The abbey ruins lie in a quiet valley and large parts of the church survive to their original height. There are substantial ruins of other monastery buildings. The site has yielded much archaeological evidence about abbey life, and there is an indoor exhibition. There is an audio tour.
Well worth a visit if you are touring in the area.
In theory, the site is overlooked by the nearby Rievaulx Terrace above, but in practice the view (in 2005) is severly restricted by tree growth.
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Author Kim J Cowie's travel blog