Fountains Abbey Reviews Summary

Accessibility

Pros:

• "There's a wheelchair accessible route around the whole Abbey and the water gardens next door."
• "The paths are all suitable for pushchairs and wheelchairs though some areas it is advised not to take mobility scooters."
• "All accessible, pavement all the way round the abbey and the lake/river/canals."
• "Good wheelchair/ buggy access with wide, smooth paths to all areas, some steep gradients might need some extra help!"
• "The pathways are well defined and suitable for pushchairs and wheelchairs."
• "Numerous paved pathways wonderful for strollers, wheelchairs, etc."
• "There is plenty of parking - which is free."

Cons:

• "Definitely perfect for people of all ages, but not someone who has trouble walking as it is lots of steep slopes."
• "Be prepared with sensible walking shoes for some fairly steep walkways."
• "The walk on the high path is very steep to get up to through the tunnel."
• "But some more elderly visitors were clearly struggling with the steep paths."
• "There is a lot of walking involved in this site so be prepared for long paths and a couple of quite steep hills."
• "There is a bit of a walk to get to the ruins."
• "It was ruined slightly by kids jumping and climbing over the abbey while their parents ignored the fact that they were not treating the relic with the respect it deserves."

Value for Money

Pros:

• "£18 per adult, if you are not a national trust member, but its enough to fill a day."
• "Discovered - although Fountains is a National Trust property English Heritage memberships are also accepted, so made for nice saving."
• "Free entry for English heritage and national trust members otherwise its £20."
• "If you are national trust member then you can save £42 for family of 4."
• "Decided to get an NT family membership, worked out at just over 10 quid a month. Worth it considering its 40 quid to enter fountains Abbey."
• "The cost to get in is very reasonable, however I would recommend you joining the National Trust if you regularly visit the properties."
• "Free parking and access for national trust members."

Cons:

• "Only down side is that there aren’t a lot of options for food and they are significantly overpriced."
• "Initially thought to be a bit pricey for entry."
• "Quite pricey at around 20 quid to get in."
• "I think the £16/£17 entrance fee is a bit steep but I'm sure it's worth it."
• "Even though its a bit expensive (£17) it's totally worth the visit."
• "Price is a little steep for a one off visit, but I imagine the vast majority of people will be accessing with an annual National Trust or English Heritage pass."
• "Very expensive, and ensures site is only available to those who can afford high entrance fee, which is a shame considering the historical and educational nature of the site."

Facilities

Pros:

• "Some very helpful guides around to answer all of your questions."
• "There are 3 cafes for food and drink as well as several shops."
• "Toilets both down at the Abbey and at the Visitor centre which has an excellent café, shop and lots of free parking with places to picnic."
• "Toilets all located in great places."
• "Nice cafe at the entrance with plenty of space as well."
• "Great cafe, very reasonable prices."
• "Cafes were clean with a choice of food available."

Cons:

• "Sorry that throw away plastic and paper is still the order of the day for serving food and drink."
• "Some feedback on the quality of the coffees … purchased lattes from the Studley tearoom …. Total rip-off, at £3.65 each our expectations are for something better than lukewarm milk that had the colour of the palest coffee and no taste… NT YOU MUST DO BETTER."
• "The lakes were a little clouded over with algae and weed probably due to all the hot weather this year."
• "However all the lakes look quite dirty and not many bins around so, sadly, uncivilised people left rubbish everywhere, it's a shame."
• "There are very few bins so if taking snacks prepare a separate bag for rubbish."
• "The café near the Abbey was at the time if the visit more of a kiosk offering only hot and cold drinks, ice creams, chocolate bars and crisps."
• "The only bad thing was the bad attitude of the cafe woman on the otherside of the park."

Experience

Pros:

• "Fantastic day out."
• "The Abbey is astounding."
• "The site takes you back in time."
• "Beautiful, awe inspiring, ancient ruin."
• "Awesome and majestic, yet peaceful."
• "The abbey is truly magnificent and worth visiting."
• "Stunning scenery and amazing grounds, this is going on my 'definitely visit again' list, massive grounds, so be prepared for the walk."

Cons:

• "Some of the views are spoiled by the information boards they put up to tell you about the view."
• "No audio equipment offered. I would have preferred to have information panels sited around."
• "In October the water features are an eyesore as they’ve been drained for maintenance."
• "I do recommend you take a picnic unless you like queueing for half an hour only to be told there were no more sandwiches."
• "Love this place but today the queue for the cafes were really long and they had run out of a lot of foods by 13:30, not good when you have kids."
• "The only disappointment is that you can sit by the visitors centre and have a warm drink outside but the seats have been moved by the mill."
• "Some staff acted very snobby and entitled which almost ruined a very nice day."