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A historic stone church with arched windows and a bell tower. 1
Ancient ruins with arched doorways and a tall, deteriorating tower. 2
A historic stone structure with arched windows and a central archway. 3
A stone church with a bell tower and a small window. 4
A large white horse-shaped earthwork in a rural landscape with fields and forested areas. 5

Abbeys Ruins and Reformation

By Highwayman Tours
Free cancellation available
Price is AU$593 per traveller* *Get a lower price by selecting multiple travellers
See tickets

Features

  • Free cancellation available
  • 6h
  • Mobile voucher
  • Instant confirmation

Overview

This is a private driven tour from York, designed for guests who want to experience more of Yorkshire without joining a coach tour, hiring a car, or navigating unfamiliar country roads.

Travel with your own independent local driver-guide through abbey ruins, historic villages, scenic viewpoints and peaceful countryside. It’s a comfortable way to see historic England beyond the city, with the route planned for you and commentary throughout the journey
.
The route includes York Minster, Byland Abbey, Coxwold, the Kilburn White Horse, Rievaulx Abbey, Helmsley, St Oswald’s Church and Clifford’s Tower. Along the way, you’ll hear stories of medieval faith, monastic power, village life, royal authority and the Reformation.

Paid entry to historic sites is optional. Guests can still enjoy excellent exterior views, scenic stops and commentary without entering paid attractions.

Activity location

  • York Minster
    • Minster Yard, Deangate
    • YO1 7HH, York, United Kingdom

Meeting/Redemption Point

  • The Cross Keys
    • 34 Goodramgate
    • YO1 7LF, York, England, United Kingdom

Check availability

Abbeys Ruins and Reformation

  • Activity duration is 6 hours6h
    6h
  • English
Language options: English
Starting time: 11:00 AM
Price details
AU$592.77 x 1 TravellerAU$592.77
Total
Price is AU$592.77
Until Tue, 30 June

What's included, what's not

  • What's includedWhat's included
    Private transport
  • What's includedWhat's included
    Commentary and storytelling throughout the route
  • What's includedWhat's included
    Pickup from the agreed meeting point or approved central York pickup location
  • What's includedWhat's included
    Air-conditioned vehicle
  • What's includedWhat's included
    Fuel and parking costs during the tour
  • What's includedWhat's included
    Route planning and scenic stops
  • What's includedWhat's included
    Local independent driver-guide
  • What's excludedWhat's excluded
    Food and drink
  • What's excludedWhat's excluded
    Service charge
  • What's excludedWhat's excluded
    Out-of-area pickup unless agreed in advance
  • What's excludedWhat's excluded
    Paid entry is optional. The stop can still be enjoyed from outside, with excellent views and guiding

Know before you book

  • Service animals allowed
  • Public transport options are available nearby
  • Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Activity itinerary

York Minster

  • 15m
  • Admission ticket not included
Begin beside York Minster, one of the great cathedrals of northern Europe. This short opening stop sets the scene for the tour: medieval religion, power, wealth, pilgrimage, architecture and the religious upheaval that later reshaped England. Admission tickets are not included. Any paid entry is optional and payable directly to the attraction, either on-site or in advance. Entry is not required to enjoy the tour, as all sites can be viewed and experienced from the exterior. Admission prices are set by the attractions and may vary.

Byland Abbey

  • 45m
Visit the atmospheric ruins of Byland Abbey, once one of Yorkshire’s great Cistercian monasteries. Its scale, setting and surviving architecture show how powerful these religious houses became before the Reformation changed everything.

Coxwold

  • 25m
A beautiful historic village with strong connections to the surrounding abbeys, estates and landscapes of North Yorkshire. This stop gives guests a quieter look at village life, local heritage and the world that grew around Yorkshire’s great religious houses.

White Horse of Kilburn

  • 25m
Visit one of Yorkshire’s most striking landmarks: the huge white horse carved into the hillside above Kilburn. This scenic stop gives guests sweeping views across the Vale of York and a sense of the landscape that connected abbeys, villages, estates and old routes across North Yorkshire.

Rievaulx Abbey

  • 45m
  • Admission ticket not included
Visit one of England’s most atmospheric ruined abbeys, hidden in a quiet valley beneath wooded hills. Rievaulx was once one of the most powerful Cistercian monasteries in the country, and its ruins tell the storey of faith, wealth, landscape and the dramatic destruction brought by the Reformation. Guests can choose to enter the abbey, or enjoy views of the ruins and surrounding valley from outside. Admission tickets are not included. Any paid entry is optional and payable directly to the attraction, either on-site or in advance. Entry is not required to enjoy the tour, as all sites can be viewed and experienced from the exterior. Admission prices are set by the attractions and may vary.

Helmsley

  • 1h
Stop in the historic market town of Helmsley, one of the most attractive towns on the edge of the North York Moors. This is a good chance for guests to stretch their legs, enjoy refreshments, take photos, and see how Yorkshire’s abbeys, castles, villages and market towns all connected across the landscape.

Oswaldkirk

  • 15m
A quiet historic church stop in the village of Oswaldkirk, giving guests a more intimate glimpse of Yorkshire’s religious landscape beyond the great abbeys. This is a short atmospheric stop, useful for linking the grand monastic sites with the smaller parish churches and villages that shaped everyday medieval life.

Clifford's Tower

  • 15m
  • Admission ticket not included
End the tour at Clifford’s Tower, one of York’s most recognisable historic landmarks. This final stop brings the storey back to the city, linking York’s religious importance with royal power, medieval conflict and the darker layers of its past. Admission tickets are not included. Any paid entry is optional and payable directly to the attraction, either on-site or in advance. Entry is not required to enjoy the tour, as all sites can be viewed and experienced from the exterior. Admission prices are set by the attractions and may vary.

Location

Activity location

  • LOB_ACTIVITIESLOB_ACTIVITIES
    York Minster
    • Minster Yard, Deangate
    • YO1 7HH, York, United Kingdom

Meeting/Redemption Point

  • PEOPLEPEOPLE
    The Cross Keys
    • 34 Goodramgate
    • YO1 7LF, York, England, United Kingdom

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