor centre accessed via a RADAR key (if you don't have your own, ask a staff member for access).

☕️ Food and drink.

There is a tea room at the Studley Gardens (open 7 days, 10-4), a restaurant at the visitors centre (open 7 days, 9:30-4) as well as the Mill Cafe (opening times vary). Picnics are welcome and tables can be found in the play area, but note there are no covered areas for picnics on the site. There is also a water refill station near the visitor centre.

🪑 Rest Opportunities.

There are some benches to sit on on the main paths. There are two benches outside the Porter's Lodge, at the visitors centre, at Swanley Grange and outside Fountain's Hall.

🦻 Hearing.

Induction loops are available at all till points on site. There is also a portable induction loop which can be hired free of charge for guided tours but this must be pre-booked by phone (01765 608888) and collected from the tour guide at the Porter's Lodge.

🦯 Visual.

There are large print guides available in the visitors centre as well as braille/tactile guides available at all three entrances. Audio guides are also available from the visitor centre.

🐕‍🦺 Assistance Dogs.

Assistance dogs are welcome in all areas of Fountains Abbey and the Studley Royal Estate. There are water bowls situated at the visitor centre and West Gate entrance as well as at the cafes on site.

Our verdict.

So due to a lack of planning on our part, Bob was unable to actually get down to see the abbey. Instead he and our daughter waited while me and our son went and had a quick explore. Whilst I should have checked the access information prior to going, we spoke with two separate staff members, one to ask about disabled parking and one to gain entry to the site. The attendant in the car park simply pointed us towards the nearby disabled bays, despite asking us if we were wanting to visit the abbey itself. They didn't mention the accessible car park or the transport available. At the entrance, the staff member noted Bobs rollator and suggested we take a different route to the abbey as it didn't involve steps, despite it being twice as long in distance. Again it wasn't mentioned to us that there was transport available. This was hugely disappointing and absolutely sucked the energy from Bob for the rest of the day. However, having read all of the access information, we are determined to visit the site again so that Bob can experience the abbey in all its glory. This is a difficult one to rate overall, the abbey is wonderful and the information provided is clear (although there is no mention of a changing places toilet in the access info) and extensive, however staff training/communication issues meant that we couldn't enjoy this as a family.

So I'm going to give two ratings for this...

For the Abbey and the website:

💀💀💀💀

For the staff:

💀💀