Overview

Visiting Dumfries for a conference I discovered another great place that people may be invited visit. Sometimes a conference venue, other time a wedding space, or may be the odd concert or event. Either way, if like me you're a wheelchair user you can't help wondering if there's going to be somewhere to park, are there any accessible toilets, and can I actually get around in the building?

Transport & Parking

Easterbrook Hall was easy to find and it nestles among the many buildings that make up The Crichton Estate. Signposts on the estate roads point you in the direction of the Hall and once you get up close the distinct frontage bounces off the pages of the brochure and become real. The red coloured stone work, the imposing entrance with its steps, and the dramatic span of the building where you could imagine a host of buses lined up nose to nose and they'd all fit the space! Luckily for me, there weren't buses as the front of the building has several entrances and immediately outside one of these was a clearly marked row of accessible parking bays. Better still, they weren't the mini ones but lovely big bays with enough length to park my WAV (Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle) without sticking out into traffic.

Access

Getting into the building was going to be the first challenge but just for once this was easy. A large and gently sloped ramp lead up to an entrance doorway. Better still one of those large, easy to push, buttons did the 'open sesame' trick and the door opened to welcome me into the building. It was big! Fortunately, there were lots of handy signs to direct me to the various sections and spaces. Anyone who knows me, will be able to guess my first target as I wheeled over the expensive feeling carpet to head for the accessible toilet. The carpets were lovely but if anything a bit too thick for wheeling a manual wheelchair. If like me you have limited strength then this is hard going but I did have folk to help so it was manageable. The rooms were big, plenty of space to move around, tables to rest the much needed coffee and good lighting and acoustics. For this visit, I was presenting at a conference and it was good to see an accessible platform. No big deal, just a gently sloped ramp to join my colleagues on stage.

Toilets

In the course of my visit I found two accessible toilets and both had plenty of space to manoeuvre. Spotlessly clean and complete with some fancy soap too! All the requisite grab rails for my requirements and one of those fancy hand driers that blast the water off your hands. All in all; just what I was looking for.

Staff

The staff I met were friendly and helpful so a good five stars there too.

Anything else you wish to tell us?

It's a great venue for a conference and good to see that accessibility was simply something they do. No big deal, just ask and they'll sort out what you need. .