Very large garden centre with concessions and cafes
4.5
4.5
Date of visit: September 2024
I am a disabled person. I have experience of challenges around: moving around
Overall Rating
Excellent
This is a very accessible place to shop and eat. There are three cafes. We ate in the Tapas bar, which had an outdoor area. There was also a coffee bar and a main restaurant. There's also a pet cafe where people can take their dogs etc, but we didn't go there. I believe there is a children's playground too but we didn't have time to check it out. There were several concessions such as The Edinburgh Woollen Mill, Seasalt and White Stuff (not much of the latter two), and Lakeland at the back of the food court. Near the entrance were greetings cards, wrapping paper, calendars etc. There was plenty of Halloween decor and the Christmas stuff was just going up. We would visit again, though it's quite a long drive for us. More chairs needed for rests, otherwise accessibility was excellent. We didn't check the plants out this time, which would be a reason to return. Prices were fairly standard but I thought the children's clothes quite expensive. There were also toys in that section. Lots to look at and I saw plenty of people using wheelchairs and mobility scooters. There was room to get around easily. I didn't see any wheelchairs for loan but there might be, I didn't look.
Disabled Access In and Around
Excellent
Step free access and easy thresholds between different areas. All ground floor. My only criticism was that there were hardly any chairs for me to take a rest. An assistant in Lakeland very kindly got a chair from the back for me so I could sit down while waiting for my husband. It is very tiring walking round such a large place. More seats would be appreciated, especially in the food hall, which is quite large and busy.
Parking & Transport
Excellent
We drove. Large car park, smooth terrain, plenty of disabled spaces.
Accessible Toilets
Excellent
There are two accessible toilets. One is by the tills and the main cafe. It was well signed, and easy to get to, but the toilet was quite low down, even for me. It was clean and tidy and had enough space, with all the grab bars. The other one is off the children's boutique and was not quite so easy to find. Oddly the toilet was quite a tall one. So if you need a tall toilet (if you have trouble getting up) then choose that one.
Staff
Excellent
The staff we encountered were all very helpful, however, staff to ask were quite thin on the ground! I had to ask a fellow customer where the till was in the food hall. The assistant who helped us choose mugs in the home department was really lovely, as was the Lakeland one who got me a chair.
