Overview

Visited House of Dun today (2 July 2022). There were 4 of us in the group - myself and my husband, my daughter and my mother-in-law. My mother-in-law has severe mobility issues so now uses a 'Voyager All Terrain outdoor' Wheelchair which has large treaded pneumatic tyres; this meant it COPED WELL with the grass and most of the gravel paths. We all took turns pushing the chair as it is not self propelled. The staff were EXCEEDLY HELPFUL checking whether there was any help we needed. We entered via the stables exhibition which finished at the shop from there we went into the courtyard. The exhibition had a couple of relatively step slopes in it so had some difficulty pushing the chair up them . The courtyard had a paved flagstone path around it which was easy to use with the wheelchair. I did have to go onto the surrounding gravel to get past the main door. There were regular segregated toilets and a separate disabled toilet. Surrounding the courtyard there were various terraced outbuildings with variable accessibility - about half had steps - with various exhibitions within. The actual House itself was NOT fully accessible as it is on several floors however we were offered a MODIFIED TOUR taking in the lower floor (as you enter by the servants' entrance). The guide was well informed and at no time did we feel rushed. The gardens were very well kept and there was a mixture of paved; gravel and grass paths. You had to PICK YOUR ROUTE to avoid steps but we were able to see most of the grounds close to the House itself. The gravel was not deep but I suspect a NHS small wheeled transit chair MIGHT STRUGGLE with the terrain. There were picnic tables available in various locations where we ate our lunch. There was a cafe which we didn't use but it was wheelchair accessible. We didn't try and see any of the longer distance walks as my mother in law was getting tired by then but we are aiming to return for a further visit.

Transport & Parking

We drove to the venue. There was plenty of parking in the main car park where we parked - no Blue Badge yet. There was a sloped path from the car park to the main House and surrounding grounds. There were 4 DISABLED BAYS up close to the House

Access

As MiL was using a wheelchair I concentrated on that aspect of accessibility .... the path round the main Courtyard was flagstones. Then there was an inner circle of gravel and finally grass. The gravel was not that deep. There were picnic tables on the central grass in the Courtyard. There were more picnic tables out on the grass by the entrance but you had to cross a cobblestone path to reach them. The picnic tables had fixed bench seats but it was easy to manoeuvre the wheelchair to one of the free ends. There was plenty of space between the tables. The flagstones also lead to the walled garden where there was a gravel path which we had no problems with. From there we went round to the 'back' of the House where there were more formal gardens . The gravel here was slightly deeper. There was very little signage saying where to go especially if you couldn't easily manage steps. Once we had been past the Queen Mother's stone we had to turn around and find an alternative route .... We then went through the estate to the front of the house and followed a path back to the car park. The last part was harder to push but there was the option of using the route we had originally entered by.

Toilets

The DISABLED TOILET was large and clean with plenty of room for manoeuvring. There were 2 helpers; my mother-in-law in her wheelchair and a large gutter walking frame (for standing purposes). There were grab rails all round the toilet and a red pull chord for emergencies - we didn't test it - was in easy reach. At NO time did we feel restricted for space compared to other disabled toilets we have used. There was a baby's changing station but nothing for a larger person (child/adult)

Staff

All the staff we met were very helpful and welcomed us. At no time did we feel rushed. They even organised a special modified tour for us so we were able to see the part of the house that was accessible. They checked up on us when they saw us without crowding us. They made sure we knew the best routes to see as much as possible with someone in a wheelchair.

Anything else you wish to tell us?

It was a lovely day out. The whole atmosphere was relaxed and welcoming and I definitely recommend House of Dun for a day out if you enjoy history or beautiful grounds (the gardens and estate are free) We are hoping to return for another visit in the near future.