Mount Grace Priory

Park in Osmotherley and drop steeply to the grounds of Mount Grace Priory. Visit if you wish then return via the woods. Osmotherley is an excellent village, the centre of walking in the North York Moors.

The Walk

Rather than just drive up and visit Mount Priory I would recommend taking a half day walk through the woods from Osmotherley. This means the Priory is just part of the visit (impressive though it is). The Carthusian abbey is managed by English Heritage and both it and the gardens are impressive. However without a membership card it and the parking is quite expensive, best to start the walk from Osmotherley. However in passing the abbey you may see one of its more famous residents, the stoat!

The descent (and then climb back) from Osmotherley is steep in places but the woods are interesting and the path good. However I have to say one of the main benefits of walking to the abbey is the excellent views across the Vale of York from the higher ground near Osmotherley. The walk can be varied on the return by crossing the fields near Siddle Farm. Not only does this give more time to enjoy the views but enters the village from a different direction.

Recommend

There are other abbeys worth visiting not far away. The best being Rievaulx near Helmsley, Jervaulx on the banks of the River Ure and the best preserved of all Fountain’s Abbey near Ripon.

Navigation Tips at Mount Grace Priory

Do not be fooled by the ‘short walk’. This is 100 metres of climbing, over 300 feet. On any walk check the contour lines. The more there are the more effort the walk will be. The closer they are together the steeper the land. On this walk there are plenty and they are close together!