by Christian Drewitt | Attraction, Gloucester, Leisure
24th March 2017
There is one accessible parking space situated in the car park
There is a long steep hill, leading up to the venue for the accessible access point. This is currently under construction and there are no visible sign posts telling you where to go. A second accessible parking space is planned on completion.
Although not sign posted or very clear, the reception entrance is around the building on the right hand side.
There is quite a lip leading into the door but my electric wheelchair managed to get up this okay.
The staff were very friendly and helpful, Richard took the time out of his day to show us around and answer our questions.
Toilets
There is an accessible toilet located in the reception area, where you collect ski equipment.
It is accessible for wheelchair users, it is large enough for a wheelchair to turn around in safely and there is enough room for a PA or family member to assist a wheelchair user.
The toilet has a handrail for both transfer sides.
The sink, hand dryer and toilet paper dispenser are all accessible for wheelchair users.
The toilet doesn’t require a RADAR key.
The lighting is nice and bright, the toilets are nice and clean and safe to use.
Restaurant
The restaurant is wheelchair accessible.
They serve food from 10am until 9pm.
They don’t offer a largerprint menu or a braille menu for the visually impaired. Nor do they offer a hearing loop for the deaf.
They allow guide dogs and all other service dogs into the building.
Ski
For wheelchair users they offer tubing sessions, with a fully qualified instructor.
They also offer a Disabled Ski Club! This is held once a month, for disabled users and people with minor disabilities. They ask for a fee of ÂŁ5 towards this.
Unfortunately they don’t offer any snowboarding facilities for the disabled.
They have an accessible changing room for visitors located next to the accessible toilet.
Accessibility Rating
by Christian Drewitt | Attraction, Gloucester, Leisure, Recommended Venues
29th March 2017
Slimbridge is a fantastic day out for all families.
It is home to over 30,000 wild birds.
There is lots of exploring to do and so much fun for little children.
Most of the park is wheelchair accessible, with good paths. However, some of the hides and walkways are inaccessible.
You can use an electric or manual wheelchair. The park offers manual wheelchairs to hire, at no cost.
You can hire an electric buggy, for a small charge of ÂŁ5. You need to call in advance and book the buggy.
They are due to make the summer walkway accessible and some of the inaccessible hides will be getting a face- lift.
There is an outdoor theatre coming soon and also an app for your smartphone to use, whilst walking around the park.
My only bit of advice for anyone who is able bodied, bring wellies!
The staff were all extremely helpful, friendly and well mannered. Jackie took the time out of her day to answer our questions. Jackie was extremely helpful and showed a lot of support towards my project.
There are plenty of accessible parking spaces located in the car park and a accessible toilet, too.
There is a ramp leading up to the entrance of the venue.
Before entering the venue you have to disinfect your feet or wheels of your wheelchair.
There is a mat and wheel wash provided.
There is a large double automatic door leading into the venue, with a button for disabled users to press, which will open this door.
In the reception area there is a lowered section of the desk for wheelchair users.
Once inside you can go and collect bird food from the volunteers stand and also collect your tokens to access the Viewing Platform.
Start of the adventure.
There is a lift which will take you up to the Platform.
This is accessible for wheelchair users, it is not large enough to turn a wheelchair around in safely but there is room for a PA or family member to assist a wheelchair user.
The lift has easy to reach buttons but the light within the lift is quite dim.
The Viewing Platform gives you a 360 degree panoramic view of the Wetlands. I had no trouble viewing this using my electric wheelchair.
There is a large ramp leading from the main reception down to where the attractions start.
The Toad Hall, is a fantastic little area where you can view toads. There are toys, games and a soft play area. They also do handling sessions and talks on the toads.
Outside
Once outside you walk over a bridge taking you to try and spot all the different birds.
Along the walk you will come to a part called the Wader Shore, this has slight rough gravel so a little bumpy for the electric wheelchair.
There are flat footpaths leading all around the park which makes it really accessible for wheelchair users.
The South Lake Discovery hide is absolutely fantastic for wheelchair users, there are lots of low windows for you to be able to look outside and see all of the wild birds.
If suitable for you, they have binoculars so you can have a closer look at the birds.
This is definitely the best hide for wheelchair accessibility.
Along the walk you will come across a few gates, these are fairly easy to use by lifting the latch and pushing the gate. This is quite difficult to do if you are in a wheelchair so the help of a PA or family member will be needed.
We came across the Otter pool which was a nice surprise, there is great flat decking all around the pool so you can get a really good view of the otters.
There is a cave that will take you through to see the otters swimming underneath the water.
The Flamingo Lagoon has a fantastic accessible hide, which gives you a great view of the flamingos and the lagoon.
We decided to have a look inside the Tropical House.
You must disinfect your wheels and shoes before entering.
The floor inside is extremely bumpy and uneven but completely accessible and definitely worth a look inside.
We stopped off at the Kiosk, not far from the Chilean Flamingo’s. There are accessible toilets located by the Kiosk and tables for you to sit at to have your snack. However, you cannot fit a wheelchair under any of the benches by the Kiosk.
Not far from the Kiosk is the Kingfisher hide, we were advised that this is wheelchair accessible but we didn’t make it that far to have a look.
We then headed back towards the main reception. There is another tower called the Holden Tower, however, this is inaccessible for wheelchair users.
There are two places to eat within the venue. The Swan Café located upstairs in the main reception and the main restaurant downstairs.
In the main restaurant the seating plan is open with lots of long tables, easily accessible for wheelchair users. There are lots of open windows so the lighting is extremely good within the restaurant.
There is a little gift shop as you exit the park which is filled with lots of nice gifts and souvenirs if you wish to purchase them.
You exit the park through the gift shop which will take you straight back to the car park.
You will need to disinfect your wheels and shoes before leaving the attraction, wheel wash and disinfectant mat is provided.
Accessibility Rating
by Christian Drewitt | Gloucester, Restaurants
21st March 2017
There is accessible parking located in the Gloucester Quays Outlet Shopping Centre.
There is a large double accessible entrance into the venue.
The staff members were very friendly, helpful and well mannered. They took the time out of the day to answer our questions.
When we were leaving the restaurant, it was raining and the staff members offered us an umbrella so we didn’t get wet, whilst walking back to the car 🙂
Toilets
There are accessible toilets located at the back of the building.
These are accessible for wheelchair users, they are large enough for a wheelchair to turn around in safely and large enough for a PA or family member to assist a wheelchair user.
The sink, hand dryer and toilet paper dispenser are all accessible for wheelchair users.
The toilet has a handrail for both transfer sides.
The lockable toilet doesn’t require a RADAR key.
The lighting is quite dim within the toilet.
The toilets are nice and clean and safe to use.
Restaurant
The restaurant is accessible for wheelchair users.
They also offer a selection of baby toys, to keep your babies entertained 🙂
Food can be ordered Monday to Sunday, 9am until 10pm.
At the moment they don’t offer a larger print menu, braille menu or hearing loop.
They do however, offer a vegan and gluten free menu.
The menus are nice and light, they offer special cards located on the menu stands.
The seating plan is open with a couple of quiet corners. They offer two long seats against the wall.
If you require your food to be liquidised they can offer this facility – if not, they are happy for you to bring your own food.
There is music playing in the background of at mid volume.
The lighting in the restaurant is quite dim but okay if you sit by a window.
They allow guide dogs into the building.
Accessibility Rating
by Christian Drewitt | Attraction, Gloucester, Leisure, Recommended Venues
15th March 2017
There is accessible parking located in the Gloucester Quays outlet shopping centre.
There are 3 large accessible entrances into the venue, these are automatic doors.
The staff members were friendly helpful and well mannered.
Paula took the time out of her day to answer our questions.
Toilets
There is an accessible toilet located on the first floor. To access these toilets you will need to use the escalator or the lift provided on the ground floor.
The toilets are accessible for wheelchair users, there is enough space for a wheelchair to turn around in safely and enough space for a PA or family member to assist a wheelchair user.
There are handrails for both transfer sides.
The sink, hand dryer and toilet paper dispenser are all accessible for wheelchair users.
The toilet doesn’t require a RADAR key.
The lighting is nice and bright, the toilets are nice and clean and safe to use.
Lift
There is a lift located at the back of the building on the ground floor.
This lift is accessible for wheelchair users, it is not large enough for a wheelchair to turn around in safely but there is room for a family member or PA to assist a wheelchair user.
The lift has easy to reach buttons, both on the outside and on the inside of the lift.
The lighting inside the lift is really bright.
Cinema Screens and Services
All 11 screens of the cinema offer audio described service. This service offers a headset to tell you about what is going on in the film.
Every screen apart from screens 2,7 and 10 offer an access box. These boxes are for wheelchair users only.
To access these boxes you have to use the lift, a member of staff will take you up as a key is required in the lift.
They have a lower section at the bar/ticket sales for wheelchair users. They also have a hearing loop on the bar/ticket sales.
They allow guide dogs into the building.
Accessibility Rating
by Christian Drewitt | Attraction, Gloucester, Leisure, Recommended Venues
15th March 2017
Accessibility Rating
by Christian Drewitt | Gloucester, Recommended Venues, Restaurants
10th March 2017
There is accessible parking located in the Gloucester Quays outlet shopping centre.
There is a large accessible entrance leading into the venue.
The staff members were friendly and well-mannered and the manager, Shane, took the time out of his day to show us around and answer our questions.
Toilets
There are accessible toilets located at the back of the building.
They are accessible for wheelchair users, they are large enough for a wheelchair to turn around in safely and there is enough space for a PA or family member to assist a wheelchair user.
The toilet has handrails for both transfer sides.
The sink, hand dryer and toilet paper dispenser are all accessible for wheelchair users.
The lockable toilet requires a RADAR key.
The lighting is nice and bright. However, the lightbulb was flickering but the manager said he was sorting it out that day.
Restaurant
The restaurant is wheelchair accessible.
The seating plan is open with one large long booth.
There is more seating available upstairs which might be quieter, for people wanting to get away from the hustle and bustle.
They serve food from 12.00pm until 10pm Monday to Saturday and until 9pm on Sundays.
They currently don’t offer larger print menu, braille or a hearing loop but this is something that is coming soon!
If you require your food to be pureed they can help with this facility. If not they are happy for you to bring in your own food.
There is music being played in the background, which is quite loud.
The lighting is really good and very bright.
They allow guide dogs and all other dogs into the building.
Accessibility rating
by Christian Drewitt | Gloucester, Restaurants
3rd March 2017
There is accessible parking located in The Quays outlet centre.
There is a large accessible double door leading into the venue.
The staff are very friendly, well-mannered and helpful. Aga, the General Manager took the time out of her day to show us around and answer our questions. Our waiter, Brendon, made our experience more enjoyable.
There is an accessible toilet located on the ground floor. The toilet is accessible for wheelchair users, they are large enough for a wheelchair to turn around in safely. There is enough room for a PA or family member to assist a wheelchair user.
The toilet has a handrail for both transfer sides.
The sink, hand dryer and toilet paper dispenser are all accessible for wheelchair users.
The lockable toilet requires a RADAR key.
There is enough lighting, the toilets are nice and clean and safe to use.
Restaurant
The restaurant is wheelchair accessible.
They serve food from 9am until 10pm.
The restaurant has large open plan seating, with lots of booths and quiet areas. It can become very loud and busy at the weekends.
They currently don’t offer larger print menus, braille or a hearing loop.
If you require your food to be liquidised they can offer this facility, or they are happy for you to bring in your own food.
There is quiet music playing in the background.
The lighting is quite dim within the venue but okay if you sit by the window – in daylight!
They also allow guide dogs into the building.
Accessibility Rating
by Christian Drewitt | Gloucester, Recommended Venues, Restaurants
Accessibility Rating
by Christian Drewitt | Gloucester, Recommended Venues, Restaurants
8th March 2017
There is accessible parking located in The Quays outlet shopping centre.
There is an accessible entrance into the venue.
The staff were friendly and helpful, the manager took the time to answer our questions.
Toilets
There is an accessible toilet located at the back of the building.
It is accessible for wheelchair users. It is large enough for a wheelchair to turn around in safely and are large enough for a PA or family member to assist a wheelchair user.
The toilet has a handrail for both transfer sides.
The sink, hand dryer and toilet paper dispenser are all accessible for wheelchair users.
The lockable toilet doesn’t require a RADAR key.
The lighting is nice and bright, the toilets are nice and clean and safe to use.
Restaurant
The restaurant is wheelchair accessible.
The seating plan is open with one long booth and two square booths.
They serve food from 11.30am until 10pm Sunday to Thursday and 11pm on Friday and Saturday.
They offer a larger print menu and braille menu for the visually impaired and a hearing loop for the deaf.
If you require your food to be liquidised they don’t offer this facility. Unless you are with a party of 10 or more, they don’t allow people to bring their own food.
There is quiet music playing in the background.
The restaurant lighting is nice and bright.
They allow guide dogs into the building.
Accessibility Rating
by Christian Drewitt | Gloucester, Restaurants
1st March 2017
There is accessible parking available in the Gloucester Quays outlet centre.
There is an accessible entrance leading into the venue.
The staff members were friendly and well-mannered and helped to answer all our questions.
There is an accessible toilet located at the back of the building, the toilet is accessible for wheelchair users. It is large enough for a wheelchair to turn around in safely, although there isn’t a lot of room. There is enough room for a PA or family member to assist a wheelchair user.
There are hand rails for both transfer sides.
The sink hand dryer and toilet paper dispenser are all accessible for wheelchair users.
The lockable toilet requires a RADAR key.
There is enough lighting, the toilets are nice and safe to use.
The restaurant is accessible for wheelchair users.
The seating plan is open, there is a large round booth in the middle of the room and there are also 4 other booths.
They serve food from 11am until 10.30pm.
They offer a larger print menu and braille menu for the visually impaired.
They currently don’t offer hearing loops for the deaf.
If you require your food to be liquidised they don’t offer this facility. However, they are happy for you to bring in your own food.
The lighting is nice and bright within the building.
They allow guide dogs into the building.
Accessibility Rating
by Christian Drewitt | Gloucester, Restaurants
28th February 2017
There are two accessible parking spaces located in the car park.
There is a ramp leading from the car park to the venue, this takes you to a large accessible entrance.
The staff are very friendly and welcoming, our waitress Tessa took the time out of her day to show us around and answer our questions.
There is an accessible toilet located to the left of the restaurant, this toilet is also shared with the ladies. They are accessible for wheelchair users. They are large enough for a wheelchair to turn around in safely, but it is a little bit tight. There is enough room for a PA or family member to assist a wheelchair user.
They have handrails for both transfer sides.
The level of the sink is okay however, the soap and hand dryer are too high.
The lockable toilet doesn’t require a RADAR key.
There is good lighting, the toilets are clean and safe to use.
The restaurant is wheelchair accessible.
The seating plan is open, with one corner table.
There is plenty of seating outside for the warmer summer months.
They don’t offer larger print menus or braille for the visually impaired, but this is something they are looking into. They do have a magnifying glass if requested.
If anyone requires their food to be liquidised, then they can help with this. Or they are happy for you to bring in your own food.
There is quiet music playing in the background.
The lighting is very good and very bright.
They allow guide dogs into the building.
Accessibility Rating
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