Overview

I visited ‘The Captain’s Table’ for the first time since the Pandemic to meet up with friends; we had a great time. The weather was pleasant enough to sit outside on the quayside where we took in the gorgeous views of the sun over the sparkling water and changing light. Although I didn’t eat anything, this place is obviously popular and provides local produce and a vegan menu in the restaurant. There is also another section of this venue called the ‘Captain’s Parlour’ where you can enjoy ice-cream, crepes etc. We were also able to go for a wheel down through the council car park to access a beautiful spot above the sea, however, this was a pretty bumpy trip and the slope up to the sea is very steep but we just managed with assistance in our power-chairs. The view of the sea is stunning and well worth the effort. There is also a short accessible pathway along the seafront nearby if you want a smoother, calmer vista.

Transport & Parking

There are no disabled parking spaces on-site and the car park is uneven and a bit pot-holed. There were plenty of non-disabled spaces available. There are two designated disabled spaces in the whole village but they are on the other side of Findhorn from 'The Captain's Table'. Plenty of non-disabled spaces are available in and around the village itself and at the beach although the road surface at the beach parking is a bit gravelly and bumpy. It's possible to get from Inverness, Forres and Aberdeen to Findhorn by bus and train but I found little readily available information about the accessibility of buses and I suspect it might be difficult.

Access

As mentioned, the car park isn’t as accessible as it could be, however, the path around the venue is smooth and ramped. The general area on the quayside is flat and smooth and the restaurant interior is also ramped where there are steps. I was really impressed to see that the windows at the bar were at a great height for me to gaze out onto the quayside and it was fairly easy to manoeuvre around the venue in my powerchair.

Toilets

There was a disabled toilet which was clean, had grab rails but no red cord. The access to the toilet is very tight and quite difficult to negotiate in a powerchair; if the door is fully open to enter the toilet, it closes off the rest of the corridor. There could also have been more room for transfer inside the toilet itself which was also a babychange station.

Staff

The staff were all friendly, welcoming and helpful.

Anything else you wish to tell us?

There was plenty of seating available outside including a dining bubble plus hand sanitisers at the entrance and doorways inside so I felt safe.

Photos