Having received an English Heritage membership as a Christmas gift I have being visiting a few new places this year. One of the first places on my list was the ethereal Rievaulx Abbey. It is very close to my first family home in Thirsk, North Yorkshire yet I have never visited until now.
Rievaulx Abbey by day
My first visit was on a gloomy overcast January afternoon, howe
ver the gloom seemed to add to the atmosphere. Nestled in the bottom of the Rye Valley the Cistercian abbey ruins dominate the view. Rievaulx was founded in 1132 and was one of the wealthiest abbeys in England until is dissolution 400 years later. It is now owned and managed by English Heritage. There are extensive ruins to walk around and explore with information boards along the way. You can pick up an audio tour at the reception desk which takes you through the ages and historic facts whilst you explore. 
Don’t miss a visit to the Rievaulx Abbey museum, a relatively new addition to the site. It is packed to the rafters with Cistercian history and artefacts. You will absolutely love some of the faces carved into huge stones that were once part of the abbey. When you entered the visitors centre upon arrival you won’t have failed to notice the tea room with commanding views of the abbey ruins. I can whole heartedly recommend a cake from the selection on the counter. Relax and enjoy the view.
Rievaulx Abbey at night
In mid April there was a special event on at Rievaulx Abbey called Brocken Spectre. Artist Charles Monkhouse transformed part of the abbey to recreate a weather phenomenon usually only seen at high altitude in the mountains. A mixture of water, mist, light and mirrors was the science behind it. This would enable you to stand with a light behind you and a rainbow halo would appear around your shadow. Sadly for me it was quite windy on the evening I visited so there were a few technical difficulties with the installation. However I did catch a tiny glimpse of the halo but not enough to catch it on film for a photo.
The North and South transepts of the abbey had projections on the walls which were visual accounts from the Brocken Spectre experience. Throughout the Cloisters there was atmospheric coloured lighting, poems were voiced by children from Helmsley Primary School and a Illumaphonium. The Illumaphonium is a musical installation which stands over 3m tall. As it is played it lights up and chimes different notes, great fun for all ages and very interactive.
The abbey ruins took on a very spooky different feel during the evening. However I still had a sense of history despite all the modern technology lighting the abbey.
Parking is limited at Rievaulx so it is noteworthy that you can arrive on foot on the Helmsley to Rievaulx walk . The Cleveland Way runs from the Castle car park through to Rievaulx following a reasonably good footpath. This route takes about an hour but isn’t suitable for wheel chairs or push chairs.
