Accessibility
for Ruthin Castle Hotel & Web Site
Ruthin Castle Hotel
Parts of Ruthin Castle were built in the 13th century and very significant changes have taken place since then including the demolition of large parts of the ancient castle in the 17th century, the building of a new castle and use of its ruins in its landscape in the early 19th century, and various extensive additions in the 20th century. The grounds and property therefore include ruins and were not designed with modern access considerations in mind and they inherently include obstacles. Parts of the property are now listed as Ancient Monuments and others are listed Grade 2* and of special historic importance intended for conservation. As a result, there is a conflict between providing access for everyone, and preserving the property and its important features.
The hotel is in the process of significant refurbishment, alterations and the addition of a leisure spa. These works are anticipated to continue until Spring 2009 and will include improvements to access although there will always be some areas that are less than perfect. All new facilities will meet the current requirements to allow full access.
Until the completion of these works we apologise that there will be restrictions to physical access although we will endeavour to minimise those restrictions and provide access and assistance as far as is realistically possible.
The hotel staff will always try to be helpful and welcome all guests.
Transport & Location
- The only public transport is by bus and the closest stop is approximately 150m from the castle gate and the driveway is an additional 100m long. These distances are on fairly level surfaces but footpaths are restrictive and absent in parts.
- Free car parking is provided on site in a park immediately in front of the hotel and an overflow park further away (the latter accessible via 9 steps into the former). Two bays are designated for blue badge holders. The front car park unavoidably leads into the Reception area via 8 steps. No ramp is available. If personal mobility is a problem via steps, guests should make specific arrangements in advance to use access and parking in the Mediaeval Courtyard, where there is some gravel although the area is hard standing and there are no steps into the building and no steps through to Reception.
- Free coach parking is provided on site and coach drop-off points are in the front car park (see above note about steps) or near to the Mediaeval Courtyard. If personal mobility is a problem, guests should make specific arrangements in advance for assistance at the front entrance or to reach the Mediaeval Courtyard from the nearby drop-off point.
Reception Facilities
- The reception desk is high but lounge seating and a desk are provided in the reception area where guests can request check-in.
- A lift is available in Reception to a limited number of bedrooms (with assistance from a porter by request). This is not suitable for self use.
- Porter service is available for luggage.
- Reception is manned 24 hours.
- For guests entering the hotel from the Mediaeval Courtyard, there is some gravel although the area is hard standing. Floors internally to Reception are level and passageways are sufficiently wide for wheelchair access.
- An accessible unisex toilet is available from Reception via a level, wide corridor.
- A public telephone is available from Reception via a level, wide corridor.
Public Areas
- Level access is provided with wide corridors and doorways linking Reception, Inner Hallway, Cornwallis Lounge, Library Bar, Grand Salon, Conference Suite, Mediaeval Banquet Suite, accessible unisex Toilet, Bertie’s Dining Room and the Peacock Room which are all on the ground floor.
- Conference rooms have variable seating.
- The Leisure Suite is at First Floor level and is not accessible without assistance for guests with mobility difficulties. Some health & beauty treatments may be arranged in guest bedrooms as an alternative.
- The Rose Garden and most garden areas have limited accessibility due to several steps and uneven surfaces
- The Mediaeval Courtyard has a gravel surface that may impair wheelchair use
Accommodation
- 24 hour room service is available
- Access dogs are welcome by prior arrangement
- None of the bedrooms are fully adapted for wheelchair use (pending refurbishment and modification) although 2 bedrooms are relatively suitable but currently have traditional baths that are not suitable for those with severe mobility difficulties. These two rooms are accessible from Reception on level floor corridors and a short ramp.
- All bedrooms have telephone & dataport
Dining & Function Rooms
- All dining and function rooms are spacious and a variety of seating arrangements are possible subject to the level of occupancy etc. Advance notice may be required.
- Menus can be provided in large print or verbally by request
- Dietary requirements can be accommodated with advance notice.
- Access dogs are welcome by prior arrangement
Accessibility - www.ruthincastle.co.uk
This web site has been designed to be accessible to as wide a range of users as possible with the aim that everyone, regardless of ability, can use our site. We provide below information on accessibility features included within the site.
Layout and Text Sizes
The site uses cascading style sheets to control the visual layout.
The size of the text can be altered to suit your requirements. Many Internet browsers (e.g. Internet Explorer) allow you to customise the size of the font on web pages. To do this in Internet Explorer, select the View menu at the top of your screen, then select Text Size, and then select a size. If you already have your text size set to larger or smaller than the default (medium) our web pages should automatically display the font at the size you have selected.
Compliance with the Standards
At the time of completion by the web designer all pages on this site complied with at least W3C Web Content Accessibility Guideline Priority 1, Priority 2 and Priority 3.
http://webxact.watchfire.com
At the time of completion by the web designer all pages on this site used valid HTML 4.01 and CSS level 2.
Images
At the time of completion by the web designer all content images used in this site include descriptive ALT attributes. Purely decorative graphics include null ALT attributes.
Links and navigation
All the links in the Navigation bar have title attributes which describe the link in greater detail.
Access keys
We have chosen not to employ access keys. Research suggests that these can sometimes conflict with shortcut keys used by assistive technologies.
Tabindex
The site supports tabindex on all the main links, which allows you to use your keyboard's Tab key (or equivalent) to navigate through pages.
Feedback
We hope you enjoy our web site. If you have problems using the site, we should be grateful if you would kindly take the time to
outlining details of the problem/s you have experienced, so that we can take steps to rectify these. Please include information about the browser you are using (e.g. Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Opera etc.) and your computer's operating system (e.g. Windows or Macintosh, including the version).
Thank you.
