Cymer Abbey

PricingFreeFree for all visitors

Free entry for everyone

Entry

Free for everyone

Pricing details

Free entry for everyone; no membership card is needed.

ParkingParking not known

The Trust's page does not say how parking is charged.

Parking details

Cadw names a small car park near the entrance to the site but publishes no charge or free statement, so the status is recorded as unknown; reviewers say parking and entry are free. The car park is beside the wall between the abbey and the neighbouring farmhouse, entered through a gate in the hedge, and the lane to it from the A470 passes through the Vanner caravan and camping site, which reviewers say not to be put off by. The Llanelltyd car park by the old bridge, about 400 m away, is a possible overflow.

Driving pin: the abbey car park, 58 m from Cadw's marker. By road: off the A470 north of Dolgellau, signposted. National Cycle Network route 82, the Mawddach Trail, passes 950 m away.

About

Cymer Abbey, Abaty Cymer, was founded in 1198 as one of the Cistercians' lesser settlements, idyllically set at the mouth of the Mawddach estuary near Llanelltyd and the only monastery ever founded in Meirionnydd. It suffered greatly in the 13th-century conflicts between Wales and England and stayed notably poor, so its church is conspicuously plain and was never completed to the usual cross plan: there are no transepts, and the unusual tower stands at the west end. Substantial remains survive all the same, above all the arcade of three pointed arches and the tall east wall lancets, while the cloister buildings are footings in the lawn and the abbots' lodgings live on as the farmhouse next door. Reviewers find a peaceful, quick visit with tidy lawns and a sign showing how it once looked; the lane in runs through a caravan park to a small car park at the gate. Dogs on short leads may explore the grounds.

Check today’s timesPick a day for times and prices

Until 31 Oct: Daily 10:00–17:00, last admission 16:30
1 Nov–31 Mar: Daily 10:00–16:00, last admission 15:30
From 1 Apr: Daily 10:00–17:00, last admission 16:30

Today, Saturday 24 October

Cymer Abbey10:00 – 17:00last admission 16:30

Free entry

Opening times may change at short notice.

1 April to 31 October 10am to 5pm; 1 November to 31 March 10am to 4pm; last admission 30 minutes before closing; closed 24, 25 and 26 December and 1 January. No admission charge. Cadw asks visitors to come within these hours for safety and may close monuments at short notice in extreme weather.

Terrain level 1, accessible: level mown lawns around the ruins, which may be slippery or muddy after rain; keep behind the guardrails and do not climb the walls. Neighbouring farmland may have grazing animals. No toilets or facilities. Drones are not permitted.

Dogs: Dogs on short leads are welcome on the ground level of the abbey, which is the whole site.

Photo: The arcade of three pointed arches and the west tower of Cymer Abbey's ruined church. Jeff Buck, CC BY-SA 2.0. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Ruins_of_Cymer_Abbey_-_geograph.org.uk_-_3795338.jpg. Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0. Resized and cropped for display; derivatives retain the source licence.