Rievaulx Terrace

Rievaulx Terrace is a half-mile grass terrace above the ruins of Rievaulx Abbey, completed in 1757 for Thomas Duncombe II of Duncombe Park and one of Yorkshire's finest 18th-century landscape gardens. A temple stands at each end: the Ionic Temple, modelled on the Maison Carree at Nimes and probably designed by Thomas Robinson, was the family's summer banqueting house and keeps its decorated ceiling, original furniture and two gilt settees by William Kent, while the domed Tuscan Temple carries paintings and plasterwork. Breaks in the trees frame the Cistercian ruins below, and the bank between the temples fills with wild flowers in spring. Since July 2026 English Heritage has run the terrace under a management agreement with the National Trust, with a joint ticket covering the abbey. Dogs are welcome on a short lead across the site, with only assistance dogs inside the Ionic Temple. Reviewers praise the abbey views, the helpful staff and the peaceful woodland, though several call it a short visit best paired with the abbey; there is no cafe, and the Trust suggests Nunnington Hall for a double visit.