Lovely little priory, right next to the river wear. We spent about 30 minutes on site, which is unmaned and cared for by english heritage. Lost a star due to lack of any information about the priory and the exit fee. OK, so beware as soon as you enter through the barrier you will have to pay an exit fee of £4.

Unbelievable show during Lumiere 2021! It was the most amazing show during 2021 Durham Light Festival! The ruins normally look quite nice and interesting. It' is nice place to enjoy nature being surrounded by hundreds of years of history. For four nights you could be nearly moved back to the time when this was a place with monks alive. It is place which you can enjoy any season. Looks lovely covered in snow but in summer you can have peaceful time especially during weekdays. There is small cafe which serves ice-creams and drinks which you can enjoy sitting and watching and listening to the river.

This is a lovely place to visit set in a stunning location. When we arrived I wasn't expecting such a lovely setting. The ruins are free to access only costing £3 to park. The ruins of the priory are quite large with still quite a lot left to see not much information mind as to what you are looking at. They are positioned right next to the river with a bridge to cross so you can have a nice walk along the river , a picnic area and access points to the river so you can have a paddle if you want, also behind the priory is a touring caravan park with a shop. Really nice place to visit and would recommend

What a lovely place for Sunday family day out, parking available for £4 payment is contactless by the exit, cafe and toilets available too, free entry to visits the ruins of the castle. My kids enjoyed it so much! We than took the walk to the woods across from the bridge and it was lovely!

Great ruined Priory, beautiful for walking round. English Heritage but surrounded by caravan park so have to pay £3 for parking. Good walk across bridge and along riverbank.

Finchale Priory is easy to find, sign posts right to the gate. Where isn’t so obvious is where to park. The guy in the pick-up likes to give the orders, and was quite eager to tell us the side of the Prioy up the road is private. The Priory is of a decent size, a decent hour would get you to see most of what’s on offer. It’s quite typical of what Priory’s are about. Steeped in history. There are some lovely preserved stone, arches and windows. How great it would be to see how it looked when in its prime. The bridge leads to some walks and the whole area is surrounded by the river and trees. There was a cafe on site which served basic drinks, and a few choices of food. There was no dairy free option on the hot drinks. The staff were very pleasant and my dad enjoyed his hot dog. Facilities wise, there was a toilet, it was very clean, a little shop and the tea shop. There is a contactless pay machine to get out of the gate, it was £4.00. All in all, we enjoyed our visit. Other than the guy in the pickup being a little abrupt, I’m not a mind reader, nor stupid, we had a lovely time there.

A really lovely place to visit, really interesting history, the cafe on site is cosy with very nice food and drink

Beautiful Abbey with lots of interesting areas to view. Nice feeling about the place. Have a wonder around it for five minutes or take an hour and you enjoy ever minute your there and still not see it all. Had a coffee and toastie from the little cafe. The river walk is worth the time to walk along.

Lots of ruins left but sadly, no signage or history really, shame on EH. probably the reason for this is that access is in a caravan park down a narrow lane. On the plus side there is also a nice woodland walk. NB car park charge of £4 Payable contactless on way out.

Beautiful place to visit! Very open so needs to be a nice day to go as little cover. Lovely little food & drinks hut that sell fresh eggs too. The forest is a lovely little walk (flat open shoes not recommended)! Gorgeous river views too

Quite reflective atmosphere. The surrounding area was very well organised and cared for. Lovely little snack area and clean toilets. The river and scenery was outstanding. Very enjoyable stop off on our journey south.

Really enjoyed our visit. Kids loved the place. We had a great time. Parking a little expensive and cafe wasn't open but other than that a lovely day.

Nice tidy little site with information boards to aid your understanding. There is a caravan/tourer campsite also located here. Site has public toilets and a picnic/bbq field, there are also some tables to use. Parking is £4 but be aware it is payable on exit and is contact less only.

Smaller version of Fountains Abbey, but still amazing. Free admission. Cafe.

Beautiful place, the river walk is very pretty. You can buy food to feed the ducks at the shop, and there are plenty of seats down the river walk to stop at if you need to. There is no admission but you pay for car parking which is £3. This requires cash (coins) for the machine. If you pay in the shop it’s a £5 minimum card spend.

Lovely place to visit. I walked from Newton Hall, which took about an hour. The priory itself is very atmospheric and the surrounding countryside is magnificent.

Beautiful, beautiful place! Amazing walks in and around the area, Abbey ruins fun for young and old(er)! Lovely café run by lovely people, good food (and the best soup in the North I was told, and wouldn't disagree!) really friendly grounds staff. You'll be glad you stayed.

Nice place for a short visit. Very helpful guide on our visit. The Car parking is provided by the owners of the camping and caravan site owners at £4. Nice views of the river via footpath and Bridge. There may be alternative free parking nearby but we couldn't find it.

Lovely place, got a nice atmosphere about it, some nice river walks, toilets available and also coffee and tea

Wonderful place to visit. A nice walk around the priory. Not forgetting the little tea room with fantastic service. I can recommend going here any time of the year. FYI, parking is £4 all day and contact payment at the exit but free to walk around the priory, which is so worth it.

Lovely place to go for a walk around and interesting to see the priory. Cafe on site with picnic field also so you can grab a bite to eat. Parking is just on the grass. Only thing I don't enjoy is the now contactless barrier with the old cash/token system seemingly boarded up.

A joyful walk from the road side parking. Descending on well managed woodland footpaths, leading to the banks of the river Wear. Greeted by the perfect framing of the Priory ruins on the opposite bank. Cross the foot bridge and enjoy the tranquility of wonderful tree canopies, babbling river filled with bird song.

Nice for walk with kids or dogs, cafe inside. Duck food alvaliable . Parking is 3£

Fantastic ruins in a beautiful setting. Free to visit (pay to park). Gorgeous river and Riverside walk.

There is alot still standing. No information boards and there current English Heritage Guide book is an old one and only avadible on there websites. If you park in the holiday park, it's £3 to exit the carpark regardless if you are an English Heritage member. There is a lay by on the other side of the river but the walk down is steep and has steps. Toilets and cafe on site

The loveliest little walk. This is a short walk if you want to get steps in, but as its short it's super family friendly. The river at Finchale is fabulous, cafe and the priory make it a really good day out for kids

Lots of cool ruins to explore. Nice walks along the river

Came here with kids years ago. As lovely as ever and nicer facilities now. Scenic walks along river