Overview

A difficult decision to award four stars but decided to go that high as the expectation was not to be able to even get in the 'door' so the fact that I managed to get my powerchair up the hill, over the rough hewn entrance cobbles and into the castle's main area gets the stars!

Transport & Parking

Doune is a small village north of Stirling and getting there may be a bit challenging by public transport but not impossible. The Castle sits along a narrow lane at the edge of the village. A lot of work has been done recently to create a small car park . There is one marked accessible parking bay but be warned that it is not wide so not possible to wheel easily, if at all, alongside your vehicle. I had great difficulty in parking my WAV (wheelchair accessible vehicle) but a friendly steward came along and said it would be fine to park further along in one of the two coach spaces so problem solved.

Access

Access for Doune Castle is varied as there are some parts you can't go but you can get into the Castle if you are game to climb the hill and then negotiate the rough hew cobbles of the entrance archway. There is a hand rail and a metre wide section which has been surfaced to try and make access easier. Once on this surface it is still quite steep to traverse but you aren't trying to rock over the lumps and bumps of the cobbles. Getting out was easier than getting in! Once inside you can wheel along the walkway to one side of the grassed area and get a great sense of the scale of the building. You can also get in to the gift shop. Outside of the Castle and back down by the car park is a cottage where there is a an accessible toilet. There are paths around the outside of the Castle as well is you want to explore but these may be tricky.

Toilets

A good and spacious accessible toilet is to be found in the small cottage directly opposite to the Castle.

Staff

Staff were simply fantastic, enthusiastic and helpful.

Anything else you wish to tell us?

Not an easy place to visit as a wheelchair user. That said, if you have that spirit of adventure then it's worth the effort to get that feeling of up close and engaged with the building, its stories and the atmosphere it offers.

Photos