3
Trying very hard, but just missing
The whole site is on a steep slope, which is probably the route of most problems.
The good news is a carer gets in free - which is a good job because you need them!
Parking for all of Chatsworth's facilities is in one place, but it is sloped. For the farmyard and playground you want to be at the top. There seemed to be plenty of Blue Badge parking, we arrived late morning on a very sunny Saturday and there was a choice of spaces.
The farmyard has a lift between the ground floor and the upper floor, which is really good. I could see in the pens from my chair and feed the animals if I wished - though the goats were very interested in the cables!!
The path up to the playground is very steep. My powerchair made it, but it is not a very grippy surface. Coming down was quite scary, my chair skidded and it needed someone to hold it back from running away.
The accessible toilet in the playground has a 5cm step into it, so not so accessible... And a toilet roll dispenser that seemed to need turning with your hand that I couldn't work out never mind manage.
They have laid a lovely new tarmac path around the playground, but it is only just wide enough for a powerchair, not much room to pass people or a pushchair - definitely not another wheelchair.
Down in the main courtyard I couldn't find any accessible toilets and the large glass doors into the shops were impossible to open alone.
There is a Changing Places toilet down the hill by the main house entrance, but as that was in use I had to use the one in the ladies toilet. It's placement at a right angle just inside the door made it difficult to negotiate, particularly without knocking over anyone using the rest of the ladies toilets. As it was inside the ladies, my husband couldn't really come in to help.
All in all, I feel that they have tried, but missed on so many accessibility points.
The whole site is on a steep slope, which is probably the route of most problems.
The good news is a carer gets in free - which is a good job because you need them!
Parking for all of Chatsworth's facilities is in one place, but it is sloped. For the farmyard and playground you want to be at the top. There seemed to be plenty of Blue Badge parking, we arrived late morning on a very sunny Saturday and there was a choice of spaces.
The farmyard has a lift between the ground floor and the upper floor, which is really good. I could see in the pens from my chair and feed the animals if I wished - though the goats were very interested in the cables!!
The path up to the playground is very steep. My powerchair made it, but it is not a very grippy surface. Coming down was quite scary, my chair skidded and it needed someone to hold it back from running away.
The accessible toilet in the playground has a 5cm step into it, so not so accessible... And a toilet roll dispenser that seemed to need turning with your hand that I couldn't work out never mind manage.
They have laid a lovely new tarmac path around the playground, but it is only just wide enough for a powerchair, not much room to pass people or a pushchair - definitely not another wheelchair.
Down in the main courtyard I couldn't find any accessible toilets and the large glass doors into the shops were impossible to open alone.
There is a Changing Places toilet down the hill by the main house entrance, but as that was in use I had to use the one in the ladies toilet. It's placement at a right angle just inside the door made it difficult to negotiate, particularly without knocking over anyone using the rest of the ladies toilets. As it was inside the ladies, my husband couldn't really come in to help.
All in all, I feel that they have tried, but missed on so many accessibility points.
