Overview

We visited here the first week in August, there were 4 of us: myself; my husband; his mother and our eldest 'child'. We had a fascinating day seeing a lot of wildlife (a deer with her fawn; some swans and other water fowl) as well as various trees and plant life. There were signs telling us what trees we were seeing as well as what animals/birds we might see. We asked and it was suggested we stayed on the main circular path, it was well sign posted. There were some steeper parts to the path which were harder to push up but we managed. Mum's wheelchair does have large pneumatic tyres which makes rough terrain easier to manage. We didn't visit the farm area. The Nature Reserve and parking were free - we did make a donation as we felt they deserved it. Overall we had a good day and I would recommend this venue if you like a walk through the woods looking at birds and wildlife.

Transport & Parking

4.5

We travelled there by car.There were 3 disabled bays near the main entrance but it was a rough large gravel surface which made transfers slightly difficult. There was a paved area around the main buildings.

Access

4

There were no step entering the main building/tearoom. The area had lots of space. The nature reserve paths were wide enough for a wheelchair and well defined. Most of them were just short grass with short distances part-surfaced. There were accessible hides - had to move the bench out the way to look out the window but this was easy to do. There were different levels of windows for people standing v people sitting/children. There were also viewing points looking towards the lochs along the path but these were not great for someone in a wheelchair to access - you often had to reverse out from the viewing area to return to the path - and often they were not at the right height for someone in a wheelchair. There were lots of signs telling you what you might see. Mainly relying on pictures and written English. The information was clear and easy to understand. We managed to do the circular path , there were a couple of slopped areas where it was harder to push (my husband keeps threatening to buy a harness so a second person can help with the wheelchair). The large pneumatic tyres helped. There were picnic tables outside the tearoom and near the car park as well as a couple of places in the nature reserve. We did not visit the actual farm area.

Toilets

4

There were 2 accessible toilets, one in the tea room area the other outside. They were only just big enough as we needed space for 2 helpers, wheelchair and gutter frame to help Mum stand. The inside toilet had a concertina door which made it difficult to get in. The staff had to remove the 2 bins to give us a bit more space. The outside toilet was, in theory, slightly bigger but there was a large wooden baby's changing station that couldn't be moved (no wheels) so made manoeuvring difficult. We managed.

Staff

5

All the staff we meet were helpful both in the tearoom and out in the nature reserve. We never visited the actual farm area.

Photos