Accessibility

The Heights of Abraham makes every effort to ensure that as many areas as possible are accessible to all visitors, but please be aware that due to the natural gradient of the site and formation of the caverns certain areas of the estate are inaccessible to wheelchairs and people with mobility issues or of limited vision.

For families with pushchairs these too can travel on the Cable Cars. The majority of the site is accessible bearing in mind that due to the gradients an adult is required to be in charge of the pushchair. The Caverns however are not accessible with a pushchair, these maybe left at the entrance and collected at the end of the tour.

We do where possible provide large print or Braille resources and for the hard of hearing there are Loop Systems in key areas.

To help you in planning your trip you may find the following information useful.

Car Parking

All car parking is provided by the Derbyshire Dales District Council. The nearest one is the railway station car park in Matlock Bath. There are disabled parking bays adjacent to the railway crossing and a level walk adjacent to the railway.

At the Base Station and Travelling on the Cable Cars

There is a steep sloped access to the Cable Car Base Station. In 2004 we made a very large investment in new Cable Cars which will now accommodate pushchair and wheelchair access. However we cannot accommodate more than one or two wheelchairs at a time during peak months.

The reason for this is on Health and Safety grounds as the cable car system has to be shut down while each wheelchair is loaded; regrettably this delay has proved to be alarming for visitors in the mid-line cable cars and consequently impractical during busy periods.

The following are also available at the Base station ticket office:

• Portable Loop Hearing System.
• Large print Trail Leaflet and General Leaflet.

At the Summit

Once at the summit there is limited access, due to the very steep natural terrain at the Heights; however, there is access to our Who+Why=What! Exhibition, "Fossil Factory" Exhibition, the "Window on the Peak" Exhibition and "Through the Lens" film show of the Great Masson Cavern(please ask a tour guide for assistance), Summit Bar (limited opening times - please ring on the day), The Terrace Coffee Shop and Gift Shops.

There is also access to the top of the amphitheatre which provides spectacular views across the valley.

The following are also available at the Summit:

• Disabled Toilet facilities on the ground floor in the Tree Tops Centre.
• A large print Trail Leaflet and General Leaflet in the Gift Shop Reception at the Tree Tops Centre.
• Portable hearing loop on request.

Caverns

The natural formation of the caverns is such that they are not suitable for people with walking difficulties, wheelchairs or poor eye sight; however, there is access to watch the introductory film, which is shown prior to the tour of the Great Masson Cavern and does include a hearing loop.

Due to the nature of the terrain, pathways down to the Great Rutland Cavern are very steep and are not suitable for wheelchairs or people with walking difficulties.

If you do not suffer from mobility problems but have hearing disabilities please advise your guide who will supply a written safety briefing and script of the tours.

Scripts of the Cavern Tours are available in large and regular print.

Pedestrian Access

At the West Lodge entrance a large print Trail Leaflet, General Leaflet and Portable hearing loop system are available.

The West lodge is situated at the bottom of the estate (hill) and is therefore not suitable for people with mobility problems.

Unfortunately in the interest of health and safety we cannot permit visitors to bring vehicles onto the estate. To illustrate this point further a normal road car is simply not capable of reaching the summit.

Please note we are an equal opportunities employer and any future product development will always take into consideration the needs of the disabled.

Braille copies of our main leaflet are now available on request from the Base Station, West Lodge and the Tree Tops Gift Shop.