Each member will need to bring their own card for entry to the site and only named persons on that membership will be allowed through.
If you'd like to become a member so you will have faster and free entry not only to us but hundreds of other National Trust sites across the country please ask on your arrival.
When you take out a membership with us at Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal it directly benefits the site, as we receive a credit, which goes straight back into looking after this special place. Then every time you visit and scan your membership card you're contributing to the money we receive towards the site, too.
National Trust Scotland members have free entry to the site but make sure that every member on your membership brings their card along. We do not have access to the National Trust Scotland database to check your membership if you don't bring your card and you'll be asked to pay the entrance cost.
This is the same for English Heritage members. We do not accept any corporate agreement that English Heritage has with Royal Mail, Barclays Bank or the Civil Service.
We are a charity and rely on your memberships and entry fees to look after this special place for future generations to enjoy.
At the visitor centre there are two car parks: car park A and car park B. When it gets busy there are over-flow car parks in both of these. The over-flow car park in car park A is not very obvious when you first enter but keep going down the road, around the corner and you'll see it on your left.
There are family and disabled priority spaces in the second and third bays of car park A, from which you will be able to access the main visitor centre, shop, play area and bird hide but we recommend using West Gate car park for wheelchair and scooter access to the abbey.
West Gate, as a flat entrance into the grounds, is reserved for disabled access or young families. You can borrow a Batricar or wheelchair from West Gate on a first come first served basis. Please see below for details.
Studley Royal is a pay and display car park and is cash only. Parking is free if you are a member of the National Trust. We'd love it if you'd take a minute to scan your membership card though - every time you do we earna £1 donation towards the conservation work we do here.
If you have an electric car there are four spaces available for charging your car in car park B at the visitor centre. You can find this in the bay second on the right as you drive in from the round-about.
We want everyone to have a safe and happy day out so please keep children under close supervision.
Barbeques are not permitted in the deer park, abbey or water garden.
The abbey is a historical building so please don't climb on it - use our wooden playground instead! There are some gentle and steep slopes around the estate - some of the most challenging gradients are marked on the map. Please be aware of deep running water, uneven ground and height drops on the estate. We recommend wearing sensible shoes when you visit.
There's also a ball games field by the play area, near Swanley Grange. Please use this for games rather than by the abbey and in the garden.
There is no wheelchair access from the visitor centre and so please use West Gate car park where there is level access to the estate.
There are mobility scooters available on a first come first serve basis. Booking is essential. Please call the estate office on 01765 608 888.
Sighted guides are available to book. Please call the estate office on 01765 608 888.
There is a minibus service which runs between the visitor centre, Studley Royal and West Gate. Please ask at admission points if you would like to take advantage of this service.
There are accessible toilets at the visitor centre, West Gate and Studley Royal tea-room.
While they make very unique photos, we ask that you don't bring your drone. This is to protect our visitors and the estate itself.
How long do you need to walk around?
We recommend at least 3 hours if you want to do a loop of the abbey ruins and the water garden. It typically takes about 25 minutes to walk from the visitor centre to Studley Royal entrance.
The estate is made up of 800 acres so you can spend all day here exploring. There are many other things for you to see besides the abbey and water garden, including Swanley Grange, Fountains Hall, Fountains Mill, the Banqueting House, St Mary's Church and the deer park.
If you want a light bite and a cup of tea and cake with a view don't miss Studley Royal tea-room. You can also tuck into soup, jacket potatoes and sandwiches here. Over-looking the lake, it's especially beautiful on a bright sunny day. From here you may like to go over for a stroll through the deer park, or loop back up to see the Octagon Tower, Temple of Fame and Surprise View on the High Ride path.
The re-vamped Mill Café (some of you may know it formerly as Abbey tea-room) is the place to go for a sandwich, cake and take-away drinks. There's seating outside with a wonderful view of the abbey. In summer, call by for some delicious local ice-cream.
Please note that while you're more than welcome to bring a picnic along to tuck into, we ask that you don't use a barbeque.
Wear your comfiest and sturdiest shoes to take advantage of the miles of walking through and around Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal.
Don't worry about parking by catching the Dales Bus service, the Fountains Flyer 822 directly to the visitor centre on Sundays and bank holidays. You can catch this from York, Boroughbridge and Ripon.
There's a new service to enjoy, too - the Brimham Explorer 825. This means you can enjoy the 7.5 mile walk, In the Footsteps of Monks, from Fountains Abbey to Brimham Rocks and get the bus back. You can get this bus to both Fountains Abbey and Brimham Rocks, directly from Ripon and Harrogate.