Lovely nature walk with ducks
4
4
Date of visit: August 2026
I am a disabled person and a general supporter of disabled access. I have experience of challenges around: a hidden impairment, accessing toilets and moving around.
I use or have experience of: autism, disabled toilet, powerchair, walking aid
Overall Rating
Good
Boscawen Park is a small, lovely nature walk on the outskirts of Truro. There is a pond with lots of birds which are very tame and will even step over your feet if you bring them seed. Please don't give them bread or other processed food. Even in peak summer on nice days, it's been quiet and uncrowded. The main part of the park has wide and very smooth and flat pavement as well as grass, making it a great spot for learning to drive a powerchair. I've found this to be super rare in Truro, and don't feel safe in car parks. If you can make it here, I really recommend it for this purpose.
Disabled Access In and Around
Good
The park is split in two parts, a big open space one with multiple paths and a circular walk around the pond across the street. Each has a cafe. The cafe attached to the main part of the park, by the car park, fits wheelchairs and mobility scooters. I haven't tried the other cafe. The main park is ideal for wheeling around both on pavement and on grass. It is flat and wide. There's several smooth concrete paths looping and converging around. There are multiple benches. In summer, the green was beautifully tended with flowers and a topiary sculpture. There is a children's playground and tennis courts, though I have not seen any wheelchair accessible playground equipment. There is a freshly built community center on the other side from the cafe which will host health and wellbeing activities. I have not yet been to comment on accessibility. The pond park is across the road. The curb directly across between parks is only partially dropped on the origin side, and I personally couldn't do it, but I am not a very experienced wheelchair user. I had to roll a little further ahead and then cross the road and stay on the outer part of the road briefly (10-20 seconds) before reaching the gate to the pond park. This area has very light traffic. I am uncertain if I could open the gate myself as I had help, but you are no longer in the road once you've reached it. The surface around the pond is initially mostly flat but cracked concrete. I had no trouble rolling on this or around it. The rest of the park is fairly smooth and wholly flat dirt. I have only been on dry days and don't know how muddy it can get. The plants and animals surround you everywhere and it is a very relaxing and wonderful place. There are benches around the park. They have back and arm rests.
Accessible facilities: Single-level venue, Step-free entrance, Seating at regular intervals
Parking & Transport
Poor
I travelled to this place by walk or wheel
There is a dedicated car park so it should not be a problem to access the park if you have a car. I do not believe the minibus that services this area fits a wheelchair but I could be wrong. The roll on Malpas Road to the park is doable, but somewhat stressful. I will preface the rest by saying: reaching this park constituted my very first few experiences ever using a wheelchair, and I am a very anxious person. I still managed to reach the park. The pavement is too narrow, cobblestoney, covered in big roots, inaccessible dirt road, so you will have to cross the road at points to avoid these obstacles. I get by with crossing twice only now that I have learned the best spots for my needs. Regardless, you will still face very narrow pavement that just about fits my powerchair, where constant attention is required to drive straight and not fall off the curb. There are a couple spots where you cross little side streets that are coming down a hill which is steep, so the wheelchair will be tilted sideways quite dramatically and you will need to steer accordingly to not roll into the road. In summer the shrubs on the side of the pavement were very overgrown with thorns, and help from a standing helper or a pair of scissors were needed to get through safely.
Accessible Toilets
Good
I have not used it, but there is a changing places toilet. I believe staff at the cafe can open it for you. The toilet is a short flat walk away from the cafe entrance, at the end of the long set of buildings. For ambulatory wheelchair users, there are two individual stalls toilets next to the changing places toilet. They are long and narrow, so a wheelchair will not fit. I've found them mostly fine to use but sometimes they can be very dirty and clogged. These remain open at least for a couple hours after the cafe has closed, from my experience in summer.
Facilities: Changing Places toilet
Additional Information
Boscawen Park is a really good area for learning to use a chair. It's flat and smooth and with different types of 'obstacles' should you choose to try them. It's a lovely day out in nature and the cafe serves good milkshakes and pastries.
