Disabled Access
National Nature Reserves (NNRs) are some of the country's key wildlife sites and provide opportunities to experience wildlife at first hand and to learn more about nature conservation.
Natural England believes that these opportunities should be available to everyone including visitors with physical disabilities or special needs. Accordingly Natural England has adopted the principle of 'Access for All' on its National Nature Reserves.
However, many NNRs, by their very nature, are difficult to access due either to their remoteness or to the ruggedness or fragility of their habitats.
New online service
Natural England's partnership with Direct Enquiries Ltd is paving the way for improving accessibility of the countryside for everyone. A new online service provides detailed information about the type of terrain at a National Nature Reserve, photos of parking/drop off facilities and wheelchair access which will enable people to plan for the best possible experience on a day out.
Six NNRs have so far been assessed. The selected NNRs are: Ainsdale Sand Dunes (Merseyside), Aston Rowant (Oxfordshire), Castle Eden Dene (County Durham), Shapwick Heath (Somerset), Stiperstones (Shropshire) and Thursley Heath (Surrey). Results can be seen on Direct Enquiries Ltd’s web site at www.directenquiries.com
English Nature (now Natural England) was a founder member of the BT Countryside for All National Advisory Committee and worked closely with other members including the Fieldfare Trust to improve standards of accessibility to the countryside.
NNRs with some facility for disabled visitors
Ainsdale Sand Dunes (Merseyside): hard surfaced tracks
Aston Rowant (Oxfordshire): interpretation panels, seats, on-site parking
Barton Hills (Bedfordshire): surfaced path to NNR entrance, seats
Blean Woods (Kent): seats
Bridgwater Bay (Somerset): interpretation panels, seats, vehicular access by prior arrangement, much of site visible and accessible from public road
Bure Marshes (Norfolk): information centre, seats
Cassop Vale (Durham): seats, (steep) concrete access track
Castle Eden Dene (Durham): seats, ramps to information centre,* accessible toilets,* events programme (*available only to school groups booked in advance)
Castor Hanglands (Cambridgeshire): disabled parking (by arrangement), staff trained in sympathetic hearing
Cavenham Heath (Suffolk): car park, easy-access trail, seats
Chippenham Fen (Cambridgeshire): seats
Derbyshire Dales (Derbyshire): staff trained in manual alphabet, RADAR keyed easy-access route at Lathkill Dale, information centre
Duncombe Park (North Yorkshire): seats, information centre, on-site parking
East Dartmoor Woods and Heaths (Devon): seats, disabled parking
Ebbor Gorge (Somerset): short easy-access trail to viewpoint from car park, seats, information centre
Finglandrigg Woods (Cumbria): easy-access boardwalk, seats
Golitha Falls (Cornwall): on-site parking, easy-access track
Hartland Moor (Dorset): easy-access track (Registered BT Millennium Mile), seats
Holkham (Norfolk): braille information, seats, disabled parking, wheel-chair access to hides
Holt Heath (Dorset): on-site parking
Lewes Downs (Mount Caburn) (East Sussex): seats
Lindisfarne (Northumberland): large print information, seats, disabled parking, wheel-chair access to hides
Lower Derwent Valley (East Riding of Yorkshire): engraved information signs, seats, disabled parking, wheelchair access to hides, easy-access boardwalk (Registered BT Millennium Mile)
Martin Down (Hampshire): on-site parking
North Meadow, Cricklade (Wiltshire): wheelchair access gate interpretation panels
North Solent (Hampshire): wheelchair access to hide, seats, disabled parking
Old Winchester Hill (Hampshire): easy-access route (Registered BT Millennium Mile), tactile interpretation panels, seats, RADAR access to disabled parking
Parsonage Down (Wiltshire): accessible toilets. on-site parking
Saltfleetby-Theddlethorpe (Lincolnshire): easy-access route (Registered BT Millennium Mile), tactile interpretation panels, audio tape information and tape player hire, disabled parking, accessible toilets (May-Sept), seats, braille leaflet, staff interpretation officer available for visits (Apr-Sept)
Shapwick Heath (Somerset): wheelchair access to hides, seats, other facilities at nearby information centre, easy-access boardwalk
Slapton Ley (Devon): seats, wheelchair access to hides, information centre, disabled parking Stodmarsh (Kent) easy access routes, wheelchair access to hides, seats, wheelchair accessible raised viewing area, disabled parking, accessible toilets
Teesmouth (Cleveland): disabled parking, easy-access route, wheelchair access gates, wheelchair access to hides
Wren's Nest (West Midlands): wheelchair access to information centre, wheelchair accessible gates
Wye (Kent): on-site parking, seats
Wyre Forest (Herefordshire & Worcestershire): easy-access route, disabled parking
