Accessibility Guide at Thorpeness Golf Club and Hotel

Whether you are considering staying at the hotel, playing our golf course, dining in Ogilvie's restaurant, catching up with friends in our lounge or Braid's bar or attending a private event, we hope that you find the information below helpful. 

We have looked to create this information in a selection of ways, starting with a video which will detail the features of the hotel and the accessible information for each area.
We have also split this information below in written format so you can scroll to the information relevant to you.

If you have any questions which we haven't covered below, at the bottom of this page you will find a contact form where we can look into individual requirements. 

Visiting Thorpeness Golf Club & Hotel and Ogilvie's Restaurant

Our wonderful golf course opened in 1922, with the hotel’s building, which was originally built as a clubhouse, following eight years later in 1930.

With this in mind, we have tried to offer accessible facilities where the building allows.

Car parking

We have two main car parks for the golf club and hotel. Our recommendations for where to park would depend on the reason for your visit.

As you reach the end of Lakeside Avenue and you are facing the main hotel entrance, to the left you have the hotel car park, which wraps around the main hotel building and its additional lakeside rooms.

To the right is the golf car park, This is closer to the golf course as well as the Pro Shop.

There are also a few spaces for those staying in our Braid Lodge rooms alongside our buggy car park, however this will be covered further in the video as part of our 'Staying at Thorpeness' section.

For those dining, we would recommend using the hotel car park as this is the car park with our blue badge bay. The blue badge bay is used on a first-come first-served basis.

Accessible entrances

The two most accessible entrances into the main hotel building are our reception entrance and our entrance to Ogilvie’s restaurant.

So depending on your needs at that time, you may wish to use either of these options as they provide access without any steps on entry.

From the front of the hotel, instead of taking the main steps, slightly further along to the right and up a slope, you will find paved access to the area at the top of the steps.

This is also the advised route to access the hotel’s terrace, which wraps around the left and the back of the main hotel building.

Also, from here is our second most accessible entrance providing a stepless route to Ogilvie’s restaurant.

To access reception, there are two sets of manual double doors, both sets usually open as a single doors and the first set has a small lip on entry. However, there is the option to open both doors should you require this.

If you need assistance to do this, please do let one of our Folk know and they will be happy to help.

Returning to our Ogilvie’s restaurant entrance, there are a set of double doors on entry, where the left-hand door is open and the right-hand door is locked at the top of the door.

As with our reception doors, the option to open both doors is possible and should you require this, one of our Folk can assist here.

Please note that these doors may be considered heavy.

After entering the building, Ogilvie’s restaurant is on the right, a small terrace area is straight ahead and has three separate entrances, all of which have one step down and a further step to reach the tables. And to the left is access to Braid’s Bar, which requires two steps in total.

Alternative entrances

There are three further entrances into the main hotel building in close proximity to each other from the back of the hotel, where our Lakeside rooms are situated, however, these do require the use of steps.

These are the rear entrance of Braid’s Bar, the side entrance to Braid’s Bar and a further entrance which provides access to the main entrance of Braid’s Bar, the lounge, reception and one of our private hire spaces, The Library.

The rear entrance of Braid’s Bar requires four steps and has a central handrail as well as a further step into the bar.

The further two entrances are accessed via five paved steps with hand rest support. The side entrance to Braid’s Bar has one further step, whereas the alternative entrance has two further paved steps.

Staying at Thorpeness Golf Club & Hotel

Our rooms are spread across the main hotel building and two outbuildings called the Lakeside and Braid Lodge.

Accessible room

Our most accessible room is Room 26, which is located within Braid Lodge. 

From the end of Lakeside Avenue, with the main hotel entrance ahead, a small car park for Braid Lodge guests can be found by turning right, driving past the Pro Shop and first and third tee, and turning right again behind Braid Lodge.

This car park shares the area with our buggy car park, so please be careful when entering and exiting the car park.

From here, there are two steps into Braid Lodge, one outside step and a further step upon entering through the main door.

Once inside, there is a further single width pull door to reach the corridor of the ground floor rooms where room 26 is located.

The entrance and hallway of room 26 is laminate flooring which continues into the shower room.

The flooring then changes to carpet as you enter the bedroom area.

Room 26 is a spacious room to accommodate the need to manoeuvre around the room with ease, it also has a set of double doors which provides access to the hotel grounds and a hard standing sloped entrance into the room.

We also have an additional moveable ramp which is allocated to this room for use during your stay.

Should you require assistance with this a member of our Folk can assist.

There is a sliding door between the hallway and the shower room and there is a small lip to enter the area.

The shower room has lateral transfer space and a chair which can be used within the shower if required. The shower itself has one step and there is a handrail within.

Should you have an assistance dog or you have brought your four-legged friend on holiday with you, they are welcome to stay in this room. They are also allowed within the hotel and on the golf course,  apart from Ogilvie’s restaurant.

If you are staying with friends. It may be helpful to note that rooms which share the ground floor with room 26 and are rooms 25, 24 and 23. 

Alternative options

The Lakeside building also has rooms which require no further steps to the room entrance which you may wish to consider.

These are rooms numbered 11 to 20 and they are our classic double room type and all king size beds can be converted into twin beds.

Also, the Lakeside has a paved ramp from the hotel car park which you may find useful.

Please note, as mentioned earlier, from this side of the hotel complex, the closest entrances into the main hotel do include steps.

If you do have any booking requirements, we would advise calling our Reception and Reservations Folk and we can provide you with more details and the best options available.

Even if you have stayed with us before, if you would like to request a certain room, we would advise booking with us direct either by calling or through our website, as room allocations cannot be guaranteed through third-party booking websites.

Dining with us

Ogilvie's restaurant

As mentioned above within our 'accessible entrances' section, our main restaurant, Ogilvie’s, has its own entrance from outside which requires no steps.

If using this entrance, there are also no steps to access the restaurant once inside.

The double doors to Ogilvie’s are held open during service times and have a small lip on the threshold of the entrance.

Ogilvie’s is an open plan restaurant over one floor, providing easy access and ample room for a wheelchair user to manoeuvre to a table.

It’s placement to the right-hand side of the hotel means that it takes in the views from the golf course including the third tee.

Full table service for food and drink is available in the restaurant allowing you to sit back and relax.

Our Folk are on hand to provide advice and assist with requests for tables with the best lighting or tables with less noise.

As this is an open plan restaurant, our advice may change depending on the number of tables booked at that time.

To help us make your experience the best it can be, we would please ask for you to let us know of any requests like this upon booking or check in so we can ensure that we are able to do our upmost to assist.

Accessible toilet

Just before the entrance to Ogilvie’s, is where you will find the hotel’s accessible toilet. This has been fitted with wall-mounted grab rails on both sides of the toilet for ease of use.

Other dining options 

Our other areas for food and drink, such as Braid’s Bar, the lounge, our main outside terrace, and the Meare Garden are all located close together on the left-hand side of the hotel.

Braid's Bar

Braid’s Bar is the hub of the hotel and sits directly behind our reception area which can be accessed quickly from Ogilvie’s, the Lakeside building and reception.

From Ogilvie’s to get to Braid’s Bar, You will find one step into the bar’s extended seating area and then one step, with a central handrail into the main bar.

There is a selection of seats, from sofas to more upright chairs to choose from. 

Food and drink orders for this area are to be placed at the bar with your food order then brought to your table.

Braid’s Bar is connected to reception by a hallway which passes our lounge area. 

The Lounge

The lounge area is a popular choice for those looking to indulge in afternoon tea or if you are looking to pass the time away with a paper and a coffee.

The hallway itself is carpeted which then changes to laminate flooring once entering the lounge.

There are no doors between the hallway and the lounge and the lounge itself is open plan, with large windows along the length of the room.

The Terrace

The main terrace, which as we mentioned earlier in the video, sweeps around the left-hand side of the hotel, can be accessed either via the lounge or next to Braid’s Bar, with each entrance requiring a step.

The terrace has a mix of tables and outside lounge furniture which is placed towards the outer section of the terrace. This allows a continuous access way around the terrace near to the hotel entrances.

The terrace is seen as an extension to Braid’s Bar and therefore, weather permitting, it provides the Braid’s Bar menu during service hours.

Like Braid’s Bar, food and drink orders are to be made at the bar, with food served to your table.

The Meare Garden

The Meare Garden, which you can see from the terrace, sits on the water’s edge of Thorpeness Meare and is accessed via the hotel car park.

Sitting alongside the Meare Garden is also our nine-hole miniature golf course, Jiggers. 

There are two ways to enter the Meare Garden. The first is next to the blue badge bay, which requires a step and then a sloping footpath which is predominantly grass.

The second is a set of steps that are located opposite the walkway between Braid’s Bar and the Lakeside, and next to Jiggers. There are 11 steps in total and while these are supported by handrails, due to the depth of the steps, these may be considered as steep.

In the peak summer holidays and weather permitting, the Meare Garden’s Summerhouse provides limited drinks and snacks.

The Braid’s Bar menu is also available in the Meare Garden during service hours with food and drink orders placed at the bar and food served to your table. 

This is a wide, open space which is largely grass under foot. There are a variety of tables and seating options available. 

Due to its location alongside the meare, the Meare Garden is only open through the drier months of the year when the ground is at its best.

Our Reception Folk will be able to advise on arrival as to whether this area is open.

Golf at Thorpeness Golf Club & Hotel

We are very proud to be home to an award-winning 18-hole 70 Par England Golf Championship course.

Designed by the well-renowned James Braid in 1922. 

A Scotsman and five-time Open Champion, James Braid designed over 200 courses across the British Isles.

Pro Shop

Once parked in our golf car park, you can find our Pro Shop opposite the first and third tee.

To check in for your golf tee time, this is where you will need to go.

There are two steps on entry to the Pro Shop and inside the shop is open plan with space to speak with our Pro Shop Team, as well as peruse our clothing and footwear ranges, or get any last-minute accessories or a snack for the course.

We have 14 golf buggies that guests can book along with motor caddies and trollies. We would advise that these are requested on booking so we can do our best to reserve these for you.

You can however speak to our Pro Shop Team on arrival and they can let you know what is available.

Changing rooms

The Men’s changing room is located next to the Pro Shop  and the Ladies’ changing room is just inside the main entrance of the hotel.

Both boast wide areas within the changing and washing areas and have ample places to take a seat.

Putting greens and practice ground

In addition to the course, one of our putting greens is located in front of the Pro Shop, with the other behind our Lakeside building.

A practice ground, short play area and practice nets can be found to the right of the first tee, next to the eighteenth hole.

Both the first tee and the eighteenth hole are in close vicinity to the golf car park.

Other sport activities

Other sport-based activities available at the hotel include a nine-hole miniature golf course and a snooker table.

Jiggers Miniature Golf Course

Jiggers is our miniature golf course located next to the Meare Garden and next to our hotel car park.

The entrances from the car park to Jiggers can be found earlier within on this page as part of our focus on the Meare Garden.

Jiggers is located closer to the steps of the Meare Garden and the surface underfoot changes from the grass of the Meare Garden to a paved footpath.

The entrance and exit to Jiggers have a gate which is light, manual and opens away from you. 

The footpath throughout the course is paved, however please note, each hole is marked out by a small lip to attempt to keep the golf balls within the hole guests are playing.

Jiggers is for residents and visitors alike to enjoy and you do not need to book Jiggers ahead of arrival.

Snooker room

Our snooker room is located on the lower floor of our main hotel building. This could be considered as difficult to access as the staircase for the room is located within one of the turrets of the building and is a set of small winding stairs, with a handrail for support.

Private dining and events

We also boast two private hire spaces within the hotel which cater for different party sizes. 

The Library

The Library is located within the main hotel building next to the lounge and opposite Braid’s Bar. 

Once you are within the main hotel building, there are no further steps to access the Library. The Library can be used for meetings up to ten people and private dining for up to eight.

It is often used by guests for drinks and a game of cards in the evening. 

The layout within this room is a central long table with chairs surrounding the table.

There is space around the outside of the room to manoeuvre around the table.

The Lakeside Suite

The Lakeside Suite is our on-site function room within the Lakeside building, This can be used for a variety of events including meetings, weddings, yoga and also private dining up to 40 people.

Like the building itself, the Lakeside Suite can be accessed the easiest via the hotel car park and then the sloped paved entrance between the side of the main hotel building and the Lakeside.

The suite is located on the top floor of the building, which is also where the entrance is situated. This means there are no steps to access the suite.

The wide hallway upon entrance to the Lakeside provides ample space to manoeuvre and the entrance to the Lakeside Suite is two double doors allowing easy access.

The space within the Lakeside Suite differs depending on the way in which the room has been requested to be set. Therefore if you are a guest, we would recommend speaking to the person who invited you to understand the layout chosen.

If you have any questions at all, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with one of our Folk on 01728 452176 or using the contact form below and they will be happy to help.