Overview

I would normally use my mountain trike for somewhere like this, but we'd been in Ely for the morning and decided to risk it with my normal manual chair. I knew there were some duckboarded sections but had no idea of the scale of this. Even the woodland walk, in dry conditions, was quite doable.

Transport & Parking

The main car park is not a great surface. There are blue badge spaces at the far end, near the exit. You have to get a ticket, though members scan their badge and get free parking. I was glad hubby was there to do that bit as getting across the car park was hard work. When we got out of the car park, we noticed a sign to better accessible parking near the visitor centre but we stayed where we were as the road to the visitor centre was fine. It was only the car park that was a bit ropey.

Access

You have to go through the visitor centre to get into the reserve. They checked that Liggy is an assistance dog, as pets are not allowed in. Once in the reserve, almost everywhere is duckboarded. It's a composite material, mostly easy to wheel over, though a couple of sections are a bit rickety. All the hides we saw were accessible. We went in one and there is a lowered viewing point and space for a wheelchair. It was quite busy though, even in February, so you might have to wait for a spot. The woodland walk is a compacted gravel surface but mostly felt like very hard mud. The ground was dry and it was fine to get round. Back to the duckboarded sections, there are different areas and they are well signposted. There are viewing areas every so often, again accessible and plenty of space for a wheelchair. The only thing is, it's two way traffic, so if you meet another wheelchair or mobility scooter, you have to be patient and find somewhere to pass.

Toilets

There were two accessible toilets, one at the main car park and one at the cafe. I only used the only at the cafe. It was easy enough to get in and out, though would have been tight if I'd have my trike. It wasn't as clean as I'd like but perfectly usable.

Staff

Staff in the visitor centre were lovely. The lady who served us took time to explain about the access to the woodland area and answered questions about surfaces. She was very friendly. Even when she asked whether Liggy is an assistance dog, it was in a nice way and didn't feel challenging or anything.

Anything else you wish to tell us?

Our only slight sadness is that we didn't see many animals or birds. There were a couple of deer near the visitor centre but otherwise, it was silent apart from people. Very beautiful environment though and a pleasant place for an afternoon walk.

Photos