Malleny Garden accessibility guide

A detailed accessibility guide for visitors to Malleny Garden

Welcome

Contact for accessibility enquiries

Telephone number: 0131 665 1546 – this number diverts to our regional office at Newhailes where the staff will be happy to assist with your enquiry.

Email address: mallenygarden@nts.org.uk

We have a complimentary ticket policy for personal carers/companions.

The garden is entirely outdoors, right next to Bavelaw Burn. It is generally a very tranquil site. Any background noise is natural and might include flowing water, rustling leaves or chirping birds. The garden is normally quietest on weekday mornings.

Our Garden team wear grey polo shirts with navy fleeces or gilets over the top. They will be happy to answer any questions you have about the garden.

Visitor reviews of accessibility can be found on the Euan’s Guide website.

At a glance

There is level access to the walled garden.
Path surfaces are reasonably firm gravel.
The top half of the garden is flat. There is a gentle slope to the lower half of the garden, which is then also mostly flat.
The wider woodland is not suitable for wheelchair access.

Mobile signal is generally good throughout the garden.

Only assistance dogs are permitted within the walled garden. All dogs on a short lead are very welcome in the wider woodland.

There is no café or refreshment facilities at the garden. However, there is a café in the nearby rugby club and facilities in Balerno village.

Emergencies

In the event of an emergency, please call 999. For any queries or concerns, or to report anything, please call 0131 665 1546.

Purple alliums and white flowers stand in front of the Malleny Garden landscape, with the glasshouse seen in the background.

Getting here

Malleny Garden
Malleny Park
Balerno
Edinburgh
EH14 7AF

Nearby villages are Balerno, Currie and Juniper Green. Edinburgh city centre is approximately a 35-minute drive or a 50-minute bus ride.

We have a bike rack beside the main entrance gate.

By public transport

Lothian Buses run a regular service 44 through Edinburgh city centre, linking Balerno to Wallyford. Service 32 also links Balerno to Cramond.
The nearest bus stop is outside Balerno High School (a 5-minute walk from the garden).

Parking

There is a small parking area just by the wider woodland. Follow the signage coming up the driveway and then round to the right to get to the car park.

The car park and roads are asphalt.
It is roughly 120 metres from the car park to the main garden gate, with a gentle gradient sloping down.

Accessible parking can sometimes be made available – please phone 0131 665 1546 to check if this will be possible on the day of your visit.

An asphalt drive leads towards a garden, with tall trees ahead. Grass is either side of the drive and then flower beds.

An asphalt parking area beside a woodland, with spaces marked by white lines. The spaces are at a 45-degree angle to the road.

An asphalt parking area beside a woodland, with spaces marked by white lines. A little P sign stands behind the spaces.

A metal bike rack is placed on a gravel area, beside a tall garden wall. A banner on the wall offers a welcome message from the National Trust for Scotland. An asphalt track runs beside the gravel area.

Getting around the garden

Entrance to the walled garden is through the main garden gate. This is located down from the car park, to the right of the house.

There are 4 steps on each side coming down into the garden once you have come through the entrance gate.
The main gate is 86cm wide and 183cm high.
The steps are 58cm wide entering the garden.
There is an alternative entrance/exit gate next to Malleny House that measures 109cm; this is step-free.
There are 4 areas within the walled garden that have a few steps. However, if visitors enter through the alternative gate and follow the paths, the garden can be navigated without needing to use steps.
There is a narrow hedge archway halfway down the garden, which measures 60cm wide – it is not accessible for wheelchairs.
The path surfaces are fine gravel within the walled garden.
The top half of the walled garden is level. There is a gentle gradient to the lower half of the garden, which is then also level.
There are 14 benches dispersed throughout the walled garden.
The plant collection may in places cascade onto paths, but they are clearly marked with a plant edge barrier.
The garden boasts a large rose collection, which have thorns! Visitors should take care when moving around these areas.

A view of the main entrance to Malleny Garden from the drive. It is a stone porch with a decorative iron gate om the middle. A donation box is to the left. A gravel path leads from the drive to the gate.

A small wooden porch covers an iron gateway in a stone garden wall. Ivy and climbing plants cover the wall. A lawn is in the foreground.

A paved path leads through a small iron gate into a garden, beside a big house. The path in the garden is a firm gravel.

A lawn with a border of flower plants to the left and a greenhouse pictured at the back.

Two tall yew trees stand either side of a narrow path in a walled garden. A large lawn with flower beds surrounds them.

A wooden bench stands at the top of a striped lawn, with immaculate beds surrounded by red privet hedges. Tall trees surround the garden.

Getting around the wider estate

There is an unsurfaced path throughout the woodland, which can be muddy and slippery. Tree roots are sometimes across the path.
There are multiple gradients up and down throughout the woodland.
There are 4 sleeper bridges located within the woodland.
There are some water features on the wider estate that are unfenced.