As part of the National Trust’s commitment to making the countryside more accessible for everyone, 75 gates have been replaced at Coombe Hill, Bradenham, Pulpit Hill and Hughenden.

Neil Harris, National Trust Countryside manager said:

“We’ve been moving to a stile-free approach for many years, but after partnering with the Disabled Ramblers Association, we’ve made a further step change in how we think about access – removing unnecessary barriers, designing for visitors and ensuring that our paths, gates and crossings work for everyone who wants to enjoy the beautiful countryside in the Chilterns that we look after.”

The old infrastructure was around 25 years old and wearing out. Replacement offered the team the opportunity to think carefully about outdoor furniture with respect to disabled access. The ideal is to have paths with no barrier at all, but where barriers were needed, for instance to contain livestock or exclude deer, the team employed a hierarchy of preference from accessible gates to kissing gates large enough for powered wheelchairs and mobility vehicles.

All the new gates are at least 1.5m wide, are gently self-closing and have a large pull handle that can be operated from a seated position. Handles and catches are painted yellow so visually impaired people can easily see how to operate the gate.

Mark de Rivaz, Treasurer of the Disabled Ramblers Association said:

“At Hughenden, the National Trust is making fantastic progress with its gate replacement project to improve accessibility for all along the paths and tracks that criss-cross the estate. 

“The Disabled Ramblers Association campaigns for the removal of gates and other obstacles where possible and practicable, or the replacement of existing hard-to-navigate gates with more user friendly ones, that can be easily opened and closed by a wide variety of countryside users – not only disabled people, but also families with buggies, elderly or infirm people and, where permitted, horse riders and cyclists.

“There are real, tangible physical and mental health benefits for everyone in getting out into the countryside and we are keen to encourage all landowners to do what they can to facilitate this.”

Disabled Ramblers is working with the National Trust at Hughenden on the next phase of works, which is to design routes and upgrade footpaths where necessary in order help create a network of safe, accessible routes around the estate for the enjoyment of all.

The project was made possible with DEFRA funding delivered through the Chilterns National Landscape.ce.