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A day at Belsay
We spent a day at Belsay Hall, Castle and Gardens near Morpeth in Northumberland. The site is run by English Heritage and is very well kept. Most of the place is level, including ticket office, souvenir shop, cafeteria and ground floor in the Hall. The ticket office is spacious and so is the adjoining shop, but as the building was the former stables, some of the paving is cobbled and a bit uneven to negotiate.
Most of the paths around the grounds are compact earth, with manageable gradients both for manual wheelchairs and powerchairs. The accessible paths are very well signposted all the way and alternative routes provided in case of steps.
The staff is ready to explain and they hand out maps for accessible routes, besides there are guided tours two or three times a day. There are also "trampers" (big three-wheeled scooters and all-terrain wheelchairs) for the use of less abile visitors, but booking is recommended.
The Hall is accessed through the cafeteria entrance (ramp and automatic doors) via a large wooden ramp, but only the ground floor is suitable for visitors unable to climb steps, as the upper floors require going up the staircase. All the same, the ground floor is interesting and it gives the idea of the grandeur the Hall must have enjoyed in its heyday.
The gardens and the unique botanical wood in the quarry have compact surface paths although some ups and downs may occur, but on the whole it's a very enjoyable stroll through the woodland as far as the Castle, which is the most ancient part of the estate. Beautiful on the outside, it has an old stone threshold to be negotiated with some help, and here again it is possible to visit only the ground floor, which is empty. There's an audio-visual presentation in the basement but it's down a big flight of stone steps. The upper floors are empty but impressive in their layout, showing the structure of what was both a defensive stronghold and a noble dwelling, and for those able to climb steep spiral staircases there's the reward of getting to the roof and see the views from the top. Near the Castle there are pic-nic tables and benches, nearly all of them in the sun; there's a toilet block with a large accessible toilet unit and a cafeteria.
One more cafeteria and toilet block near the Hall, with a Changing places unit (see video). Overall, a very pleasant day out although limited as regards the buildings.
We spent a day at Belsay Hall, Castle and Gardens near Morpeth in Northumberland. The site is run by English Heritage and is very well kept. Most of the place is level, including ticket office, souvenir shop, cafeteria and ground floor in the Hall. The ticket office is spacious and so is the adjoining shop, but as the building was the former stables, some of the paving is cobbled and a bit uneven to negotiate.
Most of the paths around the grounds are compact earth, with manageable gradients both for manual wheelchairs and powerchairs. The accessible paths are very well signposted all the way and alternative routes provided in case of steps.
The staff is ready to explain and they hand out maps for accessible routes, besides there are guided tours two or three times a day. There are also "trampers" (big three-wheeled scooters and all-terrain wheelchairs) for the use of less abile visitors, but booking is recommended.
The Hall is accessed through the cafeteria entrance (ramp and automatic doors) via a large wooden ramp, but only the ground floor is suitable for visitors unable to climb steps, as the upper floors require going up the staircase. All the same, the ground floor is interesting and it gives the idea of the grandeur the Hall must have enjoyed in its heyday.
The gardens and the unique botanical wood in the quarry have compact surface paths although some ups and downs may occur, but on the whole it's a very enjoyable stroll through the woodland as far as the Castle, which is the most ancient part of the estate. Beautiful on the outside, it has an old stone threshold to be negotiated with some help, and here again it is possible to visit only the ground floor, which is empty. There's an audio-visual presentation in the basement but it's down a big flight of stone steps. The upper floors are empty but impressive in their layout, showing the structure of what was both a defensive stronghold and a noble dwelling, and for those able to climb steep spiral staircases there's the reward of getting to the roof and see the views from the top. Near the Castle there are pic-nic tables and benches, nearly all of them in the sun; there's a toilet block with a large accessible toilet unit and a cafeteria.
One more cafeteria and toilet block near the Hall, with a Changing places unit (see video). Overall, a very pleasant day out although limited as regards the buildings.
