There’s free parking at Cleeve Abbey, just 220m from the admission point.
You are welcome to bring a picnic to eat in the grounds. There are seven benches and two picnic tables located around the Abbey, and of course lots of grass on which to lay out your picnic blanket. If the weather is bad, then visitors are encouraged to eat their picnics in the Education Room (when not booked by a school group).
The shop is located within the ticket office selling a selection of English Heritage gifts and themed souvenirs, as well as light refreshments. There’s a secondhand bookshop within the Abbey buildings.
Dogs on leads are welcome in the grounds only. Assistance dogs welcome across the site.
On the ground floor (wheelchair access via ramp) there’s a small exhibition about the history of the Abbey and monastic life.
On the first floor (no wheelchair access) you can learn about historic wall-paintings, and how the encaustic tiles present at the Abbey were made.
There is a grassed area completely surrounding the Abbey buildings, which varies in size but extends at least 100 metres to the perimeter fence.
Please note: There are horses in the field adjacent to the Abbey. Visitors are asked not to feed the horses.
There are separate male, female and disabled toilets, including baby-changing facilities located on the main site.
A story bag is available on request. ‘Brother Cedric and the Missing Sheep’ will lead families on a trail around the Abbey, and there are a number of opportunities to handle objects relating to the story and specific areas of the site.
Early Years Explorer Buckets are also available. These are small soft plastic buckets with coloured plastic shapes, a magnifying glass and wind-up ladybird torch (aimed at under fives).
All of the main interpretation panels have an insert panel entitled 'The Monks Trail', which are aimed at children and feature fun facts about the monks lives at the Abbey.
On occasion, the Abbey can be hired out for third-party functions such as theatre productions or art exhibitions. Please contact the site on 01984 640377 for further information.
English Heritage welcomes amateur photographers to our sites and we hope you will share your pictures of your visit with us on social media.
If you are looking to use one of our sites for commercial, corporate or professional photography or as a filming location, please contact our filming team as soon as possible to check availability and acquire the relevant permissions and paperwork.
Due to the delicate nature of our sites, English Heritage does not permit drone flying from or over sites in our care, except by contractors or partners undertaking flights for a specific purpose, who satisfy stringent CAA criteria, have the correct insurances and permissions, and are operating under controlled conditions.