Image description: On the right is a powered wheelchair. On the seat is a small backpack and there’s a crutch on the back. The wheelchair is on grass and the branches of a weeping willow tree appear on the top left. There’s a building in the distance.
You may have read my previous blog post reviewing the accessability at Cambridge Botanic Garden (click here if you would like to read it). I visited Cambridge again as it is one of my favourite places to go to for a short break. During my previous visits, I was unable to explore Cambridge on foot and see some of the famous sites close up. When planning my trip this time, I searched for wheelchairs available to hire and the first thing to pop up was Shopmobility, which can be found here. I did not know that this service existed during my previous visits.
Shopmobility is available at both Grafton East car park (which is currently closed) and the Grand Arcade car park. If you use Shopmobility, you can park for up to three hours for free, which is brilliant as parking is quite expensive. There are manual wheelchairs, powered wheelchairs and mobility scooters available to borrow. You can take the mobilty aid of your choice around the city centre within certain boundaries, as stated on the website. I decided to try out Shopmobility and borrowed a powerchair. I am currently looking to purchase a powerchair and so this was the perfect opportunity to try one out. Powerchairs are also smaller than mobility scooters, making it easier to navigate the city centre.
Due to covid-19, users of Shopmobility are required to book an appointment beforehand to ensure social distancing. We went to the Grand Arcade car park and Shopmobility is on the lower level. This level is for Shopmobility users only and no other cars are permitted to enter. There are only disabled bays on this level but you do not need a Blue Badge in order to park. There is an office where the staff were and they came out to greet us once we parked up. After filling in some forms and showing the staff my ID, they let me test out the powered wheelchair. When I was happy with it, I was free to go an explore Cambridge on wheels!
We were advised to go up in the lift to street level and exit by going through the shopping centre. We found the shopping centre to be a bit of a maze to navigate, especially on the way back to Shopmobility, as different lifts take you to different levels – but we got there in the end!
I had planed a circular route that would lead us back to the car park. We had a look at Market Square, made our way to the Cambridge Backs and Coe Fen and finally worked our way back to the car park. I will be talking more about my experiences using the powerchair around Cambridge in part two!
Earlier this month I visited Cambridge and decided to venture to the Cambridge University Botanic Garden for the second time. We visited the Garden on a warm Saturday yet, to our surprise, it was fairly quiet. The Garden has various sections, such as the Systematic Beds, Winter Garden, Dry Garden and Glasshouse.
Image description: It is a sunny day, the sky is blue, there are six small fountains in the centre-left surrounded by water plants. In the background are various trees and two people sitting on a bench.
Travelling to the Garden
Travelling to the garden by car may be difficult. There is very limited parking close to the Garden. There are a few pay and display bays on the main road, Trumpington Road, and on a side road, Bateman Street. However, there is a two hour parking limit and so this can restrict your time in the Garden. As the Garden is quite small, it is possible to see most of it in roughly two hours at a moderate pace. The Garden opens at 10am so if you are planning on parking in one of these bays, it is best to arrive roughly 10 minutes early to ensure you secure a parking space.
Another transport option is Park & Ride. You can park your car in a designated car park off of the M11 and then ride on a Park & Ride bus which will take you to a bus stop close to the Garden. There is a fee for this.
We chose to park our car in Queen Anne Terrace car park, around the corner from the Garden (but quite a long walk) and then caught a bus for two stops to the Garden. It was a couple of minutes walk from the bus stop to the Garden. This option was suggested to us by a helpful member of staff over the phone.
Image description: It is a sunny day, captured at the top of the image is the leaves of a tree hanging down and beams of sunlight shining through. There is a garden of rocks and behind this is a pond. In the distance are trees and grass.
Cost and Borrowing a Manual Wheelchair or Electric Scooter
There is a cost to enter the Garden, £6 for adults and £5.50 for concessions (this includes an optional donation). Visitors can borrow manual wheelchairs and electric scooters for free. The website advises to call and book a wheelchair or scooter before visiting. We didn’t this time but it is best to call to be safe. Staff are very friendly and are happy to provide visitors with these aids, no questions asked.
I have used both the manual wheelchair and electric scooter. The wheelchair was quite uncomfortable as the back was quite thin however, a seat cushion was provided which proved to be useful in reducing pain. I preferred the electric scooter due to the autonomy it provided me. There are smooth tarmac paths and gravel paths. The gravel paths were very uncomfortable in the manual wheelchair but were absolutely fine in the scooter.
Image description: in the distance are wooden chairs and a table, covered. There are a variety of flowers and plants.
General Accessibility in the Garden
Some of the sections of the Garden are on grass or are accessed by grass paths. The grass is at a slightly higher level than the tarmac and gravel paths but the edge is dropped in some places to allow access by wheelchair and scooter.
One section of the Garden I would like to highlight is the Rising Path, which provides views of the Systematic Beds. The Rising Path has both stairs and a ramp. I was initially apprehensive as to whether the scooter would manage travelling upwards on the Rising Path. Once I turned the speed dial right up, the scooter managed to rise gracefully. However, some people may struggle to push a manual wheelchair up the path.
The Cafe was probably the busiest part of the Garden. The area to queue is quite narrow and so a mobility scooter user would need to dismount. If it is particularly busy, it would be difficult to fit and navigate a wheelchair. There are toilets in the Cafe, including disabled toilets. However, the disabled toilets are at the back, meaning that a person must wheel past the non-disabled toilets, the path of which is also quite narrow. There are other disabled toilets situated at different locations in the Garden, which are large, spacious and easier to access.
The Rock Garden
Due to the combination of friendly staff, easy access to each part of the Garden, alongside the quiet and calm it provided, my visit to Cambridge University Botanic Garden proved to be a positive experience overall. The only negative point is the lack of parking in the vicinity, making access for some disabled visitors difficult or even impossible.
Please comment or Tweet if you have any questions or have visited the Garden and have any additional comments to make.
Thank you for reading!
Disclaimer: All images used in this post have been created and taken by me, unless stated otherwise. Please do not use the images without obtaining my permission first.
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