Your accessible visit to Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal

Older man using National Trust mobility scooter to explore the ancient abbey ruins on a summers day — Discover how we can help you make the most of your visit to Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal. | © Annapurna Mellor

We want to make sure that Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal is equally accessible for all visitors. The historic buildings and landscape that we care for present challenges in creating access for all, but we have taken steps to ensure that as many people as possible feel confident to visit.

This page is designed to help support your visit by providing information on how to access the different areas of the estate, and to make the most of your visit.

We're always looking to improve our experiences and recognise the variety of different needs our visitors may have. We always welcome feedback and suggestions which can be emailed to us at fountainsabbey@nationaltrust.org.uk

For more information about access, visit the AccessAble website.

You can find our map for visitors with additonal needs here. A hard copy of this map can be picked up at every admission point on arrival.

Arrival and parking

There are three entrance points to the estate and three car parks. The signage from the approach roads leads you to the Visitor Centre, from which the West Gate car park is sign posted and easily reached by car.

Visitor Centre

The Visitors Centre car park is close to the facilities of the Visitors Centre: toilets, shop and main restaurant. It is also the closest car park to the playground, ball games field and main picnic area. However, access from the Visitors Centre to the Abbey and water gardens involves a steep (16%) hill which is we do not recommend for wheelchairs or other mobility equipment. There are 25 designated parking spaces for Blue Badge holders in this car park. At peak times these spaces can fill up.

West Gate

Our level access car park is located at our West Gate entrance which allows level access to the abbey and water gardens through which there are recommended routes. Visitors can be dropped off at the West Gate entrance before parking in the West Gate car park. There are 32 disabled priority bays in this car park and 30 standard car parking spaces. Head to this admission point if you require a quieter entrance point.

Studley Royal

The Studley Royal car park is not well suited for visitors with limited mobility, but it does offer the quickest route to the deer park and water gardens. The walk from the Studley car park to the entrance involves a (7-8%) hill on a road which is used by cars, or steps without handrail, and cobbles. There are no designated Blue Badge parking spaces.

Helping you get around

Visitor Transport

There is a complimentary visitor transport service which operates between the Visitor Centre, West Gate and Studley Royal admission points, subject to volunteer availability. This service runs between 10am-4pm (4.30pm in summer). During the summer months, an additional stop at St Mary's Church can be made on request. Visitors are welcome to park at the Visitor Centre to use the restaurant and shop before making use of Visitor Transport down to the site. The Visitor Transport bus can accommodate folded wheelchairs and small mobility scooters whioch can be folded or disassembled. We have an additional vehicle for visitors who are wheelchair bound. Please ask a member of staff to call transport for you if you'd like to make use of it.

Please note that on our busier days there could be a wait time of up to 30 minutes.

Visitor route

There are hard standing, tar and chip paths throughout the site suitable for mobility scooters, wheelchairs and prams. Access to the abbey is along a grassy green which can become muddy and impassible when wet. The surface in the abbey ruins is mostly level and comprises somewhat uneven ground and stone. There is a route around the abbey which is mostly level ground with a couple of ramps or an alternative route with steps.

Access map and guide

There are many ways to enjoy Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal and we have detailed them in our access map and guide. You can pick one up from any admission point or take a look at the map here, before you visit. Please follow the suggested paths based on your personal capability. The map shows recommended routes, distances, benches, toilets, places for shelter and more. It also helps explain the different services we have on offer for you during your visit.

Powered mobility scooters and manual wheelchairs

We have five mobility scooters and five manual wheelchairs available for you to hire, free of charge. You'll need to book this in advance by calling 01765 608888. A member of the team will talk you through the different options and will be happy to answer any of your questions. You can collect your mobility scooter or wheelchair from the West Gate entrance between 10.30am and 2.30pm. Please note that if you're hiring a mobility scooter there will be a 15 minute introduction as a member of the team shows you how to operate the vehicle, the recommended route and gives you the opportunity to have a test-drive.

Large family including man on mobility scooter wandering beneath the columns of the nave in the abbey ruins with the sun shining through casting shadows. — Visitors can hire a mobility scooter for the duration of their visit. | © Annapurna Mellor

Eating, drinking and shopping

The restaurant serves hot and cold meals, light snacks and a range of drinks and sweet treats. Entrance to the restaurant is through automatic doors 1.4m wide and is level. There are manual doors to the outside area. The restaurant is a large and open space lit by artificial and natural light. It can become noisy, particularly when it is busy. At busy times there can be considerable queues. All dogs are welcome inside the restaurant and there is a designated dog seating area at the back of the entrance. Large-handled cutlery and twin handled drinking mugs are available on request. Please ask a member of staff if you would like to use these.
The tea room serves hot and cold snacks, a range of drinks and sweet treats. Entrance to the tea rooms is via a low ramp and through a two sets of manual doors 1143mm wide when fully open. There is a second ramped by Studley Kiosk, through a doorway 680mm wide. The toilets and a baby change room are up a flight of narrow stairs with a banister. There is an accessible toilet in the tea room courtyard. There are no soft furnishings in the tea rooms and it can be noisy at busy times. The tea room is lit by low wattage artificial light and dull natural light. Assistance dogs are welcome.
Mill Café is the closest food outlet to the West Gate ticket office, approximately 330m on level hard standing paths. The entrance to the café is level, through a manual door which is 860mm wide and opens inwards. There is limited seating inside the café, less than 1200mm apart. Outdoor picnic benches are available. Mill Café serves hot and cold snacks, a range of drinks and sweet treats. Assistance dogs are welcome.
Access into the Visitor Centre Shop is on the level, through an automatic entrance door 1340mm wide which opens inwards into the shop. Access around the shop is open and there is 1200mm between the majority of displays around the shop and it's lit predominantly with artificial lighting. There are always members of staff available to assist and help to reach for items. At busy times it can become more difficult to move through crowds.

Discover how you can explore the different buildings on the estate

Assistance dogs are welcome everywhere.

A young couple and their baby in a pram looking at a scale model of the abbey ruins in Porters's Lodge — Visitors exploring the Porter's Lodge interpretation centre at Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal | © Annapurna Mellor

Porter's Lodge Interpretation Centre

Porter's Lodge can be accessed along a short flagstone path suitable for mobility scooters and wheelchairs. There is a large 1m wide door that opens inward and outward with a vertical handle. There are several benches inside and outside the building and plenty of turning space for wheelchairs.

A frost covered ancient Mill in the foreground with bare trees and a fiery red sunset in the background — Fountains Mill at Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal | © Andrew Butler

Fountains Mill

There are three floors in Fountains Mill. the first floor can be accessed along a level flagstone path. There is a gentle sloped path leading round to the second floor entrance. There is a lift which operates between all three levels of Fountains Mill (85cm x 126cm). Please note that this lift is too small for mobility scooters however a wheelchair can be made available on request, subject to availability.

Fountains Hall

Fountains Hall is inaccessible to wheelchairs and mobility scooters, however the external gardens are wheelchair accessible via a stone arch entrance on the left hand side of the building. The only entrance and exit to Fountains Hall is up a flight of 9 slightly uneven stone steps with no hand rail, and then 11 more stone steps with a hand rail on either side. Visitors can borrow a printed lanyard guide of Fountains Hall from the West Gate ticket office to learn more about this Jacobean mansion.

St Mary's Church

St Mary's church can be found in the deer park. The closest parking to the church is Studley Royal car park or the Visitor Centre car park. Wheelchair and visitor's own mobility scooter users can access the church through the double door entrance. Please note the ground may be uneven in places.

The Temple of Piety seen across the Moon and Half Crescent ponds at Studley Royal Water Garden, North Yorkshire — Studley Royal Water Garden in winter, Yorkshire | © National Trust Images/Andrew Butler

The Follies

Studley Royal Water Garden is home to six follies, designed by John and William Aislabie in the 18th century. Most of these Follies present challenges to visitors with limited mobility as they can only be accessed up stone steps with no handrail. However, the exterior of the Temple of Piety and the Banqueting House can be visited. The high paths to some follies - Octogen Tower, Anne Boleyn's Seat and Temple of Fame - are not recommended for wheelchair and mobility vehicles as they are accessed via steep slopes on very uneven ground. The Serpentine Tunnel, which leads up to Octogen Tower, is very dark and has very uneven ground.

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More facilities available to you

Visitor Centre: These are the closest toilets to the main visitor centre car park. Male, female and unisex accessible toilets are available and baby change facilities are located at the entrance to the Visitor Centre Restaurant.

Studley Royal: There are male, female and unisex accessible toilets located in Studley Royal Car Park. An accessible toilet can be found to the right of Studley Tea Rooms. Or alternatively, male and female toilets are located up a flight of stairs in the Tea Room.

West Gate: You can find a toilet block 100m from the West Gate entrance with male, female and unisex accessible toilets. These toilets are up a short but fairly steep incline. A changing bed and baby changing facilities can be found here too. Please note that there is no hoist with the changing bed but it can be lowered and raised using the remote control.

Sanitary products are available in all female, accessible and baby change toilets.
Induction loops are available at most till points including Visitor Centre admissiond, shop and restaurant, West Gate ticket office, Mill Cafe and Kiosk, and Studley ticket office and tea rooms. We also have a portable induction loop available to hire, free of charge, for guided tours. You'll need to book this in advance by calling 01765 608888. You can collect the hearing loop from your tour guide, at Porter's Lodge, up to 10 minutes before your tour begins.
Braille, tactile images and large print maps and guides are available at all three admission points. There is a British Sign Language introduction available to borrow on a tablet from the Visitor Centre Admision. We have prepared visitor welcome maps in French and German. There is also an audio tour of the abbey available in English, Frenchm German, Audio Descriptive and family tour too. Handsets can be borrowed from Visitor Centre admission and West Gate ticket office.

Family walking alongside Lake Windermere at Fell Foot during winter, Cumbria

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Your accessible visit to Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal