Overview

As always, I researched this visit before deciding on it and looking at their website, we were in two minds. The reasons were about accessibility and motorhomes. The website said that they encourage you to use their wheelchairs inside the house for conservation reasons and that there is no dedicated motorhome parking. Together, these almost put us off going. I am so glad we chanced it, as it was one of the best days out we had all holiday!

Transport & Parking

We arrived in our motorhome and followed signs for disabled and coach parking, which happened to be close together. As soon as we arrived, it was clear that we could park in disabled parking without causing any problems for anyone else. This is right next to the house, so was perfect.

Access

The house - although there are steps to the main entrance, there is also a level entrance which leads to a lift. This is the original lift and is really interesting. The staff have to operate it for you but they are really happy to help and always someone around. The house itself is completely accessible and really interesting. The guides are full of stories about the history of the estate and all the different connections. We could have stayed inside the house for hours! The only downside is that the toilets are outside in the courtyard and eventually I just had to go. The gardens and grounds - I switched to my mountain trike for these as the paths were gravel and hilly in places. How much of the estate you cover will really depend on energy levels. We ran out of steam and time, so will have to go back again in the future to see the rest.

Toilets

The toilets are just off the courtyard and the accessible one is spacious and clean. Grab rails were in all the right places for me and the hand dryer worked.

Staff

Honestly, it's the staff that made this such an awesome day out! They were helpful, respectful, and full of information. They were kind of like part of the experience. We threw some questions at them about the history of the house and family and they were all able to answer questions confidently. No member of staff 'just had to' pet my assistance dog, which I really appreciated, but they were all keen to praise her on how well behaved she was, which was nice.

Photos