Access varies by property; check the individual property's accessibility tab and AccessAble guide before visiting.
In brief
- Order the Essential Companion pass before you travel; carers still enter free without one
- Book hire wheelchairs, scooters and trampers in advance - fleets are small
- Read the property-level AccessAble guide for measurements, not just the Trust-wide promise
Get the pass sorted before the ticket
The National Trust's Essential Companion pass lets you bring one or two carers or companions free of charge. It is issued in your name, so you can bring whoever you like, and even without a pass carers or companions still enter free - the pass just makes arrival quicker and simpler. You can order it by calling the Supporter Services Centre on 0344 800 1895, open 9am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 4pm at weekends and on bank holidays, or by email or post to National Trust, PO Box 7083, Stratford-Upon-Avon, CV37 1XE. Note that if you are not a member, you still pay your own entry. For groups, the Links Pass gives half-price entry to people who are disabled or of pensionable age in groups affiliated with disability charities, day centres or care homes, with carers or companions free. It is valid at participating places excluding weekends and bank holidays, visits must be pre-booked, and they are at the discretion of the property manager.
Read the AccessAble guide for the exact property
The Trust now works with AccessAble on digital access guides for the places in its care, and the Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal guide shows why the property-level detail beats the general promise. The visitor centre, restaurant, picnic area, shop and Swanley Grange exhibition space all have step-free level access, and there is designated Blue Badge parking in the Westgate car park and Car Park A, with adapted toilets near the visitor centre and near the Westgate car park. The children's play area is step-free in parts, while other points of interest are reached by ramps, slopes or steps, and some main routes have uneven cobbled and gravel surfaces with steep ramps, so an accessible shuttle takes visitors to most features. A manual wheelchair can be borrowed from the visitor centre, and manual wheelchairs, mobility scooters and trampers can be borrowed from the ticket office kiosk at Westgate, with sensory packs available from both. The Trust recommends booking these items in advance, and the detailed guides carry measurements and photographs, so check them before you choose a route.
Expect the honest exceptions
The Trust says it is continually developing accessibility improvements in ways that are creative and sensitive to its surroundings, working with disabled people and disability organisations, and it welcomes comments from visitors. That still leaves historic buildings where level access is impossible in parts, and the right move is to treat every property as a separate case: read its accessibility tab, check the AccessAble guide for measurements, book any hire chair or tramper early, and if you cannot find the answer to your question, contact the property directly. Access information is available in alternative formats by calling 0344 800 1895, and the National Trust Magazine is available on CD for members through the Royal National Institute of Blind People. Pick the property first, then the pass, then the route - in that order.
