Castle Howard and Two Great Abbeys: Our New Historic Day Trip from York

You can fit a surprising amount into a day in Yorkshire, but only if the route makes sense.

That is the thinking behind our Castle Howard, Abbeys & North Yorkshire tour.

It is a private six-hour day from York taking in Castle Howard, Helmsley, Rievaulx Abbey and Byland Abbey. Four very different places, all in one part of North Yorkshire, without spending half the day charging from one side of the county to the other.

The route is:

York → Castle Howard → Helmsley → Rievaulx Abbey → Byland Abbey → York

It is completely private for your own group of up to four guests. I pick you up in York, drive the whole route and bring you back again at the end of the day.

See the Castle Howard, Abbeys & North Yorkshire tour

Why put Castle Howard and the abbeys together?

Castle Howard is an obvious place to visit from York.

It is one of Yorkshire’s best-known historic houses, with the house itself, gardens, lakes and the wider estate all sitting in the Howardian Hills.

But for me, the route gets more interesting once you leave Castle Howard.

You head north through the countryside towards Helmsley and Rievaulx, and the feel of the day changes completely. You go from a grand country estate to a small Yorkshire market town, then into the ruins of two medieval abbeys.

They are very different places, but geographically they fit together really well.

That is why I prefer this route to trying to squeeze in places that look good on a map but involve hours of unnecessary driving.

Castle Howard

We start at Castle Howard.

If you have seen Brideshead Revisited or Bridgerton, parts of it may already look familiar, but it is still quite something when you actually arrive and see the house for yourself.

How long you spend there depends partly on what you want to see and which admission option you choose.

Some guests want to see the house and gardens properly. Others are more interested in the setting and want to keep a little more time for the rest of the route.

Castle Howard admission is not included in the tour price, so you can choose the ticket that suits you rather than paying for something you do not need.

You can check Castle Howard’s current opening times and ticket options before your visit.

Helmsley

From Castle Howard, we head towards Helmsley.

Helmsley is a small North Yorkshire market town and it is a good place to break the journey before heading to Rievaulx.

You can have lunch, grab a coffee or just have a wander.

I deliberately do not build a fixed lunch package into the tour. Some people want a proper sit-down meal. Others would rather grab something quickly and spend more time at the historic sites.

Food and drink are not included, but I am always happy to suggest somewhere depending on what you fancy.

Rievaulx Abbey

Then we head into the Rye valley to Rievaulx Abbey.

This is one of my favourite historic sites in this part of Yorkshire.

The setting is a big part of it. The ruins sit down in the valley with countryside all around them, and once you are inside, the scale of the abbey really starts to make sense.

It is not the sort of place you want to jump out of the car, take one photograph and leave.

It is worth having time to walk around, look at the surviving arches and walls and get a feel for how enormous the monastery once was.

There is also an exhibition and museum on site.

English Heritage has the latest visitor information for Rievaulx Abbey.

Rievaulx Abbey admission is not included in the tour price.

Byland Abbey

Our final historic stop is Byland Abbey.

Byland has a completely different feel from Rievaulx.

Rievaulx is tucked away in its valley. Byland feels much more open, sitting in the countryside near the Hambleton Hills.

The remains of the church are impressive, especially the west front, and you can still get a very good sense of just how big the original monastery was.

It is also a nice final stop because it brings you naturally back towards York rather than sending you off in the wrong direction at the end of the day.

You can check the latest Byland Abbey visitor information here.

Could you do all this without a car?

In theory, you can reach some of these places using public transport.

The problem is joining them together.

Castle Howard, Helmsley, Rievaulx Abbey and Byland Abbey are not all sitting on one convenient bus route, and once you start trying to connect them in one day, the timings become awkward very quickly.

You could hire a car, of course, but then someone in your group has to spend the day driving, navigating rural roads, finding parking and keeping an eye on the time.

That is the part I take away.

You can enjoy the countryside, have a look around and leave the driving to me.

For more ideas, have a look at our guide to the best day trips from York without a car.

How flexible is the six-hour tour?

There is a route and there has to be some structure to the day, otherwise you would never fit everything in.

But I do not run it like a coach trip.

If you want another ten minutes for photographs, need a comfort stop, want lunch in Helmsley or would rather spend a little longer at one of the abbeys, I will usually try to make it work.

Equally, if somewhere is not really grabbing you, we do not have to stand around simply because the timetable says so.

Within the six hours, there is room to adapt.

Traffic, weather and attraction opening times can obviously affect the day, but I will always try to keep the route feeling relaxed rather than rushed.

What does it cost?

The tour is £299 for your whole private group of up to four guests.

With four people travelling, that works out at £74.75 per person. The FareHarbor booking fee is included.

The price includes:

• A private six-hour tour
• Private vehicle for up to four guests
• Local driver-guide
• York-area pick-up and return
• Castle Howard, Helmsley, Rievaulx Abbey and Byland Abbey
• Route planning
• Local recommendations
• Reasonable flexibility during the day

It does not include:

• Castle Howard admission
• Rievaulx Abbey admission
• Other attraction entry fees
• Food and drink
• Personal purchases

Keeping attraction tickets separate means you can choose the options that actually suit your group.

Who does this tour suit?

This is a good option if you are staying in York and want to see more of North Yorkshire without hiring a car.

It tends to work especially well for couples, families and small groups who like historic places but do not necessarily want to spend the entire day inside museums.

You get a grand country house, a proper Yorkshire market town, two ruined abbeys and plenty of countryside in between.

You do not need to know anything about medieval history before you come.

You just need to enjoy interesting places and not mind the occasional ruined monastery.

A simpler way to see this part of Yorkshire

You can absolutely plan this route yourself if you have a car and enjoy organising that sort of thing.

But if you are only in York for a few days, sometimes it is nicer not to spend one of them worrying about parking, directions and whether you are going to make the next stop before it closes.

That is really what this tour is for.

No coach.

No strangers.

No car hire.

Just your group, your route and a local driver-guide.

If you are looking at other historic days from York, you might also find our guide to York to Fountains Abbey transport and tour options useful.

You can also read what to expect from a private Yorkshire tour from York.

Book Castle Howard, Abbeys & North Yorkshire

The tour is:

• Six hours
• Completely private
• Up to four guests
• York pick-up and return
• Castle Howard
• Helmsley
• Rievaulx Abbey
• Byland Abbey
• £299 for the whole group

You can check live availability on the tour page.

Or if you are not sure whether the day will suit you, just ask.

I would rather help you work that out before you book.

Written by Kestrel, Highwayman Tours