Overview

We visited Barry Mill (National Trust) in the middle of August 2022 so it was a dry day and the water levels were fairly low. There were 4 of us: my husband; his mother (in a wheelchair); our middle 'child' and myself. One of the first thing we noticed was the area near the main reception had large stones underfoot making it hard work to push the wheelchair. The manager, Mike, who we met said this had been put down due to flooding earlier in the year but they were aware that it wasn't a great surface and were planning to change it in the Autumn. On arriving Mum needed to use the toilet this turned out to be 'interesting' (see below in extra information including photos). After that Mike gave us a tour of the Mill where he explained how the mill worked. It had been rebuilt in about 1815 with all the latest technology and continued in use until 1982 . He opened the water gates so the mill wheel started turning and then he showed us how the various machinery worked. He turned the water off after the demo as Mum was struggling with the extra background noise. After that we were left to look around the mill by ourselves. The main floor is wheelchair accessible the other sections were not (old wooden staircases). Then we had a look around the grounds. There were picnic tables near the main building and in the woods. There was a circular path which took you up to the mill pond and then extended on to the weir. This 'top' path near the lade was wide enough but the terrain wasn't great making it fairly hard work to push the wheelchair. The mill pond was at a higher level up some steps; there was a slopped area beside the steps which my husband attempted with the wheelchair but it was quite steep and had tree roots so not really feasible however we then attempted to lower path next to the burn this was better terrain but still hard work. My husband managed, with help, the slope up the mill pond from this approach. The mill pond was large and we saw various birds (but no otters or frogs). We decided not to try and attempt to go up to the weir.

Transport & Parking

We travelled by car and parked in the main car park above the mill. There was a slope down to the attraction. Apparently if this might be an issue you can phone before hand and they can arrange for you to park in the lower section nearer to the mill.

Access

The terrain was not great for wheelchairs but can be managed if you have a strong pusher. Mum's wheelchair has large pneumatic tyres. The grass was short and the ground firm but a lot of the paths had large stones making it harder to manage. The mill itself was semi-accessible as some areas could only be reached via wooden stair cases.

Toilets

There were major issues with the accessibility toilet. There was no red chord/alarm system. There was no grab rail on right hand side which caused us issues. The toilet seat appeared lower than usual which along with no grab bar on one side made it difficult for Mum to stand up afterwards. The room itself was tight for 2 helpers a wheelchair and a gutterframe. The flush was positioned on TOP of a high cistern meaning it would be difficult for someone in a wheelchair to flush the toilet afterwards.

Staff

Mike, the manager, was great. He took on board my comments about the accessibility toilet and also the surface around the main entrance.

Photos