Accessible Britain

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079 Chatsworth House, Derbyshire Address: Bakewell DE45 1PP Web: www.chatsworth.org Tel: 01246 565300; access information 01246 565420 Hours: daily; house 11am–5.30pm; garden 11am–6pm; farmyard & adventure playground 10.30am–5.30pm; last entrance 1 hour before closing Dates: closed Jan–mid-Mar & 24–26 Dec Entry: prices vary seasonally and for individual attractions, check website for details and discounts; car parking £3 THE WEST MIDLANDS AND WEST COUNTRY 96 Chatsworth House, in the heart of the Peak District in Derbyshire, is a deservedly popular, extraordinary stately home, dating back to the seventeenth century. Owned by the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, the house has been updated and expanded over sixteen generations, but the current incarnation remains a harmonious whole. The four-poster bed where George II died and the Great Dining Room – set as it was for the visit of George V and Queen Mary in 1933 – are showpiece exhibits. Another enduring highlight is the magnificent collection of paintings. Chatsworth displays works by Tintoretto, Van Dyck and Rembrandt, whose Portrait of an Old Man hangs in the chapel. There is a lot to see in the grounds as well: a grotto and artificial waterfall; a nursery and assorted greenhouses; a tour of the sensory garden to stimulate sound, touch and smell; a farmyard, with daily animal handling sessions; and a woodland adventure playground that has water, sand pits, a climbing forest and spiral slides. An excellent map indicating the location of benches, accessible toilets and varying path surfaces is downloadable from the accessibility page of the website, and also given out on arrival. Parking for Blue Badge holders is clearly marked and free of charge, and drop-offs are permitted at the main entrance. Close by you’ll find an information kiosk, a powered scooter and manual wheelchair collection point (these are free to hire but be sure to book in advance and be aware they may not be made available in bad weather), and an accessible toilet. There are further accessible toilets in the restaurant and at the farmyard. For an additional charge, a wheelchair accessible trailer – pre-bookable on 01246 565300 – offers rides to the woods and lakes behind the house, while an adapted golf buggy takes visitors on tours of the garden. All areas, including the entrance to the main children’s attractions – the farmyard and adventure playground – are at the top of the main car park. There is lift and ramp access to the animals, picnic room, café, shop and playground, but the woodland playground has a bark surface. There is a gently sloping footpath leading to the paddocks and picnic area. A new lift in the house means wheelchair users now have unrestricted access to the full visitor route through the house. Touch tours of selected exhibits in the north wing and a BSL interpreter can be booked on 01246 565430; these are charged as guided tours, so booking as a group might be a good idea. Assistance dogs are welcome throughout the whole estate, including the house. Those who are visually impaired have access to free audio tours. All the refreshment venues and shops have level access and, with the exception of the garden shop, plenty of space. The team at Chatsworth have gone to great lengths to ensure the estate is as accessible as possible; if you have any queries before you visit they are happy to help on the phone or via the email address visit@chatsworth.org. FOOD & DRINK aa Treat yourself to a luxurious brunch, or even a champagne tea, at the award-winning Cavendish Restaurant.
A619 080 Peak District Scenic Drive Driving distance: 50 miles Approx time without stops: 1 hour 40 minutes Sandwiched between the major urban centres of Manchester and Sheffield, the Peak District National Park (www.peakdistrict.gov.uk) is an oasis of beautiful, unspoiled countryside. This fifty-mile drive takes you through the varied landscape of the park, from the gentle hills and dales of the White Peak in the south, to the dramatic, rugged moorland of the Dark Peak in the north. Starting at the bustling market town of Ashbourne, drive north through wooded dales to pretty Dovedale; a good spot to get out and admire the scenery is down by the large stepping stones that cross the River Dove, near Ilam. There’s parking nearby, with a RADAR key-accessible toilet and an accessible route (around 500 yards) to the stepping stones along the west bank of the river. Around six miles north of Ilam, Hulme End is the starting point of a much longer walk: the level, nine-mile Manifold Trail, running along a disused railway line – find out more at the information centre (with an accessible toilet and Blue Badge parking) near the trailhead. Continuing north, you’ll soon reach the Victorian spa town of Buxton, whose elegantly landscaped Pavilion Gardens are laced with inviting accessible paths, with on-site disabled parking, accessible toilets and a smart café-restaurant. Buxton is also home to Poole’s Cavern (01298 26978, www.poolescavern.co.uk), on the southern edge of town – a network of underground caves Kinder Scout 636m Manifold Alshop High Peak Edale Moor Dove Wye A57 Noe Derwent Moor Hollow Meadows 0 5 miles Hallam Head LADYBOWER A624 Barber EDALE A6013 RESERVOIR Fulwood Chinley Head Booth Winnats Hallam Greystones Ecclesall Pass Bamford Moors Chinley Chapel Hope Thornhill Whiteley Milton Wood Abbeydale A6 Slackhall B6061 CASTLETON A6187 HATHERSAGE Tunstead Bradwell A625 Milton Sparrowpit Dore Chapel-enle-Frith Peak Forest B6001 B6521 Bradway Old Moor A623 B6049 Abney Totley Great Nether Padley Owler Combs Dove Holes Hucklow Bretton B6064 Bar Grindleford A625 A6 Combs DERBYSHIRE EYAM Froggatt Wheston B6521 A5004 Moss A623 Big A621 Tideswell Litton Wormhill Moor B6049 Wardlow Calver Curbar Fairfield BUXTON B6465 B6001 Great Burbage Blackwell Priestcliffe Hassop Baslow Longstone A515 Kingsterndale Little A5270 Longstone Pilsley Harpurhill A6020 Chelmorton Taddington Chatsworth A6 Ashford A53 A619 Edensor B5053 A515 B6012 East Flagg PEAK Bakewell Moor B5055 Earl A6 Monyash Beeley Hollinsclough Sterndale Over Haddon Rowsley Longnor DISTRICT Stanton B5057 Fawfieldhead A515 Youlgreave in-Peak Newton B5053 Pilsbury Middleton B5056 Two Dales Darley Sheen NATIONAL Birchover Bridge Upper A6 Hackney Friden Wensley Hartington Winster Upper HULME END Matlock B5054 Biggin Elkstone Tansley A615 Warslow PARK Pikehall Matlock Bath A5012 Lea STAFFORDSHIRE A515 Aldwark Cromford Butterton Holloway Alstonefield B5053 Wetton Alsop en Middleton A6 le Dale B5056 Onecote Grindon Brassington Stanshope Parwich Wirksworth Ford Carsington Millers Tissington Bradbourne Green Carsington Winkhill Waterfall Water Thorpe A523 B5035 Hognaston Calton Cauldon ILAM AND A515 Kniveton Kirk Ireton DOVEDALE Mapleton Biggin Swinscoe A52 ASHBOURNE Hulland Stanton A517 Ramshorn Bradley Mayfield A515 A52 Wootton B5032 Clifton Osmaston Stanage Edge A57 Derwent with spectacular stalactites and stalagmites, and wheelchair access into the main chamber. Beyond Buxton, head northeast to the ancient village of Castleton, overlooked by the romantic hilltop ruins of the twelfth-century Peveril Castle. There are several Blue John mines and show caves here including Peak Cavern (01433 620285, www.peakcavern.co.uk), a short walk (step-free) from the car park next to the accessible national park visitor centre. Its vast, wheelchairaccessible entrance cave – the largest natural cave entrance in <strong>Britain</strong> – was for two centuries inhabited by rope-makers supplying the lead-mining industry; you can watch demonstrations of the craft here. Take a scenic detour to the Moorland visitor centre in pretty Edale, via Mam Nick – the dip in the THE WEST MIDLANDS AND WEST COUNTRY 97
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THE ROUGH GUIDE to Accessible Brita
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Enjoy even more fun, family days ou
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Contents Click on any chapter to go
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About this book Designed to be good
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HERITAGE HIGHLIGHTS IWM Duxford (E.
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Brockholes Nature Reserve (Northwes
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London 001 The Roundhouse 002 Wembl
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It’s the colour of the pitch - su
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On the site of the London 2012 Olym
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LONDON ZSL London Zoo FOOD & DRINK
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The tour starts in the MCC Museum w
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LONDON Royal Opera House FOOD & DRI
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LONDON London Transport Museum ther
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Ideas aa Art and sculpture Tate St
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016 Westminster Abbey Address: 20 D
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hop-on/hop-off at any stop along th
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the Painted Hall and chapel. There
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023 Horniman Museum and Gardens Add
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024 Bletchley Park, Buckinghamshire
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Parents of any disabled child will
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If you’d rather go sightseeing, h
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FOOD & DRINK aa The sizeable Studio
Page 45 and 46: In 1842, when the young Charles Dar
Page 47 and 48: grotto and birds of prey centre 10a
Page 49 and 50: populated by grazing sheep and the
Page 51 and 52: available on request, subject to av
Page 53 and 54: Beach: Address: The Estate Office,
Page 55 and 56: Emirates Spinnaker Tower THE SOUTHE
Page 57 and 58: 043 Brunel’s SS Great Britain, Br
Page 59 and 60: and the tidal pools, as well as aro
Page 61 and 62: centre whose residents range from d
Page 63 and 64: Temple of Flora and Palladian Bridg
Page 65 and 66: 051 Haldon Forest Park, Devon Addre
Page 67 and 68: you can pre-book bikes with trailer
Page 69 and 70: Weymouth and Portland National Sail
Page 71 and 72: Octavia the octopus always draws a
Page 73 and 74: Trengwainton Garden THE SOUTHWEST p
Page 75 and 76: Lincoln Cathedral 059 Lincoln Cathe
Page 77 and 78: Ideas aa Animal sanctuaries Bolderw
Page 79 and 80: Holkham Hall Reserve: in summer you
Page 81 and 82: FOOD & DRINK aa The T&D café bar o
Page 83 and 84: a wheelchair, while benches provide
Page 85 and 86: Southwold Pier side and in all the
Page 87 and 88: Wicken Fen is one of Britain’s ol
Page 89 and 90: depending on what you most fancy se
Page 91 and 92: field Cavendish AM LE field Pentlow
Page 93 and 94: floor has a large step up to it, bu
Page 95: M6 M1 Barrow-in-Furness The West Mi
Page 99 and 100: a boat across it or admire it from
Page 101 and 102: 084 RAF Museum Cosford, Shropshire
Page 103 and 104: Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museu
Page 105 and 106: FOOD & DRINK aa The on-site café i
Page 107 and 108: Severn Valley Railway Northwood), a
Page 109 and 110: 091 Royal Shakespeare Company, Warw
Page 111 and 112: Hereford Cathedral FOOD & DRINK aa
Page 113 and 114: WWT Slimbridge mile. To take the wh
Page 115 and 116: M18 The Northwest MID LOTHIAN Berwi
Page 117 and 118: South of Grasmere you’ll pass the
Page 119 and 120: it’s a fairly steep hundred-yard
Page 121 and 122: 103 Brockholes Nature Reserve, Lanc
Page 123 and 124: Southport Pier 105 Airkix Indoor Sk
Page 125 and 126: the whole site (even the sewer syst
Page 127 and 128: installations in a converted docksi
Page 129 and 130: Anderton Boat Lift Blue Badge holde
Page 131 and 132: M18 The Northeast and Yorkshire 113
Page 133 and 134: smooth, solid surfaces, although it
Page 135 and 136: Designed by Sir Norman Foster, the
Page 137 and 138: fully accessible bus, with a wheelc
Page 139 and 140: efreshments, call in at the friendl
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Page 143 and 144: Roundhay Park of here sits The Mans
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Yorkshire Wildlife Park 128 Magna S
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Families are particularly well serv
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130 Callanish Standing Stones, West
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Fort George (twenty degrees) onto t
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which you can reserve in advance. A
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Sitting in the heart of the Cairngo
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St Andrews itself isn’t easily ac
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(with a disabled toilet) about a hu
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all but the most limited hand funct
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143 Dynamic Earth, Edinburgh Addres
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provide a stunning backdrop to the
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yards away from the house are the t
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M6 Wales ISLE OF MAN Barrow-in-Furn
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Electric Mountain landscape of Snow
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153-154 Llangollen Wharf and Pontcy
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Benar, turn off the A496 just befor
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Celtic Quest Coasteering When swimm
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159 Garwnant Forest Visitor Centre,
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some of the concrete surfaces insid
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163 Wales Millennium Centre, Cardif
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Northern Ireland Oronsay Colonsay J
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mobility. If you want to visit the
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(June-Aug Sat & Sun & bank hols), a
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the lives of more than 1500 passeng
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Grand Opera House, Belfast with dis
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Ulster Museum Discovery Zones - nat
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Ideas aa Heritage Fountains Abbey (
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Useful contacts This chapter featur
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advice on available facilities for
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than state what is possible. Predic
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Credits Reviewers: Claire-Louise Ba
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Accessible Britain

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