Autumn showcase of colour is worth seeing.
4
4
Date of visit: October 2017
I have experience of challenges around: moving around
Overall Rating
Good
This National Trust venue is accessessed by country lanes that were not too bumpy to make the journey more pleasant. On arrival the drive into the parking area is smooth and there are several accessible places to park near the entrance. We went for the autumn leaf colour as did thousands of others!! At peak ‘leaf’ time you may not be able to get in and signs will tell you to come another day. We did find parking next to the entrance and enjoyed a few hours admiring the lakes and tree colours. I had no difficulty in my powerchair - there are no barriers between the lake side and the grass so you do need to be experienced at controlling your chair or risk taking a lethal swim!! Hard paths with little shingle made for a worthwhile afternoon.
Disabled Access In and Around
Good
Step free, some small gradients on compact earth paths. Some paths are paved with a little loose shingle. The best camera views are right next to the lakes which involves going into grass for a few metres. There are no barriers and some large drops of the grass into the lake so caution is needed. The map was a little misleading but once at the lakes it was easy because each lake was next to the last one. A few paths are labelled no wheelchair access including one bridge and part of a woodland walk on the other side. We went to take photos of the autumn colours and a few hours was enough time to walk around the lakes. The gift shop is accessible but a little tight in parts to move around. Payment desks were low and lots of staff on hand to help.
Parking & Transport
Excellent
Plenty of hard core / compacted earth parking bays next to the entrance. The car park marshal said he didn’t think there were any bays free but we could take a left and have a look - we saw at least two so got lucky. They are just a few metres from the entrance.
Accessible Toilets
Average
There are two toilets (reverse designs) which require no key, to the right of the park as you walk through the entrance centre. They are signposted. Due to the nature of the park the floors were wet and muddy and they were pretty cold. The floor is tiled and slippery when wet. The grab / support rail is a few inches further away from the toilet than it is supposed to be so I held on at arms length and prayed a lot. A Changing Places toilet would be fantastic and a lot safer.
Staff
Excellent
Friendly and helpful.
Additional Information
The cafe/restaurant is accessed from the car park and there is no food in the grounds itself. This caught us out!! Carer has free entrance which is always helpful. Car park was free. Nice gift shop and flower sales.
