Accessible IrelandThe wheelchair edition

Plan it: the practical checklist for Phoenix Park, the Furry Glen and Papal Cross paths

Best entry point

Visitor Centre gate off Chesterfield Avenue. Accessible bays sit twenty metres from a level path, and the same is true at the Papal Cross bays.

Steps and gradients

No steps anywhere on the loops we name. Path edges are flush with the grass, so a wheel that drifts does not drop.

Accessible toilet

Accessible toilet at the Visitor Centre and at the tea rooms, both ground floor, both with a transfer rail. Nothing at the Papal Cross end, so go before you set out.

Seating and turning space

Benches roughly every four hundred metres, most with a hard standing beside them rather than grass. The tea room has movable chairs at standard tables.

Call ahead

Nothing to call about. This is the one day you can simply turn up.

Plan it: the practical checklist for Grand Canal towpath, Baggot Street to Portobello

Best entry point

Wilton Terrace, at the Baggot Street bridge. Come down the ramped kerb on the north side, not the steps at the lock.

Steps and gradients

Level the entire way. Dropped kerbs at every lock road crossing, though two of them are shallow rather than flush.

Accessible toilet

No public toilet on the towpath. The cafes at Portobello have ground floor accessible toilets, which is why we finish there.

Seating and turning space

Canal benches throughout, and the Portobello cafes will move a chair if you say so on arrival.

Plan it: the practical checklist for Kilkenny Castle parkland and the rose garden

Best entry point

The Parade gate, not the river gate. The Parade side is level from the accessible bays. The river approach has a cobbled ramp we would not choose.

Steps and gradients

Grounds are step free. The castle interior has a lift covering most rooms, with two thresholds of about three centimetres on the ground floor.

Accessible toilet

Accessible toilet in the castle visitor facilities, ground floor, with a transfer bar. No facility in the parkland itself.

Seating and turning space

Formal benches through the rose garden and a level cafe with standard tables and movable chairs in the courtyard.

Call ahead

Ask at the ticket desk which state rooms the lift reaches that day. It changes with restoration work.

Plan it: the practical checklist for The Medieval Mile, Kilkenny

Best entry point

Start at the castle end on the Parade, where the pavement is modern and wide. Do not start at St Canice's and work down.

Steps and gradients

No steps on the route, but original setts in three stretches and a sustained climb toward the cathedral. Most shops and pubs have a single step at the door.

Accessible toilet

Accessible facilities at the Medieval Mile Museum, ground floor. This is the reliable one on the street, so plan the route around it.

Seating and turning space

Thin. The museum cafe and the Parade restaurants have level tables. The older pubs mid-hill are narrow and mostly high stools.

Call ahead

Ring the Medieval Mile Museum to confirm the lift is running before you build the morning around it.

Plan it: the practical checklist for The English Market, Cork

Best entry point

Grand Parade entrance, which is level. The Princes Street door has a step and a heavy timber door, so avoid it.

Steps and gradients

Level tiled floor across the whole ground level. Lift to the gallery restaurant is at the rear, signed but easy to miss.

Accessible toilet

Accessible toilet inside the market building on the ground level. The nearest Changing Places facility is across the city, so check that first if you need one.

Seating and turning space

Ground floor stalls are standing only. The gallery restaurant above has standard tables, and staff will seat you away from the balcony rail if you ask.

Call ahead

None needed, but go before eleven. After that the aisles narrow with people and turning space disappears.

Plan it: the practical checklist for Kinsale harbour front and the Scilly walk approach

Best entry point

Pier Road car park, accessible bays at the water end. From there the promenade starts level with no kerb to negotiate.

Steps and gradients

No steps. A camber develops where the promenade narrows toward Scilly, tilting toward the water, and that is where we turn around.

Accessible toilet

Accessible toilet at the Pier Road facilities beside the car park. Nothing further along the walk.

Seating and turning space

Harbour benches at intervals with hard standing. The Pier Road cafes are level at the door and have movable seating.

Plan it: the practical checklist for Muckross House gardens and the lakeside path

Best entry point

The main Muckross House car park. Accessible bays sit directly at the house and the garden route begins there with no kerb.

Steps and gradients

Step free through the gardens and down to the lake shore. The house itself is level on the ground floor with a lift serving part of the upper level.

Accessible toilet

Accessible toilets at the house and at the garden restaurant, both roomy, both with transfer space on the left. This is the best provision in the guide.

Seating and turning space

Benches through the gardens and along the shore path, most on hard standing. The garden restaurant has standard tables and wide aisles.

Call ahead

Book the house tour ahead and say you use a chair. They route you the flat way and skip the stair section without ceremony.

Plan it: the practical checklist for Knockreer, Killarney National Park

Best entry point

Deenagh Lodge gate at the end of New Street, straight in from the town. Accessible bays on New Street, five minutes back.

Steps and gradients

No steps on the circuit. One long gentle descent to the river and the same climb back, which is the only real work of the day.

Accessible toilet

No toilet inside the park at this entrance. Accessible facilities in Killarney town, five minutes back through the gate.

Seating and turning space

Benches at the viewpoint over the Reeks and at the river turn. Grass elsewhere, so pick your stop.

Plan it: the practical checklist for Torc Waterfall, the lower viewing point

Best entry point

The dedicated N71 car park. Accessible bays are at the top corner, closest to the path head.

Steps and gradients

No steps to the lower platform, but a short pull with a section around 1:12 on damp compacted stone. Everything above the first platform is stone steps.

Accessible toilet

None at the falls. Nearest accessible toilet is at Muckross House, about eight minutes by car.

Seating and turning space

One bench at the lower viewing area and nothing on the way up. Plan this as a twenty minute stop, not an hour.

Plan it: the practical checklist for The Gap of Dunloe walking route

Best entry point

Kate Kearney's Cottage is the only sensible arrival point, and it is where we would leave it.

Steps and gradients

No formal steps, but rough single track road with potholes, a loose verge and sustained climbs well beyond 1:12.

Accessible toilet

At Kate Kearney's Cottage only. Nothing for eleven kilometres after that.

Seating and turning space

None on the route. The cottage itself has level access at the side door and standard tables inside.

Call ahead

If you want the horse and the guide, book an accessible jaunting car in Killarney days ahead. Do not arrive at the rank hoping.

Plan it: the practical checklist for Cliffs of Moher, the cliff path beyond the visitor centre

Best entry point

Visitor centre car park, accessible bays close to the ramped entrance. The building is set into the hill, so the centre itself is level from the bays.

Steps and gradients

Paved terraces nearest the centre are step free. The coastal trail beyond has steps, mud and uneven flagstone, and the O'Brien's Tower approach climbs hard.

Accessible toilet

Accessible toilets at the visitor centre, and this is the last provision before Doolin.

Seating and turning space

Seating inside the centre and at the cafe, with a small number of benches on the paved terraces. Exposed and windy, so indoors is the real rest stop.

Call ahead

Ask at the desk about the shuttle to the northern platform. It runs seasonally and it saves the only stretch worth having.

Plan it: the practical checklist for Rock of Cashel, the upper enclosure

Best entry point

Lower car park with accessible bays. There is limited vehicle access up to the site itself, arranged with staff rather than driven on spec.

Steps and gradients

A steep approach and thresholds throughout the medieval fabric. Worn, uneven original stone inside, with no way to make it level.

Accessible toilet

Accessible toilet at the visitor facilities by the lower car park, not up at the site.

Seating and turning space

Very little. A few benches at the lower facilities and effectively none inside the enclosure.

Call ahead

Phone the site before you drive. Staff are genuinely helpful about the vehicle lift up, but it needs arranging and it is weather dependent.