WINDSOR, ETON, HAMPTON COURT
accessibilty- good
The only part of Windsor Castle, England's largest Royal residence, that is not accessible to wheel-chair users visitors is the Queen Mary's Dolls House. There are lifts leading up to the State Apartments and ramps throughout the Castle, as well as six wheelchairs that are available for hire. For the hard of hearing visitors there is an audio tour that can be modified with the use of a hearing aid, and specially recorded tours for the visually impaired.
The Renaissance Gallery of Hampton Court is the only part of the Palace that is not accessible. However, all other areas including the famous maze and garden are fully accessible and there is an access sheet available at the entrance which maps out accessible routes.
There are a number of single person battery operated cars available for use in the garden and maze, and seven wheelchairs are also available for hire. For the visually impaired there is a Braille guide and the audio guide is also suitable.
A panoramic tour of the famous public school of Eton is included, where the boys are still dressed in traditional black tail coats will be given by your guide.
Hampton Court Palace
Surrey
http://www.hrp.org.uk
Windsor Castle
Berkshire
http://www.royalresidences.com
STRATFORD UPON AVON
accessibilty- mixed
Your
guide will drive you through the beautiful historic city of
Oxford, where you can visit some of the colleges that have
good disabled access. Your next stop is the birthplace of
Sir Winston Churchill, Blenheim Palace which is accessible
by a ramp to the entrance. Some may find this a bit steep,
but the staff are only too willing to help. As one of our
guides puts it 'Once inside, everything is flat and wide
open'.
The maze, train and formal gardens are not very
accessible.
On your way to Stratford, you will drive through some of
England's best countryside, with rolling hills and quaint
villages with thatched cottages of mellowed local stone.
Once in Stratford, birthplace and home of William
Shakespeare, you will have the opportunity to visit the
various properties that belong to The Shakespeare Birthplace
Trust, (mixed accessibility). Most of Shakespeares'
Birthplace is accessible to wheelchair users, apart from
upstairs. However, an interactive computer on the ground
floor shows visitors what is upstairs, and there are also
ramps to the entrance. In both Nash's House and Hall's Croft
only the garden and the ground floor is accessible. Anne
Hathway's cottage, where Anne lived before her marriage to
the Bard is the least accessible of all the houses in the
Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, with the garden being the only
accessible part of the attraction. Mary Ardens' house
however is accessible, apart from the upperflight of the
farmhouse.
Shakespeares Birthplace Trust
Stratford upon Avon
Warwickshire
http://www.shakespeare.org.uk
COTSWOLDS and BLENHEIM PALACE
Accessibility:good
This
is a popular tour because it gives one the experience of
genuine English villages - it also has the advantage of
being an 'outdoors' tour and villages like Broadway and
Burford can be easily visited.
Blenheim Palace, the magnificent home of the Dukes of
Marlborough and birthplace of Winston Churchill, is also
practically 100 % accessible. There is a ramp outside and
once inside everything is flat and wide open. This is one of
England's most stunning Stately Homes. Only the private
apartments on the Second floor are inaccessible.
Blenheim Palace,
Woodstock,
Oxfordshire
http://
www.blenheimpalace.com
CANTERBURY, LEEDS CASTLE and Dover
accessibilty-good
Driving
through the county of Kent, affectionately known as 'the
Garden of England' because of the pretty gardens and fields
that adorn the countryside, you will make your way to the
medieval city of Canterbury, and the splendid Norman
cathedral, where Thomas a Becket met his gruesome death in
1170. The only part of the Cathedral that is not accessible
to wheelchair users is Trinity Chapel. There is a 'touch and
hearing' system for the visually impaired, and guides are
available that are qualified in signing.
Over a century old,
Leeds Castle resembles a scene from a fairy-tale, situated
on an island between two lakes and surrounded by a backdrop
of beautifully landscaped gardens. The only parts of Leeds
Castle that is not accessible is the upper floor and the
maze. For the visually impaired, the Dog Collar Museum has
signs in Braille, and the registered blind are permitted to
bring their guide dogs. There is an induction loop for the
hard of hearing in the Castle.
Dover Castle is
fully accessible to the wheelchair bound, except for the
Keep. There is also a hearing loop system for the hard of
hearing.
Canterbury Cathedral
Canterbury
Kent
http://www.canterbury-cathedral.org
Leeds Castle
Maidstone
Kent
http://www.leeds-castle.co.uk
Dover Castle
Kent
http://www.english-heritage.org.uk
BATH, STONEHENGE
and SALISBURY
accessibilty-fair
There
are no steps or obstacles at Britain's most famous
prehistoric monument, making Stonehenge one of the most
accessible attractions in Britain. There is also a hearing
loop for the hard of hearing, large print brochures and
brochures in Braille for the visually impaired.
Described by the warden as 'good to very good' in terms of
accessibility, Salisbury Cathedral has several ramps and
good parking; a few parts are difficult to access like the
Tower (which has 330 steps). (An option on this tour is to
include Longleat, a fine 16th century Elizabethan treasure
house and safari nearby. Longleat House has lifts to all
floors, and the safari is fully accessible also. The only
parts that are not accessible are the headsprays, the
simulator ride, and the Safari Boat Ride).
The city of Bath offers mixed accessibility - wheelchair
users will find that while the Pump Rooms are accessible,
the Roman Baths are not.
NB British Tours also offer an exclusive 'Touch the Stones'
visit to Stonehenge, where you are able to get up close to
the Stones, either at dusk or at dawn.
Stonehenge
Amesbury
Wiltshire
http://www.english-heritage.org.uk
Salisbury Cathedral
Salisbury
Wiltshire
http://www.salisbury.cathedral.org.uk
AVEBURY
accessibilty - fair
Unlike
Stonehenge, its neighbour - the stone cirlce at Avebury is
not cordonned-off so you have the opportunity to walk among
the great monoliths, situated near to Stonehenge. Comprising
of three stone circles, with one so large that is encircles
the village, Avebury was constructed over 4,500 years
ago.
It is advisable that visitors with mobility problems use the
village car park instead of the main car park. The Manor
Gardens are fully accessible, although the Manor House is
not
BRIGHTON and ARUNDEL or PETWORTH
accessibilty - good
Brighton offers a wonderful day out in this Regency
seaside resort, with the delightful 'Lanes' lined with
intriguing shops, and the Royal Pavilion, built for King
George IV and was also used by his brother William IV and
their niece Queen Victoria. Access is to the ground floor
only. There is a 'tactile tour' (again, ground floor only
and advance booking needed) and a hearing aid system. Book
ahead also for tours in sign language.
You then have the option of visiting Arundel Castle, the
home of the Duke of Norfolk or Petworth House, which has one
of the finest collections of art outside London and a garden
designed by Capability Brown. Access at Petworth is
reasonably good. The main rooms accessible and Braille
guides, audio guides and a 'hearing loop' are all
available.
The Royal Pavillion
Brighton
East Sussex
http://www.royalpavillion.brighton.co.uk
Arundel Castle
Arundel
West Sussex
http://www.arundelcastle.org
WINCHESTER
accessibilty-good
A
popular addition to the Salisbury and Stonehenge tour is
Winchester - a historic city of legends, with the Round
Table rumoured to have seated King Arthur and his 24
knights, hanging in the Great Hall of the Castle. The
beautiful medieval cathedral is where Jane Austen and
William Rufus, the son of William the Conqueror are both
buried.
Provisions for the disabled at the Cathedral is quite good,
with a lift that takes visitors from the Nave to the East
End of the Cathedral. There are also Braille copies of the
Cathedral guide available as well as a Braille model of the
Cathedral itself, which allows the visually impaired to get
an idea of what the Cathedral is like. (Page from the Book
of Jeremiah, at Winchester Cathedral)
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Hampton Court
Stratford
Blenheim
Canterbury
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