Difficult wheelchair access
2
2
Date of visit: April 2017
I have experience of challenges around: moving around
Overall Rating
Poor
The cobbles make this venue very difficult, and with one notable exception, the staff in general were not very helpful. The mobility car is useful, but we were not told about it until we had attempted the cobbles to get tickets. Throughout the visit I was unable to get to staff to request assistance without my companion going up/down some stairs to find someone to help. Eventually I gave up and left my companions to explore the rest of the castle without me.
Disabled Access In and Around
Bad
Having tackled some challenging cobbles, we were half way through the queuing system when someone called us out to tell us that there is a mobility vehicle that goes from the entrance (before the cobbles start) and we should purchase our tickets from the information shop rather than the normal ticket desks. So we fought up some more cobbles to the information shop only to find that there is steps into it! Eventually we made it back out over the cobbles to the mobility car pick-up point on the esplanade. The car is great and took us right up to the top of the castle. We wanted to see the crown jewels and had been told there was a lift, but we couldn't find a staff member to ask so my friend went into the shop (which was down some steps) to ask for advice. Once we had finally got hold of a staff member they were great and really helpful. The great hall was accessible via a ramp. The tea rooms were accessible over a few cobbles via a side entrance. We had wasted so much time in trying to constantly find a member of staff and tackle the difficult cobbles that I decided to leave early so that my friends could explore the rest of the castle more easily. However once again I had difficulty finding a member of staff to request the mobility car.
Parking & Transport
Bad
We walked up from the tram stop on Princes Street, but found the pavements and lack of dropped kerbs very challenging. On the way back, I asked the mobility car driver where I could pick a taxi up from and she advised that the staff at the gate could ring one for me. The staff at the gate said that they couldn't ring a taxi for me but that there was a taxi rank just down the Royal Mile a bit. Unfortunately the taxi rank was inaccessible for me to get to due to steps, and I was unable to propel myself back up to the castle to ask for help, so I ended up with no option but to free-wheel back down to Princes Street in the slippery rain and having to deal with pavements and cross roads which weren't very wheelchair friendly.
Accessible Toilets
Good
The accessible toilet was fine in terms of access and space but it was very unclean.
Staff
Poor
The guy who took us down in the lift after viewing the crown jewels was very helpful and gave us advice on how to access the Great Hall and the Tea Room. The other staff were friendly but not very helpful or proactive in helping us to understand where the wheelchair friendly places were.
Additional Information
The cobbles are a part of the history of this venue, but wheelchair users should be prepared for a very bumpy, difficult ride with steep inclines as well as uneven cobbles. My Quickie Neon2 wheelchair did not cope well with the cobbles and I found it very painful. I would definitely not advise wheelchair users to visit Edinburgh Castle alone. If possible bring a physically strong and fit carer to help with the difficult terrain!
