Byland Abbey Reviews Summary

Accessibility and Parking

Pros:

• "It's free to park and free entry!"
• "Free of charge and tours each day in the season."
• "There's no charge for parking or entry."
• "Parking is limited to a dozen cars or so, but there is no charge for parking or entry."

Cons:

• "Parking is in short supply however English Heritage members can park in the pub car park opposite if showing an English Heritage parking sticker."
• "The car park is very small so get there early."
• "Parking a major issue small car park which because it wasn't marked for English Heritage was full of vehicles owned by walkers it definitely spoiled our visit."
• "The car park for the Abbey is free but very small and on good days fills quickly."

Historical and Educational Value

Pros:

• "For the adults it's great to lose yourself in the history and imagine what life must have been like."
• "Really interesting to walk around these great ruins with the sun shining."
• "A quite stunning ruin of a massive church and Abbey buildings."
• "Lovely flat walking with plenty of places for a sit down. We'll maintained."

Cons:

• "It's a bunch of old stones ... soooo boring" ... said the kids."
• "The museum wasn’t open but we had a good walk around and enjoyed it."
• "Some enterprise by EH would be welcome."
• "Free to go in and explore but not much information about the site."

Food and Drink Availability

Pros:

• "Nice little local pub just across the road serving lovely food and beer."
• "Lovely Abbey pub opposite serving good beer and food."
• "Just opposite the Abbey is a lovely Pub serving great food and drink."
• "There is a pub on the corner that does food but no toilets on the Abbey site."

Cons:

• "Unfortunately the meal wasn't quite up to scratch. The tomato soup was a bit watery."
• "Service was dreadful as everyone who arrived after us was served before us."
• "Service from the waiting staff was lackluster and lacked courtesy, orders were wrongly taken."
• "Poor quality food we called for a quick pub grab as a nice spot not to missed. Price is high for a quality of food that we got."

Facilities and Amenities

Pros:

• "Free entry until around sundown. A truly wonderful peek into your history."
• "There are information boards and you can get a guide book from other English Heritage sites."
• "There is a small museum on the site, and there is a nearby inn where you can get refreshments."
• "The Abbey provides great photo opportunities, & there's a lovely pub over the road."

Cons:

• "There is a museum but never seen it open."
• "We visited twice in one day as it looked even more impressive at sunset. Very peaceful, could spend hours meandering through the ruins."
• "There doesn’t appear to be any sort of public toilet on site."
• "Some repair work on going. You can go on site which is unmanned and free. But no information leaflets or kiosk."