Overview

I attended this pop-up event at Glamis Castle called Trail of Tales which is a walk trail around the grounds of the castles that’s lite by lots of light displays. It’s similar to the Enchanted Forest which I’ve reviewed before, but this is the first time Glamis Castle has put on this event. One reason I was eager to go was because they provided great information on their website saying they were accessible for wheelchair users and that you got a free carer ticket.

Transport & Parking

I went by car to Glamis Castle and staff were on hand to direct us on where to go as we approached the castle, although we didn’t park exactly where the disabled parking was as no one was close to it to direct us to it and we just parked where we thought it was. The car park spaces aren’t outlined though so I feel parking at the disabled spaces wouldn’t be much different, you’d just be closer to the entrance. The ground surface of the car park is graveled and I actually feel the stone surface was thicker at the disabled parking area and harder to drive over. I’m not from this area so I cannot comment on the public transport near Glamis Castle.

Access

Throughout the walk all the pathways were very smooth and accessible, I only came across one area that was graveled like the car park but I managed to drive over it my powered wheelchair. I was really surprised that there weren’t any speed bumps along the pathway protecting any wires for all the lights they had. One thing I would say is that there should be seating dotted around the walkway for visitors who struggle to walk long distances as the only seating I saw was at the food area which I think was just over halfway around. The walk took us approximately 2 hours however, we did stop to get something to eat. I didn’t manage to get a photo of the seating area beside the food vans as it was quite dark but there were only 4 picnic benches spread out which I feel they could have had more. It wasn’t busy so we managed to get a table but probably would have struggled at the weekend. Like most food vans where you order is quite high up and if I was on my own I wouldn’t have been able to order as there is a lot of background noise as well. When I got to the entrance I got told that the last part when leaving isn’t accessible for my wheelchair as it is a field and the ground is very wet due to recent weather but someone will be there to help me another way. I got taken through the private grounds of Glamis Castle which was very nice but also very dark. Luckily the staff member had a very strong torch.

Toilets

I only saw one area of portakabin toilets during the walk but cannot comment on them and cannot say if there was an accessible one. It would’ve been great to see Glamis Castle have a Changing Places toilet on site or for them to hire the Pamiloo or Mobiloo for their pop-up events as a lot more visitors will feel confident to visit.

Staff

All staff that I encountered during my visit were very friendly and helpful. They made sure I knew which areas weren’t accessible and they always greeted you when you walked past them during the walk. The only issue I had, and I don’t even know if you can count this as staff, but I struggled to get in touch with the organisers of the event by multiple emails to get my free carer ticket. Their office was only open I think 3 days during the week and I had to eventually phone them on the day I was attending the event and it got sorted. But it was very stressful as up until the day I didn’t know if I would be able to go.

Anything else you wish to tell us?

Due to this being an outdoor event I didn’t see anyone wearing masks. I did take my mask with me but it wasn’t very busy so I felt safe without it. I occasionally noticed hand sanitizing bottles around the walk but I don’t know if these were for staff or visitors. This event is on until Sunday 7th September and you can find more details by following this link https://www.glamis-castle.co.uk/event/a-trail-of-tales-at-glamis-castle/. I would recommend it and I hope it is on again next year.

Photos