5
Access for All
We travelled by train as by bus would involve a LOT of stairs from the bridge down or a long walk from park and ride. By train it's a short walk downhill all the way. No issue with uneven kerbs from the station, through the car park and down the flat path to the doors. The staff at the entrance know their stuff and are welcoming. All the staff throughout the venue are happy to help wherever they can, refreshing in an age of disconnected employees dreaming of their break! The venue is really accessible, right through to the seal pool which is outside and ramped with ridges in case of wet weather (I love when places think about the safety aspect of Scottish weather, this means it's always safe to go rather than a wheelchair user being left behind). The layout of the whole internal exhibit is clear and you can wander at your own pace and backtrack to repeat anything, I find there's always something I miss or want to see again so this works for me. The information about the creatures is easy to read and relevant. Tanks and such were not too high or too low to see what was going on. The handling tanks are up a small ramp but it's worth it to be able to touch starfish etc at times which are stated as you enter. The education room has talks and allows you to see other creatures up close and the staff made the effort to bring the creatures around so everyone could see rather than just those who could get to the front. The disabled toilet had enough room for my manual chair but I'm a little concerned about larger chair (I used to have bariatic, I'd have struggled with that) or powerchair (no turning space I feel) grab rails were there though for transferring. The cafe is accessible and tables not so close you have to make everyone play musical chairs to get in which is always a relief. The shop which is always where my kids make a bee line for also had enough space for me to get my chair round and the counter was low level so I could see the cashier and reach for myself. One of the things I was worried about was the moving walkway (which clearly states no buggies) my manual chair fit safely but again a powerchair may have struggled to get around the bends easily. I put my brakes on to go round and could use my phone to take pictures without having to focus on controlling the chair, being so close to sharks and rays is amazing and an experience worth the trip all on its own. We did the tunnel/walkway part twice on our trip as it's so good and saw different things each time. The whole attraction is low level lighting but the floor is smooth and solid which helps, in one part of the tunnel it's even darker which adds to the drama but is worth knowing. There are staff visible pretty much all the time which I find a relief rather than having to look for them if needed. Having put off going based on my own worry my family are already keen to add this to our regular visit list as we felt well looked after, valued and safe.
We travelled by train as by bus would involve a LOT of stairs from the bridge down or a long walk from park and ride. By train it's a short walk downhill all the way. No issue with uneven kerbs from the station, through the car park and down the flat path to the doors. The staff at the entrance know their stuff and are welcoming. All the staff throughout the venue are happy to help wherever they can, refreshing in an age of disconnected employees dreaming of their break! The venue is really accessible, right through to the seal pool which is outside and ramped with ridges in case of wet weather (I love when places think about the safety aspect of Scottish weather, this means it's always safe to go rather than a wheelchair user being left behind). The layout of the whole internal exhibit is clear and you can wander at your own pace and backtrack to repeat anything, I find there's always something I miss or want to see again so this works for me. The information about the creatures is easy to read and relevant. Tanks and such were not too high or too low to see what was going on. The handling tanks are up a small ramp but it's worth it to be able to touch starfish etc at times which are stated as you enter. The education room has talks and allows you to see other creatures up close and the staff made the effort to bring the creatures around so everyone could see rather than just those who could get to the front. The disabled toilet had enough room for my manual chair but I'm a little concerned about larger chair (I used to have bariatic, I'd have struggled with that) or powerchair (no turning space I feel) grab rails were there though for transferring. The cafe is accessible and tables not so close you have to make everyone play musical chairs to get in which is always a relief. The shop which is always where my kids make a bee line for also had enough space for me to get my chair round and the counter was low level so I could see the cashier and reach for myself. One of the things I was worried about was the moving walkway (which clearly states no buggies) my manual chair fit safely but again a powerchair may have struggled to get around the bends easily. I put my brakes on to go round and could use my phone to take pictures without having to focus on controlling the chair, being so close to sharks and rays is amazing and an experience worth the trip all on its own. We did the tunnel/walkway part twice on our trip as it's so good and saw different things each time. The whole attraction is low level lighting but the floor is smooth and solid which helps, in one part of the tunnel it's even darker which adds to the drama but is worth knowing. There are staff visible pretty much all the time which I find a relief rather than having to look for them if needed. Having put off going based on my own worry my family are already keen to add this to our regular visit list as we felt well looked after, valued and safe.
For additional detailed accessibility information, please contact: info@deepseaworld.co.uk
