I recently went to see how accessible Kew Garden in London are for Strongbones Children’s Charitable Trust and I was pleasantly surprised. When I arrived, I parked in the Blue Badge spaces on Ferry Lane Car Park which is right next to the entrance, it was very easy to get in and I was directed straight through. We asked where the Changing Place wa and was told it was close to the children’s playground, however it was not sign posted and it was quite hidden away behind some bushes. Once we got into the changing place everything was clean and tidy, but there wasn’t any roll to put onto the changing bench so we had to disinfect it before I could use it and then again once I’d got back into my chair. After using the Changing Place, we met up with April and started walking around looking for a cafe, we found a restaurant bistro but they were fully booked, so we went to a third cafe near on the other side of the gardens near the Main Entrance and gift shop, which we sat outside of and had scones and hot drinks. Close to the cafe, we spotted a land train that takes you all around the gardens, that had one wheelchair accessible carriage, unfortunately it was busy and the wheelchair carriage was occupied by another wheelchair user so we decided to have a walk around and then come back later.
We walked into the greenhouse to look at the different plants, it was so hot in there, there was steam up on the roof, it was like being in a jungle, for able-bodied people who can walk up steps, there was a viewing platform up a spiral staircase to go and have a higher view on the jungle plants but there was no lift or ramps for the viewing platform so I could only go around the ground level path. The ground was also quite bumpy inside the greenhouse around the plants, it was similar to a cattle grid to let the water drip though so there weren’t huge puddles on the floor but it wasn’t too bumpy and uncomfortable.
We then went to a second greenhouse and saw the large Lilly pads; they were so big. It was all ground floor level so I could easily get around the circular path and back out the same door again, however this floor was tiled and you could feel vibrations as people walked around and was a little noise.
After the two greenhouses, we headed back to the meeting point for the land train; there was already people waiting around so we went and had a look in the gift shop. It was spacious inside and I could easily get around and have a look at the produce and gifts. The shop also had a garden centre which was a bit tighter to get around. Once the train arrived, a man came and unlocked the gate and slid the ramp out of the side of the carriage so I was able to be reversed in. It was very tight, there was no space to turn so I was looking out the side window and my parents and April were sat the side of me, facing forwards so they would have had their backs to me if they didn’t turn around. The journey on the land train started off smooth then turned a little bit bumpy and the train felt like it was going side to side over the bumps. The whole ride lasted about 40 – 45 minutes and it went around the outside of five of the gardens, it was great to be able to see all the different areas and plants in one go as it would have taken me all day to get around myself.
The land train was amazing, it was an additional cost to go on, it was £6.50 per person however essential carers go free and only manual wheelchairs are allowed in the carriage. After the train ride, we got off and started to make our way back to the car on the other side of the gardens.
Once we were out of the gardens, we got in the car and headed into Richmond for some dinner; we parked the car and went into a beautiful little French restaurant called Chez Lindsay. I had already researched the food menus of local restaurants so I knew exactly what I wanted to order as soon as we arrived. We ordered the Plateau de Fruits de Mer (seafood platter), it came with langoustines, oysters, crab, surf clams, shrimps, whelks, winkles and mussels, we also had an order of Escargots de Bourgogne (snails with garlic and parsley butter) and a side order of French fries. The meal was awesome, my favourite thing on the platter was the mussels, they were really tasty.
After dinner, we went for a little walk around Richmond, we stayed on one street that had lots of little shops and a whole foods supermarket. We walked down a ramp to the riverside walk, went under a bridge then went back up another ramp that was quite steep back into town and to the car.
Overall, I really enjoyed my day in Richmond and Kew Gardens, before setting off we had spoken on the phone to Kew Gardens to ask about the Sky Walk, however this is currently closed because the lift is being replaced and its all being refurbished, I was a little sad that I couldn’t do this but it will be much better for wheelchair users once it has all be fixed and made properly accessible, so I wasn’t too disheartened. I think Kew Gardens is great for wheelchair users, the majority is flat and one level, there are spaces indoors if the weather turns bad to take shelter, there is plenty to see and do outdoors; it’s very large so could take a full day to explore, the cafes got very busy but they are accessible to wheelchair users. If you didn’t want to purchase food, you could take a pack-up picnic and sit on one of the picnic benches to have lunch instead of buying food.
I would definitely recommend Kew Gardens as a place to visit for families and wheelchair users, I would also highly recommend Chez Lindsay if you like French cuisine as a special treat.
