From Pickering the road continues via Kirbymoorside, with a nature reserve which is particularly beautiful in spring when the wild daffodils bloom, to Helmsley (6mi/10km west; pop. 1,500).
The town holds a street market every Friday in the market square, which is also the site of shops and tearooms.
Some 3mi/4.8km northwest of Helmsley are the magnificent ruins of Rievaulx Abbey, a Cistercian house founded in 1131 by Walter l'Espec, Lord of Helmsley. The remains range in date between the 12th and the mid-13th C and are mainly Early English in style. They include the choir and transepts of the church, the triforium, the infirmary and the lavatory.
Address: Rievaulx Abbey, Helmsley , England
Hours:
March 21 to September 30: 10am-6pm
October 1 to October 31: 10am-5pm; Closed: Tue, Wed
November 1 to March 31: 10am-4pm; Closed: Tue, Wed, Tue, Wed
Always closed on: New Year's Day (January 1), Christmas Eve - Christian (December 24), Christmas - Christian (December 25), Day after Christmas, St Stephen's Day, Boxing Day (December 26)
The Baroque mansion was completed in 1713 for Sir Charles Dunscombe and rebuilt in 1879 after a major fire. Family pictures and Lord Feversham's collection of English and Continental furniture are on show and the principal rooms remain a fine example of the type of 'grand interior' popular at the turn of the century.
Address: Duncombe Park, York YO62 5EB, England
Hours:
March 23 to October 26: 12:30pm-3:30pm; Closed: Fri, Sat
Only the keep, the west tower and the moat remain of its 12th C ruined castle, stone from which was used to build a manor house, now Duncombe Park.
In the manor house there is an exhibition and tableau about the history of the castle.
The remains of Helmsley Castle.
Address: Helmsley Castle, Castlegate Helmsley, York YO62 5AB, England
Hours:
March 1 to March 20: 10am-5pm
March 21 to September 30: 10am-6pm
October 1 to October 31: 10am-5pm
November 1 to February 28: 10am-4pm; Closed: Tue, Wed
Always closed on: New Year's Day (January 1), Christmas Eve - Christian (December 24), Christmas - Christian (December 25), Day after Christmas, St Stephen's Day, Boxing Day (December 26)
On a terrace above the abbey, reached by a steep and narrow path, is a small castle, called the Temple and dating from 1758. From here most impressive views of the ruins and the whole valley can be enjoyed.
Address: Rievaulx Terrace and Temples, Rievaulx, Helmsley YO6 5LJ, England
Hours:
March 22 to September 30: 10:30am-6pm
October 1 to November 2: 10:30am-5pm
Always opened on: Spring Bank Holiday - Britain (last Monday, May ), Summer Bank Holiday - Britain outside Scotland (last Monday, August ), Good Friday - Christian
Tips: Last admission 1 hour before closing.
Parking: Free
Disability Access: Partial facilities for persons with disabilities.
Facilities: Gift shop
Transit: Bus: Scarborough & District 128 from Scarborough or Stephensons 57 from York station, seasonal Moorsbus (summer)
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Helmsley Castle, Helmsley
Helmsley, York
