Accessibility Guide
We have recently launched an online guide about physical accessibility at Ryedale Folk Museum. The guide includes detailed information on access around the Museum’s buildings and grounds.
Go to the online accessibility guide here.
There is also a more general summary of access arrangements described below. Please email or telephone us should you need any further help or information.
Access around the site and into buildings
Ryedale Folk Museum is an open-air Museum with historic buildings. There are a variety of floor and ground surfaces, some of which are uneven by nature.
All buildings have ground floor access but unfortunately some buildings have one or two (mostly small) steps to enter them. This is applicable to Pickard’s Cottage (one small step) and the Daylight Photographic Studio (two large steps). These buildings are a small percentage of the Museum.
There is a gentle slope through the middle part of the site (around the main green area) and some manual wheelchair users may require assistance from a companion at that point.
Some of our buildings have low light levels, to create an authentic feeling of life in the past. Visitors with visual impairments may struggle in these areas.
Wheelchairs and mobility scooters
We have manual wheelchairs and three mobility (motorised) scooters which are available for hire free of charge.
Visitors are welcome to use their own motorised scooters to help them get around.
Mobility scooters can be used to travel around the site but we ask that they are not taken into the buildings, due to the size of turning spaces available in almost all buildings. You can get close to every building in a scooter.
If you would like to reserve a wheelchair or scooter in advance of your visit, please call the Museum on 01751 417367.
Assistance Dogs
Assistance dogs (and other dogs) on leads are welcome throughout Museum including within the buildings. There is water for dogs near the main reception. We do not provide a bin for dog waste and we are grateful if you can take it away with you.
Prices for disabled visitors and carers or companions
If a disabled visitor requires a carer to enable them to access the Museum, then the carer is admitted free of charge. Those who are registered blind or partially sighted are also permitted free entry to the Museum.
Accessible toilets
There is an accessible toilet with a baby change located in the entrance building.
There is an accessible toilet in High Barn, our exhibition space, which is located near the top of the museum.
Unfortunately, we do not have any adult changing facilities at present.
Parking
The Museum does not have its own car park but you can park at the Crown Inn pub car park, which is immediately next to the Museum. There is a flat rate charge of £3, regardless of the length of stay. There are no designated disabled spaces.
Alternatively, you can park in the North York Moors National Park car park which has designated disabled parking and is around 300m away from the Museum. The path to the Museum is flagged but uneven in places. Charges for blue badge holders apply and there are designated disabled spaces. The charges are £2.50 for 2 hours and £4.50 for over 2 hours.
Eating and drinking
We do not have our own café on site (except for on event days when we occasionally run a ‘pop-up’ service). Our café, when open, is entered at ground floor level and has step-free access. We allow assistance dogs (but not other dogs) on leads into the café.
There are a number of excellent choices in the village to get a drink or a meal. They include The Crown Inn, the Forge Tearooms and the Barn Tearooms – all of which are a very short distance from the Museum. Please contact them directly for their current access arrangements.
Need more information?
If you need more information, then please call the Museum on 01751 417367 or email us at [email protected]. Our staff are happy to provide you with helpful and honest advice.