Accessible Britain

a boat across it or admire it from a miniature train. Beyond the lake lies the Trentham
Monkey Forest, home to 140 Barbary macaques which roam freely around sixty acres of
woodland. Watching the family groups tending to and playing with their young makes
for compelling viewing. There’s also Aerial Extreme, a tree-based high ropes adventure
course. No experience is necessary, but there is a minimum height requirement of 1.4m.
Finally, and slightly incongruously, the estate is also the site of a “shopping village” with
over fifty shops and a large garden centre.
There’s plenty of free on-site parking, with designated disabled spaces and level
access to the garden centre, shopping village and gardens. The Monkey Forest is quite
a distance from the other areas, but you can drive there (it has its own car park) or
reach it on the wheelchair accessible (seasonal) boat across the lake. The paths around
the gardens are mostly level, with a compacted gravel surface; scented paths and tactile
features add to their accessibility. The path around the lake is only partially suitable
for wheelchairs, but there is a designated accessible route through the Monkey Forest.
There are several disabled toilets dotted around the site, all equipped with grab-rails.
Assistance dogs are not permitted anywhere in the Monkey Forest site.
FOOD & DRINK aa Trentham offers numerous eating options, including the beautifully
located Lakeside Café down towards the Monkey Forest, the delightful Italian Garden
Tearoom and a clutch of restaurants in the shopping village and garden centre.
082 Park Hall Farm Countryside Experience,
Shropshire
Address: Burma Road, Oswestry SY11 4AS Web: www.parkhallfarm.co.uk Tel: 01691 671123 Hours:
daily Apr–Oct 10am–5pm plus Feb half-term 10am–4pm; open Sat & Sun from 15 Feb plus Oct–Dec
Dates: closed 25 Dec–12 Feb Entry: [D]£7.80 [C]free [A]£8.40 [2–16s]£8.40 [Con]£7.80 [Fam]£31.80
This is a boisterous day out: if you’re a family that enjoys getting muddy and can’t get
enough of farm animals, then you’ll love it here.
Adults will be pleasantly surprised by the uniforms and memorabilia in the Welsh
Guards display, while older children will enjoy the fitness and assault courses, a 131
foot zip-wire, the off-road 4x4 children’s driving course and a go-kart circuit. Animals
are the main draw, especially the pig races held daily at 12.30pm and 2.30pm. Younger
children can hold guinea pigs and rabbits in the pet handling area. Staff help children
aged over five milk the cows and even toddlers can join in with brushing the tiny Shetland
ponies. From the end of February until early summer, lambs can be bottle-fed by
visitors – check the website for times. Less confident children can watch Charm the
Clydesdale Heavy Horse gracefully cross the stableyard, or feed the ducks in the pond.
Elsewhere, there are sand pits, two bouncy castles, a drop slide and a massive play barn
with slides, nets and ropes, while the “Trench Experience” allows the young and old to
experience warfare through an elaborate network of trenches from World Wars I and II
and modern times.
Disabled parking is close to the entrance. The Park Hall team has made provisions for
visitors with disabilities – wheelchair users in particular – to access the farm. However,
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