The abbey ruins were closed due to maintenance. We enjoyed a walk and tranquility in the excellent country park. There are lots of pinic tables in good condition, so bring your tea and sandwiches and have a wonderful day as we did. There's also a play area for kids. Parking is £5 for the day. We will be coming back soon.

Huge park 🏞 with lots of open spaces and lovely paths for walks. The park no cycling policy. The lake is huge and the boats are ducks are nice attraction. There is garden & nursery, multiple cafe and a restaurant. Parking 🅿 is available but £5 for a day is bit expensive in my opinion. Overall a best place for picnic with family.

It's a beautiful place to walk around, there are plenty of paths to follow, some go through the woods, some around the lake. There are herb gardens, a garden centre, an adventure playground for the kids, sculptures and coffee shops. You can try your hand at archery or go boating on the lake, or just take a leisurely stroll and enjoy the surroundings. For me, a highlight was the cheese and onion pasty from the cafe near the mill, it was the best I've ever tasted!

This is the first time I've ever seen a frozen lake, I felt like a kid again 🤣 So cool to see so many textures from Autumn to Winter. They also had pizza, cakes, cookies, and got drinks, lovely place for walking your dogs!

Lovely place for a steady walk round the lake. Plenty of bird life to be seen. Decent cafes and plenty of parking. Price has gone up again now £5 but still OK if your planning on staying the day

Beautiful views of the lake, lots of little paths to explore and plenty of wildlife. But can't access any of the Abbey? Not sure if this is a seasonal thing or it's now closed off completely as there were plenty of signs displayed to show you the way to access it but when you get there it's closed off with signs saying "private" or "no access to the public" gardens need abit of a tidy and lots of leaves and moss covering the "pet gravestones" so you can't actually read them.

Lots of attractive spaces for families, individuals and others to enjoy with grassland, trees, gardens, cafe, plant sales and a lake also a play area. There are several good interpretation boards which are worth studying early in your visit. The main building, where the shop is, houses 'Abbey Tales' which is a series of historical rooms with video characters telling you about the history. Visit the website for more details including special activities.

Had a lovely time at Rufford Abbey. The walk around the lake was of a distance that the vast majority of people could negotiate quite easily. Also tried my hand at the archery which was lots of fun and only cost £3:50, I scored pretty well, channelled my inner Robin Hood! Then went and had a go at the crazy golf which was £5 a pop and fully enjoyed it. Would of hired boat for a little fun on the lake but didn't trust the weather not to throw it down on us, but definitely next time would like to take part in that activity. There were a number of families there having picnics and playing games like football and throwing frisbees etc, and the atmosphere was very positive and everyone seemed to be having a good time. Parking for the day was only £5 which I thought was very reasonable. Could quite easily go there with some sandwiches and such and take a couple of outdoor games and have fun and keep entertained, without spending very much money at all.

Went there for a August Bank Holiday Monday, was very overcrowded. The forest walk side very untidy,should improve more cutting out the messy grass.For example by the Riverside is bench where you can sit and would like to enjoy view to Lake,but obviously you can't see anything ,because everything overgrown with messy weed.

Absolutely stunning place to visit! One warning of you have young children- keep a close eye on them as there was giant hogweed in the overgrown areas around the lake- right on the edges of the path so easily within reach. The lake is gorgeous with plenty of benches around for a rest. Halfway round is a cafe and seating area. Some birds on the lake. We missed the ice house as my partner insisted it was right when it was left and wouldn’t go back. Lots of space for picnics and playing football etc on the grassy areas. Some gorgeous walks in the woods. The abbey itself is lovley to see. With some fragrant gorgeous gardens just by it. Very well maintained grounds. We didn’t cover half of it hopefully next time I go back I’ll be with someone who doesn’t just wander where he wants to go and then go home, as I didn’t get to see much of what I wanted to. But that leaves plenty to see and do on another visit. Parking is very reasonable at £5 no matter how long you stay. Lots of families, couples, dog walkers, elderly, walking groups etc. so a very mixed group of visitors. It was a fantastic few hours, I’d say take a picnic and enjoy a day here. They do have ice cream shops and a pizza place (unfortunately shut when we went). Not sure what other food establishments there are as didn’t walk that area. Paddle boats are on the lake but they were also closed which was a shame as it was a weekend and very busy. Well worth a visit. Most of it is accessible for wheelchairs too which is brilliant.

Beautiful walk, dog friendly Cyclists welcome. Stunning building. Food and drinks available although a little pricey we thought. Lots of people took picnics - handy for families. Ford was closed off to cyclists and cars today - although l can imagine it would be lovely to watch.

A great visit as usual, great facilities and Covid advice. £5 a car to park so not bad. At least money seems to be reinvested in the place.

Rufford Abbey & Park is a wonderful place to.visit. We often meet friends & family here . Wonderful parkland and lakes. Cafe and restaurant are excellent. Child and family orientated with good disabled facilities too. The little Garden centre is packed full of goodies very reasonable prices lots to choice . The shops are great lots of gifts choices and Rose Garden little tea room area is quaint within the shop area

Beautiful place to take the kids or pets for a lovely walk. Has a family we always enjoy a few hours walking around the lake, playing in the park and reading the history of Rufford Abbey. Being out in the fresh air is good for the kids rather than sitting on technology. it's a 40 minute bus ride from Nottingham which is definitely worth it. The stagecoach bus from Victoria centre Bay 9 will drop you off outside this beautiful place. We went again yesterday and after leaving the house without our already done packed lunch we had to have lunch at the Coach house I think it was called? Next to the ice cream parlour. We had 2 sausage rolls, 2 hotdog sausages and a steak bake pastry and 2 Caramel slices. With a white coffee, it was around £24 + The children then had 2 pots of ice cream with 2 scoops in each the cost was £7.90 from the ice cream parlour. Overall I do think it's all very overpriced than on the other hand the upkeep and staff wages. However the. The food we had was delicious I honestly couldn't fault it, the staff in the food court was amazing and went above for my child with Autism. So next time I definitely won't be forgetting our packed lunch has a cheap day out ended up costing a bomb!!!

Beautiful to walk around, lots of different walk routes, cafes, a couple of shops and a garden center. All day parking was £5 on a bank holiday. They put on different events throughout the year, may bank holiday that had old fashioned fair with a few rides and penny machines. They offer boating, archery at a small cost. All round lovely day out.

Great country park to walk around encompassing woods, lake and formal garden

Went for the light spectacular and was amazing staff are really friendly , , went back into my childhood. Plenty of places to park..Baileys hot chocolate was delicious. Highly recommend.

After researching places to visit in Nottinghamshire, I found Rufford Abbey, just a short 30min drive from Nottingham. It was fantastic. Really beautiful gardens and country house, enjoyed being out in nature and exploring somewhere new. Its a huge place and you could easily spend the day here. The food was good and very reasonabily priced. Loved it!

Lovely place, very busy when we went. Nice park for the kids and plenty of sculptures and interesting little gardens.

Lovely place to visit. The Abbeys history tour is well done and very immersive. The grounds are very well kept. All staff members were very nice and happy to assist with any query. The mini golf was a laugh especially since the 2 of us haven't done anything like that since we were kids. The archery and boats were unavailable to us on account of it not being busy which was a shame but if that's the only negative point I can muster then spot on!

Really lovely gardens, loads of space, nice ruins to walk around, a lovely lake, even dogs aloud, what more could you want when it's all FREE, the mill car park machines were out of order as well, bonus.

Lovely walk around the fields, ponds and woodland. You can spend all day or just an hour here. Lots to do. Abbey itself is fenced off which is a little disappointing so I assume it's for safety reasons

Set amidst the delightful Nottinghamshire countryside, Rufford Abbey is an ideal destination for a day trip, whether you're with family, friends, or going solo. During my visit in late July, I had a fantastic time there. The scenic grounds are perfect for leisurely strolls, and there are cozy spots to relax or enjoy a picnic. On-site cafes offer delicious meals, and you can also participate in thrilling seasonal activities. The park is both vast and stunning, featuring numerous captivating sculptures. Don't miss the interactive Abbey Tales exhibition, where you can delve into Rufford's history and hear fascinating stories from the past. I highly recommend it!

Love visiting Rufford Abbey for a good old walk - usually round the lake, but when they have the trails in for kids, it's even better! Usually, half term, Halloween, Christmas, and the trails are good. £5 parking, trails are £2.50 then stay as long as you like!! We even take a picnic sometimes. The play park is lovely but does get very busy.

Fantastic grounds, with an old historic state house to explore. The ice cream shop is very versatile with a wide selection of ice cream. Rufford Abbey shop sells a lot of artsy garden items, books about rufford, gardening and fiction books. They have an impressive sculpture garden and the wider gardens are beautiful. There are walking paths around the grounds which goes around a beautiful lake. The children's park is expansive and versatile with lots to keep children's of all ages happy. I would recommend Rufford as a good family day out, with great eating out and snack options. They also do adventure trails for children every season of the year.

For the etrance price which is only 4 pounds. It's totaly worth it, and i could even recommend it. It have: beautiful gardens like with all kinds of unique, interesting statues/objects. Beautiful and huge park to walk around with beautiful tree's and decorative bushes etc. There is even a lake you can sit and enjoy a view near by... highly recommending this place and take your family and friends :)

Always a great place to visit and meet up with friends and family. The lake is not too big to walk around and the woods / maze / play park keeps my kids entertained. Car parking is ok but can be busy, you have to pay by card only £5 on this visit not bad I thought. It's a good place to take a picnic as the restaurant / cafe can be busy. Definitely going again on this visit we did the magical fairy tail 🧚‍♀️👍🌈.

Rufford Abbey, on the right day with right weather is a great place if you want to take your family for a nice walk. We went over the summer holidays and tried out their latest attraction "Abbey Tales". This immersive experience tells the tale of the long history of the site. It was a wonderful little experience which I would recommend. My only gripe with Rufford Abbey, at this time is the fact that English Heritage still hadn't completed its work on the actual Abbey so my children can go inside otherwise it was still a nice day out of fresh air, rowing and wildlife.