Access to the garden
Situated in Helmsley, behind Helmsley Castle and close to Cleveland Way Car Park, Helmsley Walled Garden is a five acre garden filled with flowers, fruit and vegetables. The garden is situated away from the town centre and is accessible by a wide foot path from the town centre.
The garden is all on one level and is almost completely step free. There are steps up to the Orchid House within the garden; however the glasshouse also has ramp access with a hand rail. You should allow at least one and a half hours to go round the garden. A small number of wheelchairs are available for loan free of charge. There are blue badge car parking spaces in Helmsley town centre.
You can also enjoy our café, plant centre and gift shop. They all have step free access and the plant centre, shop and The Vine House Café can be accessed without going into the garden.
Garden staff will be pleased to answer any questions you may have during your visit.
We look forward to welcoming you. If you have any queries please phone 01439 772314 or email us at [email protected]
Pre-arrival
For full details and maps of how to reach us, please see the directions section of our website. Alternatively, you can plan your journey by car using either the AA or RAC journey planning websites or Google maps. NB putting our postcode into your Satnav will take you up to Duncombe Park and not to the Cleveland Way Car Park.
The nearest railway stations are York which is 25 miles away and Malton which is 17 miles away. Taxis are available at York. If you require an accessible taxi you can book this in advance, see contact information for details.
The nearest bus stop is 366m/400 yards from our main entrance – ask the driver for the stop in Helmsley Market Square. All EMYS (East Yorks Motor Services Ltd.) buses are accessible and can accommodate one wheelchair. Their timetable is available on their website www.eastyorkshirebuses.co.uk.
There is an unmade road up to the garden’s main entrance and a wide paved path from both the town centre and Cleveland Way car Park both Long and Short Stay.
Car Parking and Arrival
The nearest car park is Cleveland Way car park which has two disabled spaces and is 150m/164 yards from the main entrance. Please refer to the Ryedale District Council website for a list of charges. Blue Badge parking is charged for in the Cleveland Way car park. Spaces are near to the Pay and Display machine, you will need to take a ticket from the ticket machines situated in the centre of both the Long and Short stay car parks.
Please contact us if you need to drop someone off at the main entrance by emailing [email protected]. The main entrance is step free.
The main entrance door to the garden is constantly open and is 254cm/8 foot 4 inches wide.
Main Entrance and Ticketing Area
The main entrance and ticket area is step free, level access throughout.
The floor surface is tamped down fine gravel and sand.
The area is open air and there is no additional lighting.
There is no lowered section to the ticket booth.
The ticket booth has a glass screen which is always opened when talking to customers, this will also aid lip reading and visitors with visual impairment.
There is currently no induction loop installed.
A magnifying glass, pen and pad of paper are available at the counter.
A small numbers of wheelchairs are available on loan free of charge, please book in advance to ensure availability.
The Garden
There is no audio tour available.
Gardeners and garden staff are happy to answer questions about the garden.
There are wooden seats available around the garden.
The paths around the garden are all of fine gravel and sand tamped down to make a hard flat surface. The paths in the Kitchen Garden are of wood chip.
Main pathways are 1900mm across.
Between pathways there are areas of grass, which can be uneven underfoot.
Public Toilets
Public toilets for café users are located by the main entrance just within the entrance to the Vine House Café. There is also a unisex accessible toilet in the garden, entrance is by the blue door next to the Salad House.
These are both unisex accessible toilets and are always open.
The access is flat and level and the door is 860mm/34inches wide.
680mm/26inches transfer space to the right of the toilet when facing the toilet.
The toilet height is 480mm/19inches.
There are vertical rails either side of the toilet.
There is a horizontal rail to the right of the toilet.
There is colour contrast with critical surfaces: tiles are blue and toilet and washbasin are white.
There is currently no emergency light to flash when the fire alarm sounds, however, Fire Marshalls are trained to check the disabled toilet in the event of the fire alarm sounding.
There is an emergency alarm pull cord.
The toilet is well lit with a Velux letting in natural light as well as overhead lighting and a low level light switch.
The flooring is non-slip vinyl flooring.
There is a lever tap on the sink.
Catering
Access to the Vine House café is flat and level and the door is 900mm/36ins wide.
Tables are wide and can accommodate wheelchair users alone or with a party.
The café has one ramp between two levels; large spaces are available for manoeuvring pushchairs and wheelchairs.
The café is lit by natural light through the glass roof.
The floor surface throughout is red quarry tiles, providing good contrast with white walls.
Customers go to the serving hatch to place their order and then are served at the table.
The café has a small but regularly changing menu and can accommodate different dietary needs. There are nut-free dishes but the kitchen is not nut-free. No additives are used and the café can cater for both vegetarians and vegans.
Crockery is patterned which contrasts with the wooden tables.
The nearest WCs and accessible WC are by the door as customers enter the café.
If in any doubt about whether the café can accommodate your dietary requirements please contact The Vine House Café direct on [email protected]
Plant Centre and Shop
Access is flat and level in the Plant Centre.
The floor surface is tamped down fine gravel and sand.
The area is open air and there is no additional lighting.
Access to the shop is flat and level, the door is 860mm/34ins wide.
Floor surfaces are red quarry tiles which contrast with pale green walls.
The shop is well lit by strip lighting but visually impaired visitors may initially find it dark after being outside.
No background music is played.
There is no induction loop fitted but staff can come out from behind the counter to be face-to-face with customers.
There are several types of display: shelving holds items such as soaps, seeds, candles and string; tables display books.
Additional information
All dogs including assistance dogs are welcome in the garden, drinking bowls are available.
In the event of a fire, all people in the gift shop, The Vine House Café or Orchid House should exit them quickly and safely and make their way to the open lawns away from the fire and await further instructions from the Fire Marshalls.
Contact information
Address: Cleveland Way, Helmsley YO62 5AH
Telephone: 01439 772314
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.helmsleywalledgarden.org.uk
Map reference: SE 608837 Lat: 54.24539 Long: -1.06846:
Hours of opening:
March to October – Wednesday to Sunday, 10am to last entry at 4pm (gates close at 5pm)
November, December and March – Wednesday to Sunday, 10am to 3pm (gates close at 4pm)
Helmsley is on the A170, 25 miles from York, 14 miles from Thirsk and 16 miles from Malton. Helmsley Walled Garden is a short walk from the centre of Helmsley. Follow signposts from the Cleveland Way Car Park, adjacent to the Castle.
By Road:
A170 into Helmsley, from York and Thirsk, turn left at Market Square and then right for Stokesley. Turn left opposite Feversham Arms into Cleveland Way long-stay car park. From Scarborough, drive past Helmsley Market Square and turn right towards Stokesley. Turn left opposite Feversham Arms into Cleveland Way long-stay car park. From Stokesley and Rievaux, on entering Helmsley on the B1257 turn right opposite the Feversham Arms in Cleveland Way long-stay car park. Follow footpath signs from car park to Helmsley Walled Garden.
By Public Transport:
Bus services are provided by EYMS (East Yorkshire Motor Services Ltd) from Scarborough ,please see their website for current timetable at www.eastyorkshirebuses.co.uk. Get 20% off garden entry with a valid ticket from EYMS 128 service from Scarborough.
Updated: January 2024
