Accessibility Guide

info@annandaledistillery.com, 01461 207817,

www.annandaledistillery.com

Contact for accessibility enquiries: David Ashton-Hyde, Distillery General Manager

Welcome!

Reborn after a 90year sleep and £15m restoration, Annandale Distillery was opened to the public in 2014 by co-owners Prof. David Thomson & his wife Teresa Church. Three years later after a successful and ‘Royal’ opening, the distillery launched their first single malt scotch whiskies – the unpeated ‘Man O’ Words’ & the peated ‘Man O’ Sword’, both of which have won worldwide critical acclaim, and the site gained a 5 star visitor attraction award from Visit Scotland.

Annandale Distillery is located just outside of Annan, in Dumfriesshire, and boasts an onsite Café, distillery shop and Visitor Centre where full site tours are conducted.

Whether you take a tour, visit our distillery shop, café, we guarantee a sensational sensory experience.

Although accessibility to all is important to us here at Annandale, the buildings are nearly 200 years old and some production areas are simply unable to be accessed by less abled or wheelchair bound guests.

Our hospitality and retail areas are fully accessible as are some areas of production.

Please get in touch with us if you have any concerns about this and we will be happy to do all we can to accommodate your needs.

At a Glance

Level Access

There is level access from the main entrance to:

• The Distillery Retail Shop
• The Maltings Coffee Shop
• Visitor Centre
• Archaeology site
• Kiln, Filling Store and Warehouse that form part of the tour
• Toilets

Hearing

• We do not have a hearing loop installed at Annandale Distillery
• Some staff have entry level BSL training
• Video with written tour options available

Visual

• Glass porthole doors and full-height windows and have contrast markings.
• The walls and the doors have a high colour contrast.
• Some parts of the venue have low lighting.
• The menu is available in large print by request

General

• We have a complimentary ticket policy for personal assistants.
• All staff have disability awareness and first aid training.
• Multi-sensory additional experiences form part of our tours

Getting here

Annandale Distillery, Northfield, Annan, Dumfriesshire, DG12 5LL

Travel by Train

Annan Train Station is just a 20min walk to the Distillery, or a 5min taxi journey.

• Northbound trains from Carlisle – 30 minutes
• Southbound Trains from Dumfries – 20 minutes
• Northbound trains from Newcastle (direct) – 2hours
• Southbound Trains from Glasgow (direct) – 2hours
• Southbound Trains from Edinburgh (Change at Carlisle) – 1.75 hours
• Northbound trains from London Euston (Change at Carlisle) – 4.5 hours

 Travel by Car

If you are heading north, as you cross the Scottish border take junction 20 off the M6/A74(M) and follow the brown signs to our doorstep.

If heading south on the A74(M) follow the brown signs, exit at junction 20 and continue following the brown signs.

Our postcode is Sat Nav accurate; DG12 5LL

Alternatively, if you are visiting other beautiful sites in Dumfries and Galloway head east on the A75 from Dumfries, or west of the A75 from Gretna, exit at the Annan turning and continue to follow the brown signs through Annan.

Travel by Taxi

• You can get a taxi with Toon Taxis 07534 273911. This taxi company may or may not have a wheelchair accessible vehicle.

Parking

• At Annandale there is a main carpark at the top gate and a disabled car park as you drive down to the site available in the bottom carpark that is just 50 yards from our main entrance.
• Customers can be dropped off at the door of the coffee shop by car if guests phone in advance. Phone number is displayed upon arrival in the bottom car park.
• Annandale also accommodate coach and bus parking
• Personal car parking and car retrieval available with advance bookings

Arrival Path to main entrance

• The walk from the disabled/bottom car park is 50 yards from the main entrance to the buildings. You will cross a small private farm path (smooth and tarmacked), down a very slight incline to the distillery cobbled courtyard, from which the café, shop, toilets and visitor centre can be accessed.
• The cobbles are a little bumpy to negotiate but not deep/high and modern wheelchairs have always coped without issue. The distillery also has a wheelchair that we can lend to customers if needed.

Main entrance

• The main entrance to all areas are level.
• All doors are at a minimum width of 35 inches to a maximum of 45 inches
• The doors to the shop, kiln & Café are glass and are monitored by staff members.
• All public entrances are cobbled bricks going onto a wooden floor as you enter.

Getting around inside ? Visual Impairment – General Information

• We have markings on all glass doors with full width door handles and high colour contrast between walls and door frames.
• Some parts of the venue have low lighting.

Lift

• have no lift’s

Ticketing area

• The site is not ticketed. Tour tickets may be bought online or in the shop which is featured below.

The tour – Kiln Beginning

• From the main entrance to this area, there is level access.
• Display information is low, for wheelchair users.
• While customers wait the distillery have a video playing with some visuals of the distillery processes
• The room has 15 seats and enough room for several wheel chairs. With pre-warning floor space can be cleared to accommodate up to 15 wheel chairs.
• The Kiln part of the tour is a sensory experience where guests can handle and smell peat and barley, along with other sensory experiences designed for all to enjoy.
• The kiln also has two sets of stairs leading to the production area so for the less abled who are unable to negotiate them we are able to show a (live) video of the production area which a tour guide can talk the guests through.
• The distillery has plans for a VR tour and hopes to have this in place by July 2021. Please ask for further details

The tour – Stillhouse

• The stillhouse is the section of Annandale that is not full accessible due to the two flights of stairs that need to be negotiated.
• There is no lift available to help with access.
• This area must be able to be exited swiftly if needed so full mobility is required for access.
• There are wooden resting stools dotted around the production area for guests to use.
• The flooring is a open steel and not suitable for walking aides.

The tour – Filling Store

• From the main entrance to the kiln, the tour is guided across the cobbled courtyard 20ft to the filling store
• It has two extra large doors for easy level access
• No hand rails
• One resting seat inside

The tour – Warehouse

• From the filling store the customers head outside, across the cobbled courtyard to the archaeology site which is surrounded by railings before moving further across the cobbled courtyard to the warehouse for a tasting.
• The warehouse is 40 meters from the filling store.
• Although on a level surface the last 5 meters prior to its entrance is across slightly gritted ground.
• It has a extra large sliding door
• When inside there are resting chairs and room for several wheelchairs. Floor space is adjustable to accommodate larger groups. Please get in contact and we will help arrange what is needed.
• This is where the tour guide provides tastings of the spirit and whisky.

Public toilet / Unisex Accessible Toilet

• There is a public toilet for disabled visitors.
• From the main entrance to the public toilet, there is level access across the cobbled courtyard.
• There is a private large disabled toilet, along with 4 further separate toilets available
• There are horizontal grab rails located to the left of the toilet.
• There are baby changing facilities within this toilet.
• The toilet is fitted with a pull cord alarm

Shop – The Shop/Tour tickets

• From the main entrance to the shop, there is level access across the cobbled courtyard.
• Tickets for the tour are bought here
• The flooring inside the distillery shop is carpet as you enter the shop and wood throughout.

Place to eat and drink – Maltings Coffee Shop

• From the main entrance to the shop, there is level access across the cobbled courtyard
• To get to a table, there are no steps.
• The menu is offered in sizable print upon request
• There is quiet background music.
• We cater for multiple dietary allergies, please call to make specific requests and find out options.
• We also provide soya milk for coffee, tea and hot chocolate.

Accessibility equipment

• We do not have a hearing loop
• We welcome assistance dogs and can provide water bowls for them. Please ask staff for assistance.
• The nearest toilet area for assistance dogs is located just next to the distillery warehouse.
• In the case of an evacuation, all customers inside the Attraction will be led to safety by a member of the team or by a member of the fire brigade.

Customer care support

• All staff have disability awareness training.
• Some staff have minimal BSL training.
• We have information in audio, and large print upon request.

Extra Information

• Annandale can provide a wheelchair for use by guests but takes no responsibility for the guest whilst using it, nor the mechanics and practicality of the chair.  Please be aware due to health and safety regulations our staff cannot help push any guests around the site in this or any other wheelchair or walking aid. 

Guide last updated: 5th May 2023