Overview

Visiting the National Museum of Scotland after a long break it was great to see memories of previous visits coming alive once again. Many of the exhibits had changed, more of that later, but the accessibility of the building remains just as good as I remember it.

Transport & Parking

Arriving by car I was able to park my WAV, wheelchair accessible vehicle, in one of the Blue Badge bays in Chambers Street. From there it was a short walk into the Tower Entrance of the Museum.

Access

For me it was a solid five star experience for many reasons. Having a Changing Places Toilet was a great start, finding so many lifts to get you between floors, easy to wheel on surfaces, plenty of room to manoeuvre around, easy to see exhibits, large print label booklets. A nice coffee shop area on one of the upper levels where you could have coffee and just watch the world go by. For the adventurous there was an option to take the lift up to the rooftop garden and get the panoramic views across the city; not for me as I don't like heights. The icing on the cake simply had to be the accidental discovery of an exhibition of wheelchairs in one of the galleries. You know how sometimes things in life can resonate deeply; this exhibition did that for me as a wheelchair user. I must not forget the millennium clock and its wonderful sequence of chimes and motion; always worth try to catch when the hour draws near.

Toilets

Top marks for a Changing Places Toilet and the many other accessible toilets throughout the building. I don't think I know of anywhere else with so many disabled toilets to choose from in one building!

Staff

Staff were friendly and helpful. From the person who helped me opening the Changing Places door through to the reception team, and the many 'hosts' dotted throughout the museum who were happy to talk and share their enthusiasm and knowledge of what was on display.

Photos