Kenilworth Castle in Warwickshire is managed by English Heritage. We arrived in their carpark which has a three disabled parking spaces. The carpark is a little way from the visitor entrance and shop. I personally could not have managed that distance without a mobility scooter. The route is reasonably flat on compact gravel paths but with steeper gradients inside the castle walls.
First we headed to the cafe, which is in part of the old stable block. As it was a nice day, I parked my Whill next to a table outside. The restaurant area is accessible with a small ramp taking you over the threshold of the entrance door.
Afterwards we visited some more of the old castle ruins and then to the castles Leicester Gatehouse which housed Queen Elizabeth 1st Royal bedroom.
I was pleasantly surprised to find the main door entrance was accessible to wheeled users and then discovered that there was a lift, and a wooden ramp had been installed to access the lift through an old doorway. This access was very tight, but no problem at all for my Whill.
After visiting each floor and seeing the exhibition, I returned down the lift and we headed to the ornate Elizabethan Garden, and imagined Queen Elizabeth enjoying the gardens overlooked by the castle. Unfortunately the castle is higher up via steep steps. Work has been done so that amongst the ruins, higher levels are accessible to non disabled to visit the towers and where there was once higher floors.
At first I didn’t think I’d manage to get closer to this area of the castle grounds, but my amazing Whill C, coped well over the smooth grassy ground around the rear of the castle and up slopes, until I eventually managed to enter the middle of the castle. It was summer, so the ground was dry, it may be a different story in wetter times. But this route managed to bypass all the steps.
I waited where the Great Hall and kitchen once was whilst my husband and son ventured up and down spiral staircases and towers. But was very grateful that I could reach that part of the castle due to the gradient of the surrounding slopes.
