Accessibility at Branscombe

Gravel pathways leading through a grassy orchard with a thatched yellow building — Branscombe Village | © National Trust Images/Meg Vallender

Branscombe village is tucked away in a valley that runs down to a beach on the famous Jurassic Coast. By car, the village is accessed along a narrow network of lanes. There are toilets, visitor information and a café in the village near the main car parking areas. A wheelchair-accessible toilet is available when the café is open. Visitors can follow a 1km relatively level, accessible walking/wheeling route to the beach from the National Trust car park.

Arrival and parking

The National Trust car park is located beside Branscombe forge.
The National Trust car park has about 5 spaces . It is a stone-surfaced car park with no defined disabled parking bays. Surface is reasonably level and firm.
The car park is free to members, or £3 suggested donation for non-members.
Next door to the National Trust car park is a larger, tarmacked surfaced car park behind the village hall (not National Trust and donations to be put into wishing well).
Village Hall front car park has one designated accessible space. More parking is available to rear. This involves a route with a gradient.
Branscombe beach car park is privately owned. It has a separate tarmacked area for blue badge holders.
The beach car park is approximately 200m away from Branscombe beach which is a large shingle beach.
The beach car park has a rigorous ANPR system in place for payments. This is not a National Trust car park.

Facilities

A wheelchair-accessible toilet is available when the Old Bakery café is open.
Two wheelchair-accessible picnic benches are located along the valley footpath to the beach.
Large print information is available in the Visitor Information Room.

Useful resources

The contact phone number for the Ranger’s office in Branscombe is 01297 680507. Alternatively email: branscombe@nationaltrust.org.uk

Moving around the site

Visitor Information Room

Located 20m from the National Trust car park.
Follow signposts.
Cross over the road and follow a loose gravel path.
There is a 5cm step into the building.

Gravel track leading to a door way to a stone building with visitor information boards on the walls — Access to the visitor Information room in Branscombe | © National Trust Images/Meg Vallender

Old Bakery Tea Room

The tea rooms are approximately 50m from the National Trust Car Park.
From the car park, cross the road and take one of 2 entrances to the Old Bakery; both paths narrow to 600mm, are topped with loose gravel and involve crossing a concrete open-sided small bridge.
Access to the Old Bakery building is level. Once inside the building due to its original flagstone floor it is very uneven with narrow walkways to tables located downstairs. There are more tables available up a narrow flight of stairs.
Seating is located across grass.

Branscombe Forge

The forge is located adjacent to the National Trust Car Park.
It is accessed via a concrete ramp into the small showroom area.

Concrete ramp leading into a doorway entrance to a thatched forge building — Concrete ramp leading to the Forge entrance door | © National Trust Images/Meg Vallender

Manor Mill

Access to the Mill is challenging for anyone using a wheelchair. Please call the Ranger’s office to plan your visit 01297 680507.
The mill is accessed on foot down a farm track with rutted tyre tracks. This can become muddy.

Grassy rutted track with a fence on either side leading to stone buidlings — Access to Manor Mill is along a rutted track | © National Trust Images/Meg Vallender

Walk to the beach along the valley footpath from the village to the beach

A relatively level, accessible walking/wheeling route from the car parks in the village to the beach.
The first section of the route is shared use with vehicles. It is a firm, even, tarmac surface with an open rill along one side.
Tarmac transitions into a stoned surface path that winds down to the beach.
At the beach, the path meets a steeply sloping junction, which has a crossfall and meets a concrete sleeping policeman. These factors combine to make this final section potentially challenging for anyone with limited mobility.
The route connects with the South West coast path and small local paths that can make circular routes. These connecting paths have significant physical access challenges so in reality it is a there-and-back route, starting and ending in the village.