Great day out and accessible boat ride!
5
5
Date of visit: August 2024
overall Rating Text
Excellent
We stayed overnight here in our motorhome and had a fantastic day exploring the Falkirk Wheel and the surrounding canal walks. We did the boat trip on the wheel and through Roughcastle Tunnel, which was better than I expected. The highlight though, was in the evening, watching the sun set behind the wheel and then seeing it all lit up.
disabled Access In AndAround Text
Excellent
The visitor centre was easily accessible by wheelchair and there was plenty of room to move around, even though it was quite busy. We booked the boat trip and were told to arrive 10 mins early and wait at the front of the queue, as we would be boarded first. Boarding was really easy. The ramp wasn't steep and I didn't need any help. There are wheelchair spaces in the middle of the boat and at the back. Once on board, there's no need to move. The boat has glass walls and ceiling so it had good visibility. It did get quite hot in the sun though!
parkingTransport Text
Excellent
We arrived by motorhome and parked in the upper deck car park, which was well signposted. The motorhome spaces are properly marked out with hatchings between, which I found helpful, as it ensured access to the door where we unload my chair. It is then quite a long hill down to the visitor centre, but it's a good path, nice and wide, so on the way back up, I just stopped and took breaks when needed.
accessibleToilets Text
Average
There is an accessible toilet in the visitor centre, a little small but okay for my manual chair. There was also a toilet on the boat but we were placed in the middle and the toilet was at the back, so I wouldn't have been able to get to it very easily.
staff Text
Excellent
All staff were really helpful and friendly.
Additional Information
There was no problem taking my assistance dog on the boat. They allow dogs anyway. They do warn about it being noisy. I didn't notice this. There are several times though, when the boat bumps into the side of the canal and it does jolt and make quite a bang. My girl was okay with it but it might scare some dogs.
