Crathes Castle accessibility guide
With a magnificent turreted castle, beautiful walled gardens and attentive staff, Crathes Castle has something for everyone.
On this page:
Welcome
Contact for accessibility enquiries: James Henderson
Email: crathes@nts.org.uk
Tel: 01330 844525
Visitors with accessibility requirements are not charged a different admission price but any necessary companion is admitted free.
At a glance
There is level access to:
- Ticket/information desk
- Accessible toilet
- Gardens
- Shop
- Courtyard cafe
Visual
- Some parts of the venue have low lighting.
- We have information in large print.
Getting here
Crathes Castle, Garden & Estate
Banchory
AB31 5QH
Parking
- The disabled car park is adjacent to the Courtyard Café.
- From the disabled car park to the café entrance, there is level access.
- From the disabled car park to the castle entrance, the path is very sloped.
- Disabled parking at the castle is by arrangement; please contact the ticket office on arrival for details or email crathes@nts.org.uk in advance of your visit.
Getting around
Getting around the castle
The castle sits at the bottom of a hill, with the shop, café and accessible parking at the top of the hill. The front door of the castle is approximately 84m from the accessible parking area: 61m of smooth tarmac and 23m of a stone slab path. The castle is 93m from the main car park: 70m of tarmac and 23m of stone slab path/gravel. Please bear in mind that making your way from the main car park to either the castle or the other facilities will include going up and downhill.
- The front door has a width of 94cm and is at ground level.
- The ticket desk is accessed from the front door of the castle. The ticket desk height is 91cm.
- The till point has an induction loop.
- Wheelchair access is limited to the ground floor due to staircases up to the higher levels.
- The main staircase near the entrance has fixed handrails. The two spiral staircases have either fixed or hanging ropes for stability.
- Rooms in Crathes Castle are split across 5 floors with steep but level spiral staircases. Red velvet-cushioned chairs are positioned across the floors for visitors to sit/rest.
- Many of the rooms have sound playing from speakers. This can be switched off on request – please just speak to a member of staff on the day or call 01330 844525 to arrange ahead of your visit.
- Lighting can be low in certain rooms due to controlled light levels for the collection.
Getting around the walled garden
There is a walled garden consisting of 8 sections, 6 of which are accessible at ground level (Camel Garden, Evolution Garden, Golden Garden, Trough Garden, Red Garden, Rose Garden and Fountain Garden). The Croquet Lawn and Upper Pool Garden are only accessible by steps – from the main walled garden area there are 12 steps and to the Upper Pool Garden from the Croquet Lawn there are 5 steps. The glasshouse has two steps down to its entrance. There are various benches throughout the garden sections.
- The walled garden entrance is 48m from the paved drive and 42m from the castle entrance. The path is gravel and unpaved.
- The entrance and main gate to the garden are both step-free.
- The entrance width is 1.08m and the main gate width is 1.13m.
- The garden gate nearest the castle has 4 steps.
- The walkways in the walled garden are mostly gravel paths, with some grass paths and stone slab paths. We recommend wheelchair users stick to the gravel and stone slab paths as grassy paths may be narrow and difficult to travel over.
- The main path running the perimeter of the accessible area of the walled garden has a varying width of 1.15–1.70m.
Getting around the estate
Crathes Castle is surrounded by a 240-hectare estate of managed parkland. We have 7 waymarked trails around the estate, with a wide range of habitats including woodland, ponds and streams. We also have an enclosed play area with picnic tables at the main car park.
- The dirt path to the Wild Wood Adventure Play area is accessed from the bottom of the main car park and has a width of 1.29–1.56m. The path may be uneven in areas.
- There are 7 waymarked walks on the estate: Red Squirrel Trail (red marker, 4 miles), Otter Trail (pink marker, 1¾ miles), Kingfisher Trail (teal marker, 1.5 miles), Heron Trail (yellow marker, ¼ mile), Silver Birch Trail (blue marker, 1¼ miles) and Pine Marten Trail (green marker, ¾ miles).
- Most of our estate trails are dirt/gravel paths, with only a few having paved sections. Please be mindful that the dirt path areas may have rocks and branches on the way.
- Detailed route information for waymarked trails can be found displayed on a board in the main car park as well as in the estate map found at the shop/ticket desk.
Facilities
Shop/ticket desk
The shop/ticket desk is accessed from the paved driveway and is approximately 40m from the accessible car park. The shop has two double door entrances, one facing the driveway and the other accessed through the picnic area on the left-side of the building. Both are ground level.
- The main entrance opens inwards and has a width of 91cm when half-open, and 1.87m when both doors are open.
- The side entrance opens outwards and has a width of 83cm when half-open and 1.75m when both doors are open.
- The till point has an induction loop.
- There is circulation space of at least 1m.
- The till counter height is 91cm.
Staff are available to assist with any objects too high or heavy to reach and can provide price information for all items.
Courtyard Café
The Courtyard Café is accessed from the main drive and is approximately 40m from the accessible car park. The path into the café is laid with stone slabs, and there is a section of gravel in the seating area of the courtyard. The hot food and beverage service is fully serviced by café staff; please ask for further assistance where needed.
- The main double door entrance to the café is at ground level, measuring 91cm wide when half-open and 1.81m when fully open. The doors open inwards.
- The food counter height is 90cm.
- The till point has an induction loop.
- There is circulation space of at least 1 metre. There is a section of the café seating area near the main entrance that is more condensed and does not allow for as much circulation space.
Staff are available to assist with any price enquiries and the carrying of items.
Toilets
The Courtyard Café has one disabled access toilet (with baby-changing facilities). The toilet is approximately 50m from the accessible carpark. It is accessed through the main entrance to the café and up a low incline ramp. There is another entrance to the disabled toilet which is on the right-hand side of the café coming up to it, but there is a small step into the building here, about 7cm high.
- Entrance to the ramp is 82cm wide.
- The door to the toilet opens inwards and has a width of 86cm.
- Room size is 1.48m wide by 2.12m long.
- The door opens inwards and has a width of 80cm.
- Room size is 1.63m wide and 2.20m long.
For events, the Horsemill building has one disabled toilet. Entry to the Horsemill building is 89cm wide.
Babies
Please visit the disabled toilet in the Courtyard Café for the baby-changing facility.
There is a separate section of the café designated for families with small children that could be suitable as a discreet area for breastfeeding. However, mothers are welcome to breastfeed wherever comfortable in any of our designated seating areas.
Throughout Scotland there are remnants of the country’s battle-scarred past, but what few people know is that many of these castles and battlefields can be unexpectedly accessible. Take a look at the Euan’s Guide for accessible highlights of Scottish castles and battlefields.
Guide last updated: August 2025