Role of an Essential Companion

By accepting an Essential Companion ticket, your companion agrees to provide the support you need during your visit, including in the event of an emergency evacuation.

Essential Companions must be 18 years or over, the card or pass holder and their Essential Companion must enter together.

Related FAQs

Unfortunately, wheelchair hire is not available at the venue. If you require a wheelchair, it's best to bring your own.

The nature of our attraction means that there will be areas of the parks with uneven, cobbled surfaces and staircases of various widths, so care must be taken when moving around the parks and grounds.

The Watermouth gardens / rides areas are on a steep hill; the use of mobility scooters is prohibited in some areas. Children must be supervised at all times. Guests must use handrails where provided and running must be discouraged when moving around the grounds. For more detail please see the our Watermouth Accessibility Statement.

Yes, Accessible toilet facilities are available at the main toilets in The Courtyard and at the toilet by The Garden Café.

Yes, Baby changing facilities are available at the main toilets in The Courtyard and at the toilet by The Garden Café. These facilities are designed to accommodate parents with young children.

Watermouth Castle is partially wheelchair accessible. Because it is a historic building, some indoor areas have limited step‑free access, but many parts of the grounds and gardens can be enjoyed using the accessible routes that is available to download before your visit or can be requested on arrival.

Yes. Watermouth Castle provides a limited number of Blue Badge parking spaces located close to the Castle entrance. These spaces are available on a first‑come, first‑served basis.

No. Watermouth Castle does not operate any fast track or priority queue system. However queues are usually short, but they can become longer during peak periods such as the summer holidays. If you’re planning a visit during busy times, arriving earlier in the day can help.

The Role of an Essential Companion – By accepting the Essential Companion ticket your Companion accepts responsibility for providing you with the support you need to visit Watermouth Castle. This includes being able to provide you with additional assistance during the course of an emergency evacuation. The team at Watermouth Castle are unable to provide assistance in excess of their typical roles and general reasonable adjustments so it’s important that, if you need help moving around, your Essential Companion is ready, willing and able to support you with this.

Essential Companion tickets must be purchased online, through our website booking system which links with Nimbus Disability’s portal, ensuring the necessary ID checks take place and that we are aware of all accessibility requirements.

Essential Companion tickets are available free of charge for visitors who hold an Access Card featuring the +1 or +2 symbol.

It is the policy of The Escapade Group that all children under the age of 18 years must be accompanied by a responsible person aged 18 or over at all times. We understand that young carers are a much valued and needed source of support, but we are only able to accept them under the Essential Companion ticket scheme where there is no risk of them being left unattended.

The Access Card is a recognised way to communicate your accessibility needs across thousands of venues in the UK and Europe, including The Escapade Group. With an Access Card, there’s no need to carry extra paperwork to explain your requirements.

Essential Companion tickets are available free of charge for visitors who hold an Access Card featuring the +1 or +2 symbol.

Yes, we offer Essential Companion Tickets free of charge to visitors who hold an Access Card with the +1 or +2 symbol. This ensures we can provide the best possible experience for everyone.

For groups visiting from care/residential homes, SEN organisations or similar, who are unable to apply through Nimbus, we can instead accept a dated, signed letter on headed paper from the group manager, along with staff ID at Reception on arrival.

The letter must confirm the number of guests and essential companions attending.

Please note: staff ID alone cannot be accepted.

An Essential Companion ticket provides free entry for a carer to our Escapade venues.

Essential Companion tickets must be booked online with your admission tickets. You will need to purchase the correct ticket type for your visit and your access card will unlock the essential companion option. Tickets can also be granted on arrival with a valid access card on the day.

Watermouth Castle has two accessible toilet facilities available for visitors. These are located at the following locations:

All of these toilets are designed to be accessible for wheelchair users and their carers, and no key is required to unlock any of the doors.

We try to make your visit to Watermouth Castle as enjoyable as possible and we always try to accommodate as many people as we can.

The path's at Watermouth Castle are steep, and may not be suitable for wheelchairs or small-wheeled buggies. Watermouth Castle is partially wheelchair accessible. Because it is a historic building, some indoor areas have limited step‑free access, but many parts of the grounds and gardens can be enjoyed using the accessible routes that is available to download before your visit or can be requested on arrival.

Please find our Accessibility Statement HERE

Please visit Nimbus website here to understand more about the access card.

Click HERE to apply for your Nimbus card to get your Essential Companion ticket.

If you don’t currently hold an Access Card, we have introduced a free registration system specific to The Escapade Group. This allows you to register your needs in advance at no cost and access the same benefits. Please click HERE to apply.