Access

Security Checks

We’re committed to ensuring that your visits with us are safe. Due to the current national threat levels, we may carry out additional security checks. This could include running bag searches and carrying out body scans with a hand-held detector.

Please note, we’ll need you to agree to this process in order to visit the site. Thank you for your co-operation

Accessibility

We have a Gold Accessibility Champion onsite which has been awarded by Accessible UK. They can assist in any pre-visit planning or questions you may have about the site - please contact them via email.

Find directions to the closest Changing Places Toilet here.

Mobility / Older Visitors

Accessible Toilets

Adult Changing Area

Handrails

Easy-use Cutlery

Assistance Dogs Welcome

Wheelchair Loan

Mobility Scooter Loan

Site Folders

Dog Bowl and Toileting

N/A

Wheelchair Access

Broadwalk, Queen Mothers Garden and Woodland Walk accessible via smooth gravel pathways. Kitchen garden contains some pathways, and some lightly uneven ground. Meadow contains steps and some lightly uneven ground. Glen accessible by steps only, but features a viewing area from which wheelchair users can view the garden. Castle and moat accessible by stairs only.

Entrance / Set Down

Disabled passengers can be dropped off at castle entrance.

Disabled Parking

Limited disabled parking is available near the castle entrance.

OnSite Transport

None

Stairs

Castle, moat and Glen accessible by stairs only.

Lift Access

None

Seating And Restpoints

Benches and seating available at various points throughout the garden.

Pathways Surface And Gradients

Access to castle via a cobbled and flagstone walkway and a wooden drawbridge. The main route from the house to the gardens is not practical but there is an alternative route using a side gate. Smooth grass and gravel paths within grounds.

Blind / Visually Impaired

Accessible Toilets

Handrails

Assistance Dogs Welcome

Braille Guides

Braille Signage

Torches

Sensory Experiences

Tactile interpretation at various locations in the gardens.

Dog Bowl and Toileting

N/A

Handling Objects

Tactile interpretation at various locations in the gardens.

Audio Tours

Site Tours

Tactile Models

Tactile interpretation at various points throughout the gardens.

Areas Of Low Lighting

None

Colour Contrasts

No Information Available

Large Print

No Information Available

Deaf / Hard of Hearing

Assistance Dogs Welcome

Vibrating Fire Alarms

Tour Transcripts

Film Subtitles

BSL Tours

Audio Installation Transcripts

Dog Bowl and Toileting

N/A

Induction Loops

Available in the café and the shop.

Learning Difficulties

Accessible Toilets

Adult Changing Area

Easy-use Cutlery

Sensory Experiences

Tactile interpretation at various locations in the gardens.

Handling Objects

Tactile interpretation at various locations in the gardens.

Basic Language Audio Tours

No Information Available

Easy Read Material

No Information Available

Large Print Material

No Information Available

Dyslexia Friendly Material

No Information Available

Culinary / Dietary

Easy-use Cutlery

Bottle / Food Warming

High Chairs

Special Diets

Organic local produce. Vegetarian/Vegan options available.

Health And Safety

Deep Water

Pond located in Queen Mother's Garden, depth 3 feet.

Trip Hazard

Some uneven ground in the Kitchen Garden, Meadow, Glen and Woodland Walk.

Sheer Drop

There is a sheer drop from the castle bastions to the moat below.

Slip Hazard

Please wear suitable footwear as due to the historic and natural nature of some pathways, flooring can become very slippery when wet.

Steep Slope

Glen garden is located in a former chalk quarry, and is surrounded by sloped sides (fenced).

Steep Stairs

Glen garden accessible via stairs.

Beware Of Traffic

Beware of traffic when crossing road from the car park and also when overflow parking is in use.

Uneven Ground

Some uneven ground in the Kitchen Garden, Meadow, Glen and Woodland Walk.

Living room with window in the background, green patterned wallpaper, a fireplace to the left and four armchairs

Access to Lord Warden’s Apartment

Is the Lord Warden’s Apartment step free?
Due to the historic nature of the castle, the Lord Warden’s Apartment can only be reached by using a narrow spiral staircase, so unfortunately wheelchair users will not be able to access the apartment. There are 18 steps up to the apartment and 18 down. There is a handrail on one side of the stairs. Please email WalmerCastleAndGardens@English-Heritage.org.uk if you have any questions about accessibility.

Will I have to queue to get into the apartment?
There is limited capacity in the Lord Warden’s Apartment so we may have to ask visitors to queue outside at busy times of day.

Do I need to have a ticket to see the Lord Warden’s Apartment?
A visit to the Lord Warden’s apartment is included within your day ticket to Walmer Castle. You do not need an additional ticket to enter the apartment, but you may be asked to queue at busy times of the day as capacity is limited to 30 people at a time.

I’ve come to visit today and wasn’t aware that some of the castle was closed?
Parts of the castle are closed in preparation for important conservation work, however there’s still lots to see and do inside and outside the castle, including the Lord Warden’s apartment which is currently open to the public for the first time. We have placed this information on our website so that people can see it before deciding to visit.

Tudor Tours Access Information

Are the Tudor Tours step free?

There are 25 steps into the basement to enter the bookshop at end of the tour, however this can be missed if you wish. Due to the historic nature of the castle, the tours include enclosed spaces and uneven ground making it unsuitable for wheelchairs and mobility scooters. The entrance is accessed by a ramp into the moat.

Please email WalmerCastleAndGardens@English-Heritage.org.uk if you have any questions about accessibility.

What are the Tudor Tours?

One of our knowledgeable volunteers will guide you around the extensive surviving Tudor parts of the castle, including the gloomy and atmospheric 'rounds' which are underneath the castle, open for the first time in many years.

Discover the intriguing story of the castle’s origins and purpose, embedded in the rivalries of European monarchs and Henry VIII’s political isolation, following his divorce from Catherine of Aragon and the break with the Pope.

You will discover how this castle functioned, who lived there and why it is such an important historical survival.

The tour lasts for an hour and a half.

What can I expect it to be like inside the ‘rounds’?

The ‘rounds’ are underneath the castle with low light, so we advise people to bring torches. In places it will be wet, and we recommend wearing wellingtons or walking boots. The ground is uneven and there are stalactites and stalagmites on route.

The tour is a circular one underneath the castle with low ceilings and tight spaces so unfortunately it is not advisable for anyone that is claustrophobic. There are no toilets available in the ‘rounds’.

Do I need to have a ticket for the Tudor Tours?

The tours are free and take place daily, however they are on a first come, first served basis so we recommend arriving early. Eight people can join each tour.