The Enchanted Forest is an award-winning sound and light show in Faskally Wood, near Pitlochry. Each year it attracts thousands of visitors and this year was no exception with an incredible 80,000 people. The theme for this year’s show was ‘Of the Wild’ which is centred around autumn and the wildlife of the Highlands of Perthshire. This was my first visit to The Enchanted Forest so I was really intrigued to find out what the wheelchair accessibility would be like.
Before I review the accessibility of The Enchanted Forest, I thought it would be fun to show you my favourite photos from the event. Warning: I have lots of favourite photos to share with you, so please bear with me.
The Enchanted Forest + Mobiloo
I’ve never been to The Enchanted Forest before, but have heard so many great things about the event. So it was fantastic to be invited along to the show by Mobiloo as this allowed me to carry out my first Mobiloo ambassador duties and also enjoy the show.
The Enchanted Forest runs for 5 weeks from October to November, which is a great time of year as it gets super dark earlier but the temperature hasn’t plummeted yet. Although it was raining the night we visited, the trees more or less sheltered us from getting too wet. We wrapped up warm with winter jackets, hats and gloves, but surprisingly it was a moderate 15 degrees so my hands, legs and feet weren’t blocks of ice at the end of the night.
Getting There
Visitors are transported to the forest via a bus from The Fishers Hotel in Pitlochry, but disabled visitors can park in the forest. As we drove in we stopped at each checkpoint and each steward was lovely and helpful.
Wheelchair Accessibility at The Enchanted Forest
Disabled Parking
We parked up in the accessible parking, which had toilets and an accessible toilet right beside it. As our van had failed its MOT we had a hire car, which you can see in the image below.
We then headed down a gentle sloped tarmacked path and began our tour of The Enchanted Forest.
Pathways
Considering the location is in a forest, accessibility was great throughout. A lot better than I expected it to be. The majority of the paths were either tarmacked or hard surface. Due to the rain, the ground was wet and slippery but the staff were really good at informing everyone to take care. I didn’t have any problems moving around in my wheelchair, but I was mindful to look out for any uneven terrain/tree roots especially in the darker areas. There are little spotlights dotted along the paths, but some areas are a bit darker than others.
Food & Drinks
There are two food areas, one near the entrance serving pizzas, soups and drinks. The second food area is located in another area serving burgers, drinks etc. The food areas were sheltered under large canopies with wooden tables and benches. It was good to see that the tables were accessible to allow wheelchairs to roll underneath. As The Enchanted Forest is situated in the forest it wouldn’t be right to clear the ground completely of bark. However, in areas such as the food areas and storytelling yurt, I noticed there were mats making easier access for wheelchairs and pushchairs.
Accessible Toilets and Mobiloo Changing Places
The second food area is where the toilets and the amazing Mobiloo was located. Mobiloo is a mobile changing places toilet on wheels. The van has been converted with everything you can possibly need including an adult changing bed, toilet and hoist. Mobiloo travels all over and attends events so that families who require a changing place don’t have to miss out on days out, festivals, etc. When we saw signs for the ‘toilets’ we headed there and found Mobiloo beside the Portakabin toilets. There was also an accessible Portakabin toilet if you don’t require the additional facilities Mobiloo provide. For a look inside the Mobiloo click here.
Staff
All the volunteers we encountered were lovely and very helpful. They would offer advice for the most accessible routes and cleared a spot for me by moving people out the way on the viewing platforms.
Final Thoughts
The Enchanted Forest was a great event that my family and I thoroughly enjoyed. I was impressed with the wheelchair accessibility throughout the forest and it’s amazing that the organisers are always looking to improve access and be as inclusive as possible, hence the new addition of Mobiloo at this year’s event. I’ve heard The Enchanted Forest gets better each year so I would definitely visit again if I can. Seeing all the beautiful coloured lights has a real Christmassy feel, which I love.
All in all, it was a fantastic night with great wheelchair access and accessible changing places facilities. The only downside I can think of is that some of the paths can be a little dark. However, I appreciate that having them too lit up would take away from the effectiveness of the light displays. So I took my time going around and I managed perfectly well in my powered wheelchair.
Have you been to The Enchanted Forest?
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Disclaimer: A massive thank you to Mobiloo and The Enchanted Forest for inviting me along. I didn’t intend on reviewing this event, but as I enjoyed it so much I wanted to share it with you all. This is an honest review and my opinions, as always, are entirely my own.
One Response
What a awesome post and incredible pictures you captured in your travel trip. Thanks a lot to share a nice information and experiences.