Overview

I was in two minds about this visit, as it is very expensive. I paid £35 for a ticket and thankfully, hubby went free as a carer. It was unfortunate that we left this visit to the end of a long week, as I was already quite tired from previous days out and Blenheim is on a hilly site with variable surfaces. I would have probably enjoyed it more if I'd had more energy.

Transport & Parking

We arrived by motorhome and couldn't find information on the website about where we should park, so we had to play it by ear. As it happened, we were able to park in the blue badge area, as the spaces are not marked and have a flat grass area behind, which helped with the longer vehicle. The car park is a rough surface but was okay. I could get to the road in my chair, and from there, it was tarmac.

Access

Getting into and around the house and inside attractions was good. There is a stair lift that takes a wheelchair or small scooter to get you in and then it's all on one level. The Churchill exhibition is well laid out with plenty of space. I found the grounds more difficult, partly because I was already very tired and there are hills and a mixture of surfaces: gravel, cobbles, tarmac, pebbles, etc. I used my usual wheelchair for some of the day but then switched to my mountain trike to explore the gardens and parkland. In the parkland, there was constantly estate vehicles passing, which meant I had to keep moving to the side of the path, where the camber was harder work. The gardens aren't completely accessible as there are steps in many places. The accessible route is steep in places and we met the tour bus a couple of times, which made me feel like I had to climb steep hills faster to get out of the way. The miniature train to the walled gardens was nice and has a wheelchair ramp and carriage. The pizza cafe was okay for sitting outside but busy and cramped inside.

Toilets

The accessible toilet in the Churchill exhibition was fantastic! Automatic door and loads of space. If there had been several other toilets around the estate like this, it would have been great. Down at the walled garden, it was portaloos. They were at the back of a grassy area, which was really soft due to rain. I found it hard work getting across the grass to the ramped accessible toilets. We didn't find any other toilets, which I think is poor for a place of its size.

Staff

Most of the staff were pleasant enough. On arrival, we were escorted to the house and lift. I told the man I needed a toilet visit first but this didn't happen and I felt very rushed into the house. Because I was desperate for the loo the whole way round, I didn't really enjoy the house as much as I might have done.

Photos