Wray Castle group visits 2020: important information Wray Castle does not take advanced bookings. We hope that this will give you flexibility in your planning and will not impact on your visit in any way. If you have any queries, you are very welcome to call us on 015394 33250 or email us at [email protected]. Visiting Wray Castle . Wray Castle came to us without its contents, so you will not see a house full of furniture and antiques with a complete accompanying owner-family history through the ages. However there is still lots to learn and enjoy. There will be talks and tours scheduled throughout the day taking place both inside and outside the castle. Groups cannot book onto these before arrival, so you may want to schedule your visit time to fit in with a specific talk or tour. Please check the What’s On page on the Wray Castle website for more details. For groups with children Wray Castle is very child-friendly. For instance, you can become architects of your own structures in the castle-building room, dress up in costumes and design your own coat-of-arms. There is parkland to explore right on the edge of Lake Windermere, and an outdoor play area built around its own castle. Payment information . Group admission rate: • Groups of 8 people or more: £9.50 per adult and £4.75 per child • Groups of less than 8 people: Will be charged the normal admission price • Under 5’s are free . The ticket office is in the small Entrance Hall which can get full very quickly. To speed up the process of entering the castle both for your group and other visitors, if possible please could the group leader come in on their own to pay for entry for the group. National Trust members get free entry, but we will need to scan each member’s card so please bring these with you. Organisations with reciprocal National Trust agreements, (e.g. National Trust for Scotland or Royal Oak) get free entry with proof of their membership. For more information on National Trust memberships see here. School groups . We require a sufficient number of adults to children; ratio of 1:6 for primary and 1:15 for secondary. School groups may want to take advantage of the National Trust Educational Group membership or EGM (see here for more details). It can be more purse friendly to sign up for an EGM in comparison to paying the group admission rates, and the EGM lasts all year so you can plan visits to other National Trust places or come back again to Wray Castle! You can sign up for this on the day at Wray Castle or in advance via the link. Other groups such as guides and scouts can sign up too, check the link above for more details. If you already have an EGM, the original card needs to be brought with you on the day along with evidence of your public liability insurance. Under the terms and conditions of the EGM, we’re not able to admit any group without seeing the original EGM card and insurance. A risk assessment should be completed ahead of the visit. To help you with this, we are able to offer a free site visit for the group leader. This needs to be arranged in advance so please contact us at the castle. Getting here . Due to the nature of our car park and roads surrounding the castle, we are unable to accommodate coaches. However, we welcome visitors arriving by minibus, boat or on foot. Conveniently situated a short walk from the castle, our own jetty in the grounds makes coming by boat very easy. Catch the boat with Windermere Lake Cruises at Brockhole or Ambleside (Waterhead) and make your visit even more special. Coaches can park at both Brockhole and Waterhead. See here for details and timetables. Groups can also arrive on foot. There is a footpath along the lakeshore from Ferry House to Wray Castle (4 miles), and also paths from Ambleside and Hawkshead to Wray Castle. These routes are mostly on off-road paths though there are some sections which take you onto roads so please take care and wear appropriate gear for a walk in the Lake District. Facilities on site . Toilets can be found at the front door to the castle, on the first floor and outside near the café, which is where you’ll find our accessible toilet. Baby changing facilities are at all locations. A National Trust shop where you can pick up a souvenir of your visit. Picnic tables on the front terrace, overlooking the grounds with views across to Ambleside, as well as at the back of the castle, at the top of the lakeshore footpath. There is a picnic room indoors on the first floor. The Kitchen Court Café is located on the southwest side of the castle. As we have limited kitchen facilities, the food consists mainly of sandwiches, soups and stews plus hot and cold drinks, which is served on recyclable plates and cups. Access information . It is possible for some groups if they are affiliated to certain disability charities or care homes to gain 50% off the cost of a visit, in addition to careers being able to gain free entry too. More details here . If your group is arriving by minibus, you may be asked to drop off your group and then park in an alternative area, as we have very limited large spaces in the main car park. There is parking for those with a disabled parking badge to the right of the main entrance at the castle. If you are arriving by boat, the footpath from the boathouse to the castle is a 10-15 minute walk with a hard-core surface and a gradual climb upwards, which may not be suitable for visitors with mobility issues. Level access to the ground floor of the castle is available, please ask a member of staff on arrival and they will open this for you. Unfortunately we don’t have a lift to the upper floors. There are paths suitable for off road wheels around the castle, including down to the lakeshore from the lower level car park. Please ask a member of staff for more details. If you have any questions about accessibility, please contact us at the castle. .