Accessibility at Clare Castle Country Park
If there is any other information you would like us to include here, please let us know.
Parking
The Park has 88 parking spaces, of which 4 are reserved for blue badge holders. Parking charges apply to these spaces between 9am and 7pm. The ticket machines accept cash. Alternatively payment may be made by ‘phone (Ringo) for a small fee.
Toilets
There are two sets of toilets at the Park. They are unlocked at 9am and locked at 5pm during the summer months and at dusk (generally around 4pm) in winter. The main toilet block, which was refurbished in 2021, is by the children’s play park and Station Road entrance. It has separate facilities for ladies, gents, baby changing and disabled users. The other toilet is at the rear of The Old Goods Shed, very close to the car park. This is a single toilet which is DDA compliant. All toilets are cleaned and restocked on a daily basis.
Water
There is an external water tap outside the Station Road toilet block. The water isn’t recommended for drinking. The cafe are always happy to fill customers’ water bottles.
Food and drink
The cafe has tables and chairs outside which are easily accessible for wheelchair and mobility scooter users. Two of these tables are under cover. For people eating outside, orders are placed at a window to the rear of the cafe, which is also easily accessible. There is also indoor seating. To access this with a wheelchair, mobility scooter or child’s buggy a further door needs to be opened, which cafe staff are happy to do.
The cafe has highchairs and will be happy to accommodate the needs of children and babies wherever possible. To avoid overcrowding in the cafe its internal toilet is currently closed, other than for customer with limited mobility. The toilet is DDA compliant and has baby changing facilities.
Seating
There are regular benches around much of the Park, with the exception of the railway walk and the walk from the car park to Ashen Road. The Park does not have picnic tables. Visitors tend to use rugs if they’re willing and able to sit on the grass, or eat sitting on a bench.
Trails
There are a number of trails around the Park, including a designated “accessible trail”. (Pick up a map or directions from the visitor centre or see the Park map in the car park.) Please note that a few parts of the accessible trail may become muddy in wet weather. We recommend missing out the section of the accessible trail that goes along the New Cut river in wet weather, and instead returning via a footbridge to the centre of the Park.
In wet weather, the muddiest sections of the Park are the railway walk and the paths alongside the New Cut river. Most of the remaining trails are on a hard surface and remain easily accessible all year round.
Wheelchair Availability
A manual wheelchair is available to borrow from the visitor centre, which is located on the platform opposite the cafe and open Friday to Sunday from 11 till 3.
The Motte
We regret that the Motte, a scheduled ancient monument, is not accessible to wheelchairs due to the steep slope at the bottom. There are handrails all the way up the Motte and there is a bench at the top.
The Visitor Centre
The visitor centre, which is housed in a listed former railway building, is accessible to wheelchairs and children’s buggies. There is a step at the entrance which wheelchair users would require help negotiating. Due to the narrow platform it hasn’t been possible to create a ramp here and it is therefore unfortunately inaccessible to mobility scooter users. Mobility scooters may be parked just beyond the visitor centre if desired.
The Old Goods Shed
The Old Goods Shed is fully accessible to wheelchair and mobility scooter users. It is on two levels with a wheelchair lift. The higher level may also be accessed via a ramp to the side of the building. It has three toilets including one which is DDA compliant and has baby changing facilities.
Bins
There are bins at regular intervals around the Park, including dog waste bins.
Bicycles
There are two bike racks in the Park: one to the side of the cafe in front of the park office and one to the front of the cafe, beyond the gravel roadway. Cyclists are asked to be considerate of other Park users and to give them right of way.
A Park User’s Experience
A Clare resident and regular Park visitor has kindly given us her feedback on the pros and cons of visits to the Park for someone using a mobility scooter. The following are her words:
Firstly, much of the Park is accessible. The main roadway from the car park to the cafe and around to the children’s play area has a hard surface and is wide enough to motor alongside other people and chat. There’s a trail that’s accessible all year round, which goes from the children’s play area around a slightly wilder area of the Park and then returns to the centre via a (rather bumpy) footbridge.
The Park has a map which shows a trail that’s marked as an accessible trail, which goes along the river. This isn’t always accessible in wet weather as it becomes too muddy (and floods when it’s very wet), but it is fine in dry weather and a particularly attractive part of the Park. The old railway walk and the path along the river to the Ashen Road bridge are also accessible in dry weather, but the railway walk in particular becomes very muddy when it’s wet.
The other thing to watch out for on the official “accessible trail” is that the hard surfaced paths up to the car park can be blocked by parked cars. If it’s dry you can detour onto the grass but if it’s wet this isn’t an option. The combination of mud and an uphill slope meant that I became stuck here once. I’ve since discovered that you can go over the old railway bridge then turn right to go over a little footbridge and back to the car park via Malting Lane. (This is best done in a clockwise direction as described, as there’s a steepish gravelled slope in the other direction.)
Outside seating at the cafe is very easy to access. There are double doors to go through to sit inside and one of these is kept locked, which means you can’t enter without asking a member of staff to open it (which they’ve always been happy to do).
A trip up the motte by scooter isn’t possible as there’s a steep slope at the bottom. If I’m feeling energetic I leave the scooter at the bottom of the motte and walk up using the handrails, which go all the way up. The view from the top is well worth the effort.
There are toilets at both entrances. I’ve only used the toilet to the rear of the Old Goods Shed, which is well designed and easy to access. (The Old Goods Shed itself is only open for functions and special occasions, which I’ve attended a few times, and I’ve always found it easy to access and move around inside.)
I tend not to visit by car but when I have we’ve always been able to park within a designated blue badge parking space. Car park charges are the same for blue badge holders and other visitors, but are reasonable at £1 for the first hour and £2 for the day and you can pay by phone for a small extra charge.
There’s a recently opened visitor centre in the old railway waiting room. I had no problem negotiating the slopes up and down to this, but the edge of the platform seemed uncomfortably close. There’s a step into the building so it’s inaccessible in a mobility scooter. I parked the scooter and entered on foot but there’s no handrail by the step and it all felt quite precarious. I’d suggest giving this a miss if you’re in a scooter, unless you’re fairly confident to walk over the step or accompanied by someone who can help you.
Overall I would definitely encourage other mobility scooter users to visit. The Park works really well for me as somewhere I can go out in all weathers: the atmosphere is lovely and I’ve always found other Park users to be friendly and up for a chat. It’s a good place to socialise with friends, and it has great coffee!