Overview

We had a wonderful day out at Leeds Castle. There is a good mix of indoor and outdoor activities. The castle is good for wheelchair access and there is quite an interesting dog collar exhibition/museum. Lots of places to buy refreshments and toilets in each area. The grounds are vast and really pretty and peaceful to walk through.

Transport & Parking

Getting there was very easy. We arrived by motorhome from the M20. It is well signposted and only a few minutes off the motorway. Parking was well organised, with guides to show you where to go. We were directed into the coach park, which is the usual for motorhomes. I think there are blue badge spaces near the entrance.

Access

The paths around the grounds are mainly concrete and in good condition. I took my mountain trike but would probably have managed just fine with my normal wheelchair. It is quite hilly - nothing very steep but lots of ups and downs. The whole place is signposted so it is really easy to find where you want to go. The castle has a small ramp up to the front door - easy gradient. Then you get taken a slightly different route in, to bypass stairs. After that, all the downstairs is accessible. There is a lift to get you down one set of steps to access a lower level. The platform was extremely tight with my trike but plenty of room for a normal chair. The upper level isn't accessible but there is a video you can watch. The bird of prey area and display are well worth a visit but if you have an assistance dog, be aware that the birds don't like dogs. We weren't told not to take Liggy in, but as soon as we got close, the bird began to react, so I took her straight out and let the rest of the family do that bit while Liggy and me had a rest and a drink.

Toilets

There are plenty of accessible toilets - at least one in each area. These sometimes double up as baby change and they are not RADAR locked, so sometimes I had a bit of a wait. They were mostly clean though and big enough to get in and out with my trike.

Staff

All staff were polite and helpful. The castle staff were particularly good. They were very keen to ensure that I was having a good day out.

Photos