Overview

A really great day out - accessible, fun, well thought through... And a brilliant result! Please note that this is a review of the Solheim Cup 2019 which is a one off event and this does not represent Gleneagles all the time.

Transport & Parking

We had a Car Park pass for car park 3A. We drove from Edinburgh and picked up the event signs for the Solheim Cup from before Perth, including signs indicating how long was still to go. We followed signs for Car Park 3 and then on entering we were directed to the end of the car park where the accessible parking area was located. At this end of the car park we were able to get out on to the tracking and then move the car to a parking spot on the grass. Impressed to see a large sign and temporary building which had mobility scooters that you could hire - plus, not only an accessible loo, but a proper Changing Places loo too!

Access

Really impressed overall with the accessibility at this event. However you do need to remember that this is both a temporary event and an event based on a golf course, so you should expect a few bumps and lumps along the way. From the car park there was a road crossing to get into the event, this was temporary traffic lights and when the operator saw us approaching they changed the signal so that we could get across safely. We were then met by a mobility vehicle which was an elongated golf cart. It took a while for us to be able to get on it as my pal’s power chair is quite long (around 180cm) but eventually we did and we all managed to jump on and get driven to the course. The driver John was super helpful and gave us different options on where we might want to be dropped off based on where the most exciting golf was happening. As we had arrived fairly late, we got dropped at the 17th hole where volunteers were manning the accessible viewing area and ensured that we could get on and see the golf. The platform was pretty busy and there were probably about another 6 or so wheelchair or scooter users on the platform already. The viewing area enabled us to see the whole of the hole - from the tee off in the distance to the green and the bunkers in front of us. After the golf finished, we headed to the Spectator Village and hung out in the Ping Pavilion. This was a large marquee which had a big screen, food outlets, a bar and loads of tables and chairs… And a great atmosphere! We were lucky that the weather was fantastic when we visited, but if it had been raining this would have been a great place to take refuge! Again this was very wheelchair accessible. This area also had its own toilets that were out the back of the structure, there was an accessible loo here but this was slightly tricky to access with a steeper ramp leading to a ‘barked’ area before being able to get on to the plastic tracking. There was a course map that showed the accessible route around the course and we wished we had been able to get there earlier to see more of the action on both the course and in the Spectator Village as a lot of thought had obviously been put into the accessibility.

Toilets

We saw lots of loos and accessible loos signposted in the car park and the spectators village, they were also clearly marked on the map. Our favourite by far was the brilliant Changing Places toilet at the car park - a brilliant idea to aid with the start and finish of our visit.

Staff

The volunteers that we met throughout the day could not have been more helpful if they tried! We had particular contact with John our mobility vehicle driver, Toby who actually worked for Visit Scotland but was volunteering at the event and Sandy (?) who had previously volunteered at the Ryder Cup when it was at Gleneagles.

Anything else you wish to tell us?

Please note these tickets were complimentary from VisitScotland as they were keen to find out more about their access.

Photos