Best Vineyards for Accessibility in Kent

All areas of Biddenden Vineyards, including the shop, winery, and toilets, are accessible to disabled visitors, featuring ramp or level access and specific disabled toilet facilities. Free on-site parking is available. Guide and assistance dogs are permitted on vineyard walks and in the shop. While the vineyard walks themselves may present uneven underfoot conditions, particularly in certain weather, the main facilities remain accessible. For individual booking discussions, contacting the office directly is recommended.

Squerryes offers excellent accessibility within its new Winery building, featuring level floors, no steps or slopes, and doorways compliant with wheelchair access regulations. This includes a shop with a reduced height counter and a unisex disabled access toilet with appropriate facilities. A lift provides access to the first-floor restaurant. Outside, there is a flat terraced area in front of the Tasting Room with accessible seating. Dedicated Blue Badge parking is available directly at the Terrace and restaurant entrance with a dropped curb, though the car park surface is chipped stone and uneven. While the internal areas are highly accessible, the vineyard tour itself involves uneven terrain and is a working vineyard, and surrounding public footpaths are not suitable for wheelchairs. Visitors seeking specific accessibility details are encouraged to contact Squerryes directly.

Simpsons Wine Estate offers good accessibility, though visitors are encouraged to contact the estate in advance for specific requirements. There is ample onsite parking, but the loose chippings in the car park may require assistance for wheelchair users. The winery tour is largely on one level, with suitable doorways for wheelchairs, although some doors may be difficult to open and there is a steep ramp without handrails to the warehouse area. The Glasshouse Tasting Room is located upstairs, but ground-floor tasting experiences can be arranged by prior arrangement. While the vineyard tour involves challenging gradients, it is possible to access the vineyard by vehicle if mobility is compromised, again with prior arrangement. Accessible ground-floor toilets, including a unisex accessible toilet, are available.

Balfour Winery offers good accessibility with designated Blue Badge parking and a main entrance featuring level, step-free access and manual doors. The tasting room, Cellar Door, and ground floor toilets provide good disabled access, including a step-free standard toilet and an ambulant cubicle. While vineyard walks may involve uneven grass and require appropriate footwear, certain tours are wheelchair accessible. However, the Winemakers' Kitchen, mezzanine level, and Bacchus Room are only accessible by stairs. Assistance dogs are permitted throughout the estate and on tours. It is advisable to contact the winery at least 24 hours in advance for specific access requirements or to confirm vineyard access due to agricultural activities.

Gusbourne offers accessible facilities with step-free access throughout the majority of areas, including the ground floor tasting room via a portable ramp or the winery by prior arrangement. An accessible car park with Blue Badge spaces is available. Registered carers and assistance dogs are welcome free of charge, with water bowls provided for dogs, though dogs are restricted from upper floors. For touring the vineyards, golf buggies can be arranged in advance for visitors with access needs. Accessible toilets are provided. While most areas are level, some first-floor tasting rooms have stepped access. Staff have received disability awareness training.