With stunning surroundings and a fascinating history for you to experience, there is plenty to explore and discover on a trip to Rufford Abbey.
Discover over 875 years of history with a short walk around the Abbey ruins. Or alternatively, take in our breathtaking surroundings and local nature and wildlife with a walk through our scenic grounds and woodland.
Our walks are also dog friendly, so you can bring your four-legged friends to discover the natural beauty and wildlife!
Dogs must be kept on their leads at all times and they are not permitted in the play area.
Abbey Grounds
Rufford Abbey has an attractive mixture of grounds and gardens surrounding the Abbey ruins for you to explore and discover for yourselves. Featuring the Abbey Meadow, Formal Gardens, Reg Hookway Arboretum and Lime Tree Avenue, there’s plenty to explore within the grounds.
Nature Trails
One of the main attractions at Rufford for those with a love of the outdoors is our fantastic Wilderness Woodland. This forested area is crossed by a number of informal crushed limestone paths, allowing you to truly lose yourself in the peacefulness of the countryside. These woods have been known as the Wilderness since circa 1725, and today are a wildlife sanctuary and the home of most of our common woodland mammals, including foxes and squirrels, and a wide range of woodland birds.