Abbey or priory · near Shap · Cumbria

Shap Abbey

Shap Abbey is an abbey in the Eden District of Cumbria. It lies 1.2 km west of Shap. The register lists it as a scheduled monument.

Photo: Shap Abbey, Mik Peach (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Where

1.2 km

west of Shap

Run by

English Heritage

a national heritage body

How well known

Top 19%

#1,601 of 8,556 places we list

Warmest months

Jul–Aug

highs of 18–18°C

In brief

Abbey or priory near Shap

Just outside Shap

Shap Abbey is 1.2 km west of Shap. Towns near it ↓

Cared for by English Heritage

One of the places English Heritage looks after; members usually get in free. About ↓

Scheduled monument

On the official list of protected heritage; Shap has 19 listed buildings in all, on its History page. About ↓

Written from OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, the ONS built-up areas and Met Office 1991–2020 averages.

When to go

The weather, month by month

July and August bring the warmest afternoons to Shap, at 18°C.

Jan5° / 1°182 mm

Feb6° / 0°130 mm

Mar8° / 1°98 mm

Apr11° / 3°72 mm

May14° / 5°73 mm

Jun17° / 8°82 mm

Jul18° / 10°83 mm

Aug18° / 10°108 mm

Sep16° / 8°100 mm

Oct12° / 6°142 mm

Nov8° / 3°157 mm

Dec6° / 0°180 mm

Green months are the warmest. Typical afternoon highs and night lows in Shap, and rain in a month. Met Office HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 averages for Shap. Opening times change through the year: check before you go. Shap’s full climate →

About

Shap Abbey

Its upkeep is handled by English Heritage. Readers can find it on Wikipedia in 3 languages. A short trip away is Brougham Castle, 14 km off, the first of 20 within 15 km.

Shap’s listed buildings and monuments →

Type: Abbey or priory
Run by: English Heritage
Listed: Scheduled monument
Wikipedias: Covered in 3 languages
Town: 1.2 km west of Shap
Official site: english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/shap-abbey

Facts: Wikidata (CC0) and OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors).

The map

Getting to Shap Abbey

The places near Shap Abbey are numbered on the map in the order below.

Towns near it

Towns that count Shap Abbey

Of these 7 towns, the largest is Appleby-in-Westmorland (3,233 people). Pick a base: each town is a page of its own, with what else there is to see.

1 · 1.2 km east of it

Shap

902 people · 1 place to visit

2 · 11 km north of it

Clifton

740 people · 13 places to visit

3 · 12 km northeast of it

Bolton

478 people · 3 places to visit

4 · 13 km northwest of it

Sockbridge

392 people · 15 places to visit

Compare the 7 towns

Town	Where Shap Abbey is	People	Places to visit
Shap	1.2 km east of it	902	1
Clifton	11 km north of it	740	13
Bolton	12 km northeast of it	478	3
Sockbridge	13 km northwest of it	392	15
Appleby-in-Westmorland	14 km east of it	3,233	3
Stainton	15 km northwest of it	745	12
Long Marton	15 km northeast of it	519	4

Make a day of it

What else is near Shap Abbey

Around it, within 15 km, lie 20 more, including 6 castles, a historic house and a zoo.

Castle · English HeritageBrougham Castle14 km away 2

CastleAppleby Castle14 km away 3

CastleLowther Castle9.2 km away 4

Castle · English HeritageClifton Hall12 km away 5

CastleDacre Castle14 km away 6

CastleBrougham Hall13 km away 7

Historic houseDalemain14 km away 8ZooZooWetheriggs Zoo and Animal Sanctuary11 km away

Within 15 km, close and well known first. Numbers match the map.

Visiting Shap Abbey: the answers

Where is Shap Abbey?

Shap Abbey is 1.2 km west of Shap, Cumbria.

What is Shap Abbey?

Abbey in the Eden District of Cumbria, England, UK.

Who runs Shap Abbey?

English Heritage, so members usually get in free; check opening times before you go.

When is the best time to visit Shap Abbey?

July and August are the warmest months in Shap, with afternoon highs of 18–18°C (Met Office 1991–2020 averages).

Is Shap Abbey a listed building?

Yes: scheduled monument.

What else is there to see near Shap Abbey?

Within 15 km: Brougham Castle (14 km), Appleby Castle (14 km), Lowther Castle (9.2 km) and Clifton Hall (12 km).

Places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database Licence) and Wikidata (CC0), placed in the ONS 2022 built-up area (Open Government Licence v3.0). Visitor counts are the latest Wikidata gives, with their year.

Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).

Photo credits (8)

Shap Abbey: Mik Peach, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Brougham Castle: Michael D Beckwith, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
Appleby Castle: Stephen Craven, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Lowther Castle: Burtonsi, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Clifton Hall: The original uploader was Brookie at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Dacre Castle: Geoff Gill, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Brougham Hall: Tom Parnell, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Dalemain: Geoff Gill, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.