Trips from Helmsley, starting with Rievaulx Abbey Museum
Among the places to visit in and near Helmsley are 4 attractions, 2 abbeys or priories and a castle. Nothing is mapped inside Helmsley’s built-up area, but 9 places to visit are within 5 km of its edge. Heritage bodies look after 3 of them: 2 by English Heritage and 1 by the National Trust. Walking distance covers 2 of the places on the list, all within 1 km of the middle. Travel 17 km and you reach Castle Howard.
Top of the list around Helmsley
Once you have seen Rievaulx Abbey Museum, try a castle, an abbey or priory and a historic house.
Abbey or priory · English HeritageRievaulx Abbey Museum3.3 km outside town, to the west
Castle · English HeritageHelmsley Castle100 m outside town, to the west
Abbey or prioryAmpleforth Abbey4.8 km outside town, to the south
Historic houseDuncombe Park800 m outside town, to the southwestAttractionAttraction · National TrustRievaulx Terrace3.1 km outside town, to the westGardenGardenHelmsley Walled Garden100 m outside town, to the westEach has a page of its own: what it is, who runs it, the weather month by month and what else is near it.
Where to find them
Head west for most of the 9 just outside.
The dashed line is Helmsley’s built-up area; orange marks its middle (where most people live). Numbers match the list below. © OpenStreetMap contributors · ONS built-up area 2022
What there is to see
Castles or historic places number 4, other attractions 4.
Green: inside Helmsley. Grey: within 5 km of its edge.
3 places are cared for: 2 by English Heritage and 1 by the National Trust (Rievaulx Abbey Museum, Helmsley Castle and Rievaulx Terrace).
The places, one by one
These 9 are all within 5 km of its edge.
Close and well known first. Churches and listed buildings are on the History page, not here.
56 listed buildings and 1 scheduled monument are on Helmsley’s History page → · Parks, footpaths and green space in Helmsley →
A little further out
Castle Howard (17 km) leads the 12 big names within reach.
Historic houseCastle Howard17 km southeast
ChurchYork Minster32 km southMuseumBig drawMuseumNational Railway Museum32 km south · 808K visitors a year
Abbey or priory · English HeritageFountains Abbey38 km southwest
Garden · National TrustStudley Royal Park37 km southwest
Castle · English HeritageClifford's Tower32 km south
MuseumYorkshire Museum32 km south · 164K visitors a year (2019)
Abbey or priory · English HeritageByland Abbey8.3 km southwest
CastleGilling Castle7 km south
Abbey or priory · English HeritageWhitby Abbey40 km northeast
Castle · English HeritagePickering Castle18 km east
MuseumYork Castle Museum32 km south · 284K visitors a year (2013)Places well known beyond Helmsley (Wikipedia articles in several languages, published visitor counts, or a National Trust, English Heritage or Cadw property), close and famous first. Distances are straight lines from the middle of the town.
Your questions on Helmsley
What is there to see near Helmsley?
No attraction is mapped inside Helmsley itself. Within 5 km of it are Rievaulx Abbey Museum, Helmsley Castle, Ampleforth Abbey and Duncombe Park.
Does Helmsley have a museum?
No museum or gallery is mapped in or within 5 km of Helmsley.
Is there a National Trust or English Heritage property near Helmsley?
Yes. In or within 5 km of Helmsley, 3 places are cared for: 2 by English Heritage and 1 by the National Trust (Rievaulx Abbey Museum, Helmsley Castle and Rievaulx Terrace).
What are the best-known days out near Helmsley?
Within 40 km: Castle Howard (17 km), York Minster (32 km), National Railway Museum (32 km), Fountains Abbey (38 km).
Where are Helmsley’s historic buildings listed?
Helmsley has 56 listed buildings. They are on its History page, from Historic England’s list, not repeated here.
How is this list made?
From OpenStreetMap (museums, galleries, zoos, theme parks and attractions, castles, forts and abbeys, and historic houses and gardens that are open to visitors) and Wikidata (what each place is, who runs it, its website and visitor counts). A place counts for Helmsley when it is inside the ONS 2022 built-up area, and as nearby within 5 km of its edge. Opening times and prices are not shown: check the official site.
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 (15)
- Rievaulx Abbey Museum: Tilman2007/Dr. Volkmar Rudolf, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Helmsley Castle: Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net)., CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Ampleforth Abbey: martin dawes, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Duncombe Park: Kognos, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Castle Howard: Pwojdacz. Original uploader was Pwojdacz at en.wikipedia, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- York Minster: MatzeTrier, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Fountains Abbey: User:Klaus with K, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Studley Royal Park: silver_doctor. Iain Gilmour - www.silverexpressions.co.uk, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Clifford's Tower: Francis Place (1647-1728), Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Yorkshire Museum: Tim Green from Bradford, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Byland Abbey: Antony McCallum, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Gilling Castle: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Whitby Abbey: aude, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Pickering Castle: MortimerCat, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- York Castle Museum: Jitka Erbenová (cheva), CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
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