Conkers Disabled Access Review

On the left side, a person is standing in front of a stone wall with a colorful sign that spells "CONKERS." The sign includes handprints in various colors forming a tree shape above the letters. The person is wearing a winter coat, hat, and holding a walking stick. On the right side, a yellow background features the text "Conkers Disabled Access Review" in bold black letters. Below the text, there is an illustration of a person with glasses and headphones, raising their arms in excitement while riding a roller coaster. At the bottom, there are two icons: one representing accessibility and the other depicting a theme park or attraction.
Join me for a day in the national forest exploring everything Conkers has to offer. Conkers has lots of different outdoor and indoor attractions for the full family to enjoy. There are no rides at Conkers but still lots to explore. So what are you waiting for? Join me as I try a new day out.

Table of Contents

Facilities and Services Available for Disabled Guests

Here is a quick overview of the facilities and services available for disabled guests at Conkers, so that you can decide if this attraction is able to meet your access requirements. Please note: some of the services are listed below and a full explanation is available later on in the blog post. In order to quickly navigate through the post you can use the table of contents.

  • Mobility Scooter Hire: Mobility scooters must be pre booked before your visit and can be hired by phoning 01283 216 633.
  • Disabled access guide: Conkers has created a disabled access guide with information surrounding wheelchair access. You can find the guide by clicking here Conkers access information.
  • Essential companion: Conkers offers essential companion tickets formally known as carer tickets to guests with disability proof of DLA/PIP or carer’s badge. Full information can be found in the ‘arrivals’ section of this blog post.
  • Wheelchair accessible train: The train ride a Conkers is fully wheelchair accessible allowing guests to stay in their wheelchair on the train. Full information can be found in the ‘CONKERCHOO Train’ section of this blog post.

Before your visit

Before visiting Conkers there are a few steps you must take in order to ensure you have the correct access available to you so you can enjoy your day.

Booking ticket

Tickets for Conkers can easily be booked via Conkers website. In terms of pricing Conkers do a tired price system of low season, mid season and high season but for our visit in February half term it cost £9.31 for an adults admissions ticket. you can find a full list of opening times and a price by clicking here Conkers opening times and prices. Conkers also do timed entry slots that should minimise queueing on the day of your visit I chose the 11 till 12 entry time slot. Please note: you do not need to pre book essential companion/carer tickets.

Planning your day

There is loads of different outdoor and indoor activities to explore at Conkers that are set across 2 sites that you get to via a train ride. Therefore, it is important that you al least have a loose plan of your day as lots of the activities our spread out. I just had a look on website at the activities I wanted to do and them put them order of where abouts they were on the park map that you can find by clicking here Conkers park map. I then put them into a visual plan using Widget symbols as this was a new place for me so needed to know what to expect. Bellow I have included images of my visual activity plan n case its any help. We did not include things like lunch in the plan as had no idea how long the activities would take.

Arrivals

In this section of the blog we detail what will happen when you arrive at Conkers so you know what to expect and can get exploring as quickly as possible.

blue badge parking

There is two car parks for Conkers one at each site both with a decent number of blue badge parking spaces. As we parked in the Discovery Centre car park and got the trin to waterside as we couldn’t find the waterside car park. There is a train ride that connects both sites together that allows you to stay in your wheelchair so you shouldn’t have to more the car during your visit when going across sites. Full information about the train can be found in the ‘CONKERCHOO Train’ section of this blog post.

Essential companion tickets

Essentials companion tickets can not be pre booked online so therefore, need collecting when you arrive from the reception desk when you enter as seen in the images bellow. In order to get my essential companion ticket I just showed my Access card with the plus one symbol on. On the Conkers website it said you needed a carers badge as proof but accepted the Access Card no questions asked. If you like to learn more about the Access Card then please click here what is the access card and is it worth it?

A reception area with a curved wooden desk. Behind the desk, a person is seated, and there are various items like brochures and a computer. On the wall behind the desk, a projector displays information about "Admission" and "Membership" with prices and activities like "Rockwall" and "Woodland Coffee Mornings." The wall also features a stone pillar and wooden beams. To the right, there is a vending machine and a sign indicating the direction to the toilets. The floor is tiled, and the ceiling has recessed lighting and skylights. The bottom of the image has a watermark that reads "Accesscoasters.com."

entering the Centre

Upon entering the Discovery centre there is a reception bag where you show your tickets and collect your carer tickets there is also male, female and accessible toilets as well as a shop. In the entrance area there is also a paint a pot and make a teddy these are both upcharge experiences.

Our day at theme park

Now we’re in the park and have sorted all of our access out it’s time to enjoy the park and get exploring. In this section you will find a write up of our day of Conkers including all the accessibility information of course. So come and enjoy the day with us!

Water Side Centre

The Waterside Centre was the smaller site of the two and had lots of woodland walks as well as a indoor and play areas.

Education Centre

We started our visit with a trip to the Education Centre to check out the craft activities on for February Half Term. During our visit their was wand making and sensory art. I had a go at the sensory art that consisted of some animal colouring sheets that you could stick different materials onto. You can see what I created in the images bellows it was a nice little activity to escape the cold.

Treetop Walk

We had a good explore around the Waterside Centre attractions and headed to the tree top walk. I must say we got very lost on the way even though it was signposted. The treetop walk was a ramped platform structure in the forest as seen in the images bellow.

In terms of access, everything except from the little house is fully ramped and wheelchair accessible as seen in the images bellow.

Wobbly Bridge

The wobbly bridge was another little attraction in the Waterside Centre locates in the woodlands. As you can see from the images bellow it is a wobbly bridge that is located in the forest.

In terms of access, the wobbly bridge would be a challenge to get across if you have reduced mobility or are a wheelchair user. However, there is a level walkway around the side as seen in the images bellow.

CONKERCHOO Train

The CONKERCHOO Train is a little steam train that transports guests to each site. The train ride has some fun scenery along the way such as little wooden cut outs of animals the tunnel also features a tunnel. The train runs every 15 minutes. During our visit we only had to wait a couple of minutes for the train to come.

In terms of access, The train is fully wheelchair accessible meaning you can stay in your wheelchair whilst on the train ride. The wheelchair carriage on CONKERCHOO Train is located towards the back of the train as seen in the picture bellow. It is also worth noting that the train makes a loud whistle noise when pulling into the station so if you or anyone in your party have additional sensory needs to loud noise I recommend waring ear defenders near the train station and on the train ride. Whilst on the topic of sensory it is also dark when you go through the tunnel on the train. There is no queue assist scheme at Conkers however, the CONKERCHOO Train had quite a high capacity and was very empty during my visit.

Discovery Centre

The Discovery Centre is the main site at Conkers and features so many indoor attractions from a 4D cinema to a bare foot walk as well as lots of different exhibits, trails and play areas. Timed tickets for the 4D cinema can be collected free of charge at the reception desk in the Discovery Centre. Full information about the 4D cinema can be found in the ‘4D cinema’ section of this blog post.

Interactive hall and Exhibits

Upon entering the Discovery Centre you come through into the interactive hall where there was a massive interactive floor as seen in the image bellow and is perfect for sensory seekers! The interactive hall also had some different exhibits to look at these were all about topical educational subjects light plants and recycling. I have included some images of some of the different exhibits I explored bellow.

In terms of access, the Interactive hall and Exhibits are all fully level and wheelchair accessible. The Exhibits do future some sensory effects when you press buttons like sound and lights these can be quite unexpected so thought I would pre warn you.

4D Cinema

Conkers has their very own 4D cinema located in the Discovery Centre included in your entry ticket. In order to get a timed ticked for the 4D cinema just ask for one at the Discovery Centre reception desk and you will be given a little lamented paper ticket as seen in the images bellow. During our visit the film was about a boy called Noah it was all about being kind to animals and putting litter in the bin. I must admit it was a very wired film and I wouldn’t say appropriate for more sensitive little once as during the short film a bird gets a plastic bag stuck around it’s neck. The film was all in 3D and glasses could be collected as you entered the cinema.

In terms of access, as it was a 4D cinema there was lots of sensory effects like water spry. flashing lights and air that went of under the seat through out the movie. There was no designated wheelchair space in the cinema and the front row was up on e step however, there was space in front of the metal bar as seen in the images bellow where a wheelchair could go.

Enchanted Forest

One of the best indoor areas at Conkers was the Enchanted Forest play zone! The full zone features loads of interactive elements like buttons to make things move and play equipment as well as an interactive tunnel walk area!

In terms of access, there was a wheelchair accessible rout around the enchanted forest that avoided any inaccessible play equipment. The star of the show was the tree top walk accessible via a lift inside the enchanted forest as seen in the images bellow. The lift took you straight up to the tunnel tree top walkway that was completely level and featured many sensory features like dark spaces, flashing lights as well as some loud noise. In the middle of the tree top tunnel there was a slide that was not accessible to wheelchair users however, just past the sild the wheelchair accessible sensory walkway continues as shown in the images bellow.

Barefoot Walk

Heading outside at Conkers there is also lots of things to explore including the barefoot walk train. The Barfoot walk is exactly as it seems a walk with different textures such as mud and sand that you walk through with your shoes off as you can see from the images bellow there is also a non barefoot walk available next to the barefoot walk. Once completing the barefoot walk there was almost like a washing area where you could clean your feet and put your shoes back on.

In terms of access, the barefoot walk was not wheelchair accessible as the different textures that you walk through like mud and sand are in trough that have lips on the side.

Meta Garden Experience

There was a flower garden with a nice structure in the middle that had won some awards. During our visit it was still winter so the garden didn’t look its best however, if you would like to learn more about it then click here Chelsea Flower Show’s Meta Garden.

Vertigo High Ropes

There is two high ropes courses available at Conkers however, the high ropes is an upcharge experience of £5 per person with no carer rate. The high Ropes as seen in the picture bellow were aimed at families and children like a mini tree top challenge, we did not have time to experience the high ropes during our visit but thought I would include so you can prepare for the upcharge.

In terms of access, the high ropes was not wheelchair accessible and did require participants to ware a helmet and harness.

A dirt path runs through a wooded area with leafless trees on both sides. On the left side of the path, there are logs placed on the grass, and a sign that reads "Go Ape! HIGH & LOW ROPES Bookings can only be made at Conkers Discovery Reception." On the right side, there is another similar sign next to a pole, and a large coil of rope is placed on the grass. In the background, there is a structure that appears to be part of a ropes course. The sky is overcast, and the overall setting suggests an outdoor adventure or activity area. In the bottom right corner, there is a yellow rectangle with the text "Accesscoasters.com".

Activity Trail

Three was many different trails at Conkers however, the activity trail is perfect for adventures children to climb and explore in the outdoors. The activity trail featured a number of different obstacles including tires to walk through and a massive climbing structure at the end as shown in the images bellow.

In terms of access, the activity trail was not suitable for wheelchair uses or those of us with limited mobility. However, it was tucked away in a nice quiet area of the woods so could be a good chose for those with additional sensory needs.

Sensory trail

Once having a look at the activity trail we went to the sensory trail where there was a lot more for me to explore. The sensory trail had lots of different textures for example, these boxes that you put your hand in and could feel different textures like a rope, brush, grass and many more as you can see from the images bellow. There was also lots of other sensory elements on the trail like musical instruments and a lovely canopy with reversable sequins oh and some mirrors.

In terms of access, the ground around the sensory trails was up some slopes and not fully flat so might be a bit of a bumpy ride in a chair.

Fairy Labyrinths

We ended our day finding our way through the fairy labyrinth maze where we got to the middle to find a very nice and colourful castle. I must say the maze was not very difficult and only took us about 2 minutes so don’t need to worry about getting lost. he castle in the middle provided lots of opportunity for imaginative play you could even go inside it.

In terms of access, the maze was a little tight so something to bare in mind of if you don’t like small space or have a big mobility aid. The rout around the maze had flat ground however, it was all stairs if you wanted to go inside the castle in the middle.

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, I think Conkers is a great family day out and is located not far from Drayton Manor! Conkers is perfect for those with additional sensory needs who love to explore as there is plenty of space to climb and run around. It was also not very expensive for a yearly membership that you could upgrade to on the day of your visit and get the price you paid on the day redacted. Well, I hope you have enjoyed exploring Conkers with me today I has been so funny what a lovely little place! I hope to see you on my next adventure, bye for now.

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Disclaimer​

The information provided on this blog about theme park accessibility is based on my experiences and the details available from the attractions’ official websites at the time of my visit. Please note that facilities and services for disabled guests may change, and the information may not always be up-to-date. I strongly recommend checking the accessibility section on the respective attractions’ websites for the most current information. The comments and opinions expressed in this blog are solely my own and are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or representative of any other organisation.