Overview

Efforts are made to accommodate disabled access needs, but they've got a fair way to go. There are no accessible hotel rooms (all upstairs, no lift) but the annexe 'Cobbleheugh House' is a bit better - this is where I slept. Staff seem very nice but a bit clueless.

Transport & Parking

You need to arrive here in a car, or walk from the village - I believe there is a train station but it isn't operational.

Access

I arrived in a taxi. There are disabled parking spaces at the front of the hotel. There is loose gravel at the front - quite large stone chips, which my TravelScoot's narrow wheels couldn't cope with. After about half an hour of faffing about I queried with the staff whether they might have a wheelchair to get me to the front steps (quite shallow and with banisters, so I could manage them). Staff sourced a wheelchair, but unfortunately it had a flat tyre and they didn't have the required connector. Eventually I was dragged to the stairs in the flat tyred wheelchair by a staff member, bless her! Despite it having been explained in advance of the booking that I use a three wheeler scooter, staff were arranging a temporary ramp consisting of two narrow runners. Probably ok for a wheelchair but not for a three wheeler! I clambered up the steps with the aid of the banister and staff carried the TravelScoot up and in to the building for me. In order to get up to the dining room there is a set of steps to negotiate. The height's about 4ft and a temporary ramp had been installed. Unfortunately it was so scarily steep that I needed someone to give me a shove to get me all the way up it, and to act as a human brake when coming back down. You can drive right up to Cobbleheugh House, which is at the rear of the hotel. Its back door has a couple of shallow steps down from ground level (gates on either side to hold on to). Watch out for the broken surface and the reasonably high ledge to get in to the building. When inside there is reasonable room to manoeuvre. The doors are heavy and difficult to open when on a scooter.

Toilets

In the lodge, the accessible loo is right at the bottom of the ramp described above with a sharp right turn. Some funky manouevring is required (reversing into the opposite room) to get the right angle to get through the (heavy) doors, but once in, the room and the dedicated accessible cubicle has plenty of room and its own basin. The en suite in the large room at Cobbleheugh House has plenty of room. There is a large roll-in shower, but there is no shower chair. I don't remember any grab rails, but I might be wrong about that.

Staff

The staff were all lovely, just not very good at following up when a request was made (i.e. are you looking for a wheelchair? Have you found a wheelchair? What have you done with my suitcase?). One member of staff was particularly keen to assist me by manipulating my limbs even when I'd told him I could manage. To be fair, he was just trying to help and it may have been a language barrier problem!

Anything else you wish to tell us?

I don't think it would take much to make this venue a lot more accessible. Hopefully some changes will be made to allow those with mobility needs to enjoy the beautiful setting without stress.