Fairy Staircase – Rievaulx Abbey loop from Rievaulx

Routes

Hiking trails & Routes

United Kingdom

England

Yorkshire And The Humber

North Yorkshire

Ryedale

Rievaulx

Fairy Staircase – Rievaulx Abbey loop from Rievaulx

Moderate

3.3

(20)

hikers

Fairy Staircase – Rievaulx Abbey loop from Rievaulx

02:43

9.76km

180m

Hiking

Moderate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.

Last updated: August 7, 2026

Tips

Your route passes through a protected area

Please check local regulations for:

North York Moors National Park

Waypoints

Start point

Bus stop

Get Directions

232 m

Rievaulx

Highlight • Settlement

662 m

Old Stone Bridge and Waterfalls at Grass Keld, North York Moors

Highlight • Waterfall

Grass Keld runs from Nettle Dale into the River Rye. Fantastic in the early-morning sunshine and you can get right down to the water's edge on the eastern side.

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2.77 km

View of the North York Moors

Highlight • Forest

3.15 km

Fairy Staircase

Highlight • Structure

Great place for photos. Can be hard going on the knees for more mature walkers so hiking sticks may be useful. Can be very icy during colder months. Well worth a visit.

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3.49 km

Blackdale Howl Wood

Forest

5.06 km

All Saints' Church, Helmsley

Highlight • Religious Site

There has been a church in Helmsley since before the Norman conquest and the churchyard was used as a market place in Anglo-Saxon times. A church was recorded in the …

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5.37 km

St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church, Helmsley

Highlight • Religious Site

7.90 km

High Ash Plantation

Forest

8.87 km

View of Rievaulx Abbey from Rievaulx Terrace

Highlight • Historical Site

If you are visiting Rievaulx Abbey, it’s well worth taking a stroll to Rievaulx Terrace. The 18th-century landscape gardens contain two temples and afford a breathtaking view over the abbey …

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9.71 km

Rievaulx Abbey

Highlight • Historical Site

Such beautiful and complete ruins of what was once one of the grandest Cistercian abbeys – until Henry VIII set the Dissolution in motion. In the 1200s there were more …

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