National Botanic Garden of Wales Access

A member of my party has some sensory needs, do you run a 'sensory friendly' session?

These slots are for our visitors who have specific sensory needs and their families to enjoy. Our 'sensory friendly' sessions at Luminate are:

Tuesday 5th December 2023 @ 16.30pm - CLICK HERE
Monday 11th December 2023 @ 16.30pm - CLICK HERE

NB: These slots are not available through the Booking Calendar.

The trail will remain closed to the general public on those nights for 15 minutes, so your journey can start ahead of our main visitors. We will also reduce the capacity on the trail during that timeslot, so hopefully your experience will feel less crowded and more relaxed. The audio volume of our trail will be reduced during the first hour of this session, again to hopefully enhance your enjoyment of our trail.

All of our stewards are there to help make your night with us perfect. If you need any additional help on the night, please just ask one of our team. All of our team are trained to recognise the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower symbol if anybody in your party wishes to wear this whilst at Luminate.

Please look at our Access section above for further detailed information about the nature of the paths and access generally. We try not to publish too much detail about our trail in advance, as for most of our visitors, the element of surprise enhances their experience. We do, however, fully understand that for some people with sensory needs, more information about what to expect from Luminate, rather than surprises on the night, will help them to feel prepared for their experience and allow them to enjoy it all the more. We want to make your visit perfect, so if you would like some more detailed information as to the trail layout, what to expect, or if we can help in another way, please email [email protected]

Ticket prices on these nights remain the same as for the rest of Luminate. Carer tickets are available where required, pursuant to our standard carer policy.

Is Luminate supporting any charities?

Luminate is working with a number of local charities this year. For any further Registered Charity enquiries, please email [email protected]

What provision do you make for guests with mobility restrictions?

The trail has been created to be as accessible as possible within the context of the natural site of the Garden of Wales. All of the route is outside and not under cover.

Whilst care has been taken to remove all known trip hazards, the trail does take place in a country park, so may have stones/leaves/twigs etc, across the path. There will be some sections where cabling crosses the trail, these will be covered by cable ramp covers.

Accessible toilets will be available on site.

If extreme weather conditions mean that the trail is not fully accessible for people using wheeled mobility aids (bearing in mind the general limitations as set out above), consideration will be made on a case by case basis to allow tickets to be transferred to an alternative date when the ground conditions are more suitable.

We want everybody who attends Luminate to have a wonderful experience with us and our stewards on the night will all be happy to assist you wherever possible. If you need any assistance on the night, please just ask.

If you have any further questions about access that are not covered by the above, please contact us via email on [email protected]

Do you have mobility scooters for hire?

The Garden of Wales have 2 mobility scooters that they hire out and these will be available to our visitors each evening. These must be booked in advance by calling 01558667149. Please note this number is only manned during normal office hours and is only for booking the mobility scooter. Any other questions regarding Luminate should be directed by email to [email protected]