Access at Pontefract Castle

You can contact us in advance of your visit with any questions. You can email us at castles@wakefield.gov.uk and we will get back to you during office hours. These are Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.

You can also ring the Visitor Centre on 01977 723440. The Visitor Centre is open Wednesday to Sunday, 10am to 4pm. We can usually pick up the phone during opening hours. Please leave us a message with your contact number if we cannot pick up at the time. 

We have two disabled parking bays on Castle Chain, at the front of the Castle. Please use WF8 1QH in your sat nav to reach these.

Our car drop-off point is in the same place as the disabled parking bays. This will give you easy, level access to the Castle entrance.

Our coach drop-off point is located opposite the main car park. Use WF8 2JF in your sat nav for the coach drop-off point.

Our main car park is at WF8 2JF. The path leading from here to the Castle site is step-free, but it is cobbled and uneven in places. It is 122m from the main car park to the site with a 1 in 13 gradient.

Our staff are happy to help you with anything you might need. Our staff wear a black uniform. There will always be a member of staff inside the Visitor Centre when it is open. The Visitor Centre is open Wednesday to Sunday, 10am to 4pm.

We often have volunteers on site. Our volunteers wear a green uniform. You can also ask them for help or with any questions.

An accessible toilet and baby changing space is available in the Visitor Centre entrance. These toilets are open until 4pm daily.

The accessible toilet does not require a radar key.

The level access entrance to the toilets is through a set of double doors. These doors are usually kept propped open, except for when it is very rainy or windy.

Unfortunately, we do not have changing places facilities. The nearest changing places toilet can be found at Junction 32 Outlet Shopping Village, WF10 4FR, 3.5 miles away.

You can move around the main Castle site on the gravel and stone level access paths. 

The keep mound is unfortunately only accessible by a series of steps. However, you can view this from the main Castle area.

You can eat your picnic at benches around the site. We have two on the grassed area with adaptations to suit most wheelchairs.

You will be able to learn more about the Castle from our wheelchair-height information panels around the main site and Visitor Centre.

You can download a floor plan of the Visitor Centre here.

There are 3 level access entrances to the Visitor Centre and toilets. The first two entrances are double doors which are kept open. The third entrance is automatic doors. You can reach the Castle Coffee Shop from inside the Visitor Centre.

You can take a rest on the benches around the main Castle site. We can provide additional chairs if you need to sit down during your visit.

You can book onto our Castle Explorer Tours most Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 2pm. These are accessible for wheelchair users and keep on the level access paths. You can join our friendly guide to learn more about the Castle and its history.

Unfortunately our Dungeon Tours are not accessible for wheelchair users or mobility impaired visitors. The dungeon is only reachable by 44 steep steps. You can go on a virtual Dungeon Tour on our YouTube.

There is also an information panel in the main Castle grounds with a replica of some of the graffiti in the dungeon. You can touch this.

All Castle staff have attended Visual Impairment Training and Sighted Guided Training. Our staff will be happy to help you get the most from your visit.

You can move around the main Castle site on the level access paths. These paths are made out of gravel and stone.

The main Castle bailey area is level access and grassed.

The keep mound is very steep and only accessible by steps. There is a handrail alongside the steps.

There is an information panel in the main Castle site with a replica of some of the graffiti in the dungeon. You can touch this. 

You can take a rest on the benches around the main Castle site. We can provide additional chairs if you need to sit down during your visit.

You can book onto our Castle Explorer Tours most Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 2pm. These are accessible for wheelchair users and keep on the level access paths. These tours focus on explaining what the Castle used to look like and who used to live there.

You can download a floor plan of the Visitor Centre with alt text here. 

You can download a sensory map of the Visitor Centre with alt text here. 

There are videos with audio in our Visitor Centre. These will tell you more information about the Castle. The video screen is touchscreen.

There are large text versions of the object captions in the Visitor Centre.

Parts of the exhibition spaces in the Visitor Centre have low lighting levels. This is to protect the objects that are on display.

You can explore the past in a multi-sensory way with our interactive wall in the Visitor Centre. There are smell boxes, an interactive to feel the weight of a lead shot, and large replica siege coins to make a rubbing of.

Our friendly Castle Coffee Shop staff will be happy to talk you through our tasty food and drink options. 

You can download a floor plan of the Visitor Centre here.

There is a portable hearing loop available in the Gift Shop. You can ask our staff for this and they can show you how to use it.

The Activity Zone has a built-in hearing loop. If you are attending a talk or workshop in the Activity Zone, please let us know if this will be helpful.

We can make sure the presenters are using a microphone connected to the hearing loop. You can email us at castles@wakefield.gov.uk.

All of the videos in the Visitor Centre are subtitled in English. We are working on future videos also having BSL.

There is recorded music playing through speakers in the Gift Shop, Castle Coffee Shop, toilets and Visitor Centre.

We test our fire alarms every Wednesday at around 3.30pm. There will be up to 3 different alarm soundings.

All Castle staff have attended Autism Awareness training. Some staff have also attended a course on Thinking Differently: Exploring Neurodiversity. Our staff will be happy to help you get the most from your visit.

You can download a sensory map of our Visitor Centre before your visit here. 

You can download a floor plan of the Visitor Centre here.

Generally the site is quieter during weekdays (Monday to Friday). It can be louder at weekends and on school holidays. 

We do also regularly have school visits attending during the week, which can be excitable and noisy. 

You can contact us in advance to find out when might be the best time for you to visit.

We test our fire alarms every Wednesday at around 3.30pm. There will be up to 3 different alarm soundings.

There is audio on the videos inside the Visitor Centre. These will only play when the buttons are pressed.

Parts of the exhibition spaces in the Visitor Centre have low lighting levels. This is to protect the objects that are on display.

You can explore the past in a multi-sensory way with our interactive wall in the Visitor Centre. There are smell boxes, an interactive to feel the weight of a lead shot, and large replica siege coins to make a rubbing of.

There is recorded music playing through speakers in the Gift Shop, Castle Coffee Shop, toilets and Visitor Centre. 

You can borrow an Explorer Backpack from the Visitor Centre to support your visit. It’s full of tools and trails, including binoculars, sensory boxes, story trails and even a crown! Ask at the Visitor Centre to borrow, or book ahead by calling on 01977 723440. The backpacks are available Wednesday to Sunday, 10am to 3pm.

You might also be interested in our Relaxed Openings at Pontefract Museum, which is in Pontefract Town Centre. The Relaxed Openings at Pontefract Museum are every Tuesday, 2pm to 4pm.

All Castle staff have attended Makaton Awareness training. Some of our staff also have completed their Level 2 Makaton qualification.

There are Makaton signs next to some of our star objects inside the Visitor Centre and in the herb garden. These will help you communicate about what is on display.

You can download a floor plan of the Visitor Centre here.

We test our fire alarms every Wednesday at around 3.30pm. There will be up to 3 different alarm soundings.

You might also be interested in our Relaxed Openings at Pontefract Museum, which is in Pontefract Town Centre. The Relaxed Openings at Pontefract Museum are every Tuesday, 2pm to 4pm.

Relaxed Crafts: Plant Art - Thursday 20 June, 10am to 12pm

Come to Pontefract Castle and take part in creative activities all about plants! 

See, touch or smell herbs and plants from our medieval garden. Use plants to make art in different ways. Press leaves and flowers in clay. Print with leaves. Make a paint brush from plants. 

This will be a relaxed session, with a friendly welcome. Stay as much or as little as you want to. 

We will make changes to the Visitor Centre at the castle to make it quieter. Hand dryers will be turned off. There will be no background music.

This activity is free and you do not need to book to take part. It will be in the Activity Zone which is inside the Visitor Centre. 

This workshop is part of Learning Disability Week. It is for learning disabled adults and their family and friends.