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Highgrove Gardens - Garden Tours

Highgrove House, Doughton, Tetbury, GL8 8TN

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Access Guide

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Overview (Accessibility)

  • About View
    • The Garden Tour is a pre-booked one-way guided group tour through a series of interlinked gardens including the Sundial Garden, Hornbeam Avenue, Azalea Walk, the Cottage and Kitchen Gardens, Thyme Walk, Wildflower Meadow Path, The Arboretum, The Stumpery, The Gladiator, Laurel Tunnel, Buttress Garden, Shand Gate, the Main Lawn and the Carpet Garden.
    • The tour starts in the Highgrove Gardens Orchard Room reception Ante Room and progresses through the gardens, to finish in the Carpet Garden.
    • The exit from the Carpet Garden leads to the Orchard Room Courtyard and restaurant and the Coronation Pavilion shop.
    • Services available in the venue include: tours between April and September, with Spring Walks in March and April and Autumn Walks in September and October.
    • The tour is around a mile in length and takes approximately 1.5 hours to complete.
    • The Spring and Autumn Walks may use alternative routes to those described in this guide.
    • While tour guides avail themselves to assist with mobility where required, guests should be aware the tours may not be suitable for all who may otherwise require mobility assistance.
  • Getting In and Around View
    • There is step-free level access throughout the majority of areas.
    • Access throughout may include uneven surfaces, narrow walkways and narrow openings.
    • There are no toilet facilities.
  • Getting Help and Assistance View
    • There is no seating available.
    • There is a portable hearing assistance system on request.
    • Additional equipment which can be borrowed or hired includes: mobility equipment which can be pre-booked from Optimum Mobility in Malmsbury, which will then be delivered to Highgrove ready for use by the booking party.
    • Borrowed equipment must be left at Highgrove for Optimum Mobility to pick up and return to store.
    • View more information on borrowing or hiring equipment (opens new tab).
    • British Sign Language interpreters can be provided on request.
    • There is not a water bowl available for assistance dogs.
  • Related Access Guides View

Access To (The Gardens)

  • The distance from the Ante Room is 60m.
  • The most accessible route has a steep ramp or slope, uneven surfaces, narrow walkways and manual gates.
  • There is no signage on or near the entrance.
  • There is step-free level access into The Gardens.
  • There is a single manual door which opens away from you.
  • The width of the opening is 108cm.
  • The door has a medium visual contrast.
  • There are a second set of double manual doors which open towards you.
  • The width of the opening is 116cm.
  • The second set of doors have a low visual contrast.

The Garden Tour

  • The following is available in this area: gardens, parkland and formal gardens.
  • Outdoor areas consist of cobbled surfaces, compact earth, loose stones, bonded gravel, paving slabs, grass and gravel.
  • There are footpaths in some areas.
  • The majority of the paths are not wide enough for wheelchair users.
  • The following areas have step-free access via ramps or slopes: a slope with a steep gradient down into the Arboretum and upwards towards the exit to the Arboretum; slopes with a slight gradient along the Azalea Walk and up into the Arboretum and in The Stumpery.
  • The following areas have stepped access: the exit to the Orchard Room Courtyard from the Carpet Garden
  • Guests with access requirements may still visit the Carpet Garden, but may need to use an alternative route for exit to the Orchard Room Courtyard.
  • There are not any seats situated along the paths for people to rest.
  • The paths have uneven surfaces, narrow gaps and gates.
  • There are many single and double width gates between the interlinked gardens.
  • The tour guide will open and close the gates for guests as the tour progresses.
  • Not all routes between gardens may be available at the time of visit and alternative routes may be used.
  • The narrowest gate width is between the Shand Gate and the Main Lawn, which is 93cm wide.
  • There are also open gap width restrictions along the route, the narrowest gap being in The Stumpery which is 65cm wide; tour guides can provide alternative routes as required.
  • Cobbled surfaces may be slippery during wet weather conditions.
  • There is also a patch of soft ground in the Gladiator area which may become boggy during wet weather conditions.
  • Access here may become especially difficult during wet weather conditions.