Overview

terrible walking accessibility , unhelpful staff

Transport & Parking

We used the tram and got off at the West End stop, probably the closest to the gardens entrance , at the Haymarket side of the park.

Access

I help my wife getting out and about as she has one artificial knee and the other on the way out, she needs someone to help her walk any distance. First point to note is the state of the pavements/ footpath along Princess st, and all major paved areas in the city. If you are a wheel chair user you might note the ride is a bit bumpy, however if you have difficulty walking then you quickly notice how uneven the paving slabs are with some paving slabs 1 inch lower than the next , just perfect to trip you up. Access to and from the Haymarket side of the gardens for walkers is via a victorian 32 step wide stairway with a handrail down the middle. There is a queue of disabled and not so disabled people trying to access the gardens via this stairway. 32 steps is a lot when you are disabled. No lifts and the smooth ramps from Princess St.. are off limits to anyone who can walk. There are plenty of benches to sit on once down the stairs …if you can find an empty one! The concert at the bandstand has two types of Standing Only tickets, the Inner circle tickets are within a 5 foot hedge and people are crammed in shoulder to shoulder and stand on a slope. The outer Circle tickets are located outside the 5 foot hedge, so you need to go up the hill a bit( the park is bowl shaped) to see and sit ( can you get back up ?, my wife could not even get down )or stand on the grass and peer through the trees . Usual drinks prices at £11 for a cocktail! A great example of a Rip Off!

Toilets

portaloo type toilets, so dont wait to long to use one. The pretty unaccessable toilet building shut at 7pm.

Staff

The staff were unhelpful, I attempted to gain access to a smooth but steep 30 foot ramp that would get an easy exit from the gardens back on to Princess St. I had noticed a perfectly able walker using this about a minute earlier but I actually got the “ more than my jobs worth “ comment and directed us back to the 32 step stairway 100 yds away.