Overview

Very fair ticketing arrangements, I got in free as Martins carer, and he got a senior discount - we opted for a full ticket, which could have free upgrade to Annual Pass - excellent value considering how much is there, we reckon we could come back two or three times very happily! It was a short, easy walk from disabled parking to main entrance. Once inside, a very pleasant cafe and toilets were immediately available. We may have been lucky, but after lunch on a busy Sunday there was an electric scooter available (free of charge) The architecture was magnificent but as it was a lovely day we stayed outdoors and made our way along the Lakeside Walk to the Grand Cascade, it was very easy with the scooter, we did see several groups with an individual in wheelchair as well though, and Martin could have made it with his all terrain rollator, though it would have been more tiring for him (I followed the scooter pushing the rollator, it was then available for places the scooter couldn’t go, plus provided a handy seat for me when we needed a rest!) The cafe and shop stayed open till 5.15, and there was no pressure to leave even after that, they don’t lock the car parks, so we pottered around a little longer enjoying the views, to give the traffic time to clear. They seem to have done their very best to make things as easy as they can for disabled, I think they’ve made some improvements to access routes (eg to formal gardens) while closed during pandemic, it was definitely better than I was expecting from reading other reviews etc!

Transport & Parking

Driving from Midlands, Sat nav is helpful to spot the left turn off the Woodstock Road to the entrance, we might have missed it without that… We had pre booked and QR code was scanned on way into car park, short delay for this, but late morning on a busy Sunday, not surprising - was only a minute or two. There were marshals to help us go the right way, and the route to disabled parking area was very clearly marked, which is quite unusual in our experience! It was a short, flat walk on tarmac surface to the main entrance.

Access

We only visited part of the grounds on this occasion, with (clearly recent) improvements, we managed to get to everywhere we wanted to go, some of the paths were a little uneven or with loose gravel, and would have been a bit tiring / uncomfortable using a standard small wheeled rollator or a manual wheelchair.

Toilets

You access the toilets from East Courtyard through the shop, they are on the left at the very end, this wasn’t immediately obvious, and it was a little awkward threading through the displays to reach them, though there was actually ample room for Martins rollator… Accessible toilet was roomy, clean, easy to operate lock. Main ladies and gents toilets up a couple of steps, there was a good hand rail though.

Staff

Service in cafe prompt and friendly, staffing adequate, didn’t queue very long although they were really busy. Ian on the Welcome Desk was lovely, he sorted out the scooter for us, explained its use and where we could go, etc, and was really friendly and pleasant. Generally we got a good feeling the whole time that everyone wanted us to enjoy our visit.

Anything else you wish to tell us?

By May 2022 most Covid precautions have been able to be scaled back thank goodness, we both have Ok immune system and fully vaccinated / boosted, so perfectly happy with this. However I was happy to find that they still had lots of hand gel dispensers available everywhere, and hand washing facilities in the toilets very high quality and completely touch free