Lovely place but difficult for manual wheelchair users and their pushers
4
4
Date of visit: July 2019
I am a carer or friend of a disabled person. I have experience of challenges around: moving around
Overall Rating
Good
On advice from my son we hired a mobility scooter and took that to Stourhead. Unless you have a team of fit wheelchair pushers you’ll struggle with the steep paths - especially as the entrance/exit is at the top of a steep slope after you’ve used your energy going round the beautiful lake and exploring its buildings. We didn’t try to go to the house, but were disappointed that there are steps that precluded us getting access to the walled garden.
Disabled Access In and Around
Average
If you’re a manual wheelchair user with someone to push you’ll find the garden difficult. There are some very steep slopes. You’ll need someone fit to push you up the steep winding path from the pub car park to the exit. We hired a mobility scooter and took it with us. It worked fine on the path round the lake - though there are some parts inaccessible because of steps (the grotto, the pantheon, the walled garden). There are a few bits of raised ironwork and potholes to beware of.
Parking & Transport
Good
There is copious disabled parking in the main car park, close to the entrance and cafe (there is no cafe once you’re inside the grounds except for the publicly accessible pub). The pub also has some disabled flat parking but the rest of the pub car park is loose gravel and difficult with a manual wheelchair. (You pass through the pub and car park getting from the main entrance to the gardens.) Parking is free for blue badge holders (as it is for NT members). There is a buggy for visitors but we didn’t find it or how it worked (perhaps we should have asked at reception?) and only saw it once on our walk round the lake.
Accessible Toilets
Excellent
Good roomy disabled loos at the entrance and pub. The only negative was a really nasty smell in the one by the entrance (which we reported.
Staff
Excellent
Staff were helpful, with good advice given. They also listened to our feedback. We had occasion to call for first aiders who were very kind, empathetic and efficient. They even followed up with a phone call the next day to check that everything was OK. Ice cream/snack kiosk at the pub were happy to refill our water bottles for us.
Additional Information
Looking forward to going back again in the autumn for the colours round the lake. And we WILL be taking a mobility scooter again.
