Overview

As with all ancient monuments, there are understandably a few places within the site where it's difficult to provide access. However there's some scope for improvement by English Heritage - there are a few improvements they could make. There an assisted loo though it's located across the parking area and it's so small it's barely possible to get your wheelchair in the cubicle, let alone get out of it! If you're a wheelchair user needing to do a lateral transfer, this loo is probably going to be inaccessible for you.

Transport & Parking

I don't know if the castle is on a bus route. It's just a little way from the centre of this lovely small town, though be warned there's a very steep hill from the main town centre. We drove. The car park is a large grassy field. No blue badge designated spaces, so take your chances to park close to the entrance. Blue badge holders park for free (we went and asked at the ticket office - but the ticket machine isn't very clear on this pint).

Access

Theway in is fine, though there are a few cobblestones but these didn't give my chair any problems. The barriers by the entrance were in the way of my wheelchair but were easily shifted. I let my carer go into the ticket office as it looked a bit narrow. Once inside, the central area of the castle is grass. It's mainly even but with a few humps and lumps to negotiate. There are a few bumpy thresholds to go into rooms round the edge - these were generally gravelly or stone. Simple wooden ramps would help make these navigable but as they are, they're a bit uneven. At the further end, the grass slopes down quite steeply and care is needed (getting down was fine,but I needed help back up). There is a flight of stairs up to a set of rooms - these were completely inaccessible. Interestingly a wooden step has been installed elsewhere on one slope for able bodied visitors - a shame no ramps though!

Toilets

This Is difficult to rate fairly. On the one hand, it's great there is one. However it was very difficult for me to use it and I'm lucky in that I can weight-bear. Even then there was barely enough space for me to put my feet on the floor, getting out of my wheelchair. So many would find this difficult, if not impossible for their needs. Once on my feet, there wasn't enough room for my knees when sitting in the loo as my wheelchair was pressed up against it!

Staff

The lady in the ticket office gave helpful advice about which areas were accessible/not.

Anything else you wish to tell us?

Areas for improvement I'd suggest - blue badge spaces near the entrance; some small wooden ramps over some of the stoney or bumpy sections in the castle grounds; a replacement assisted loo with enough room for a wheelchair. Please note The Hermitage is about half a mile away up the river (nice path but has a vicious camber in several sections that feels a bit precarious in a wheelchair!). You have to take a rowing boat across the river to get to it so not accessible for most disabled people.

Photos