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Accessibility

Hill of Tarvit Mansion & Garden accessibility guide

Largely unchanged from when it was designed in 1908 by architect Sir Robert Lorimer, Hill of Tarvit Mansion offers a glimpse into the first half of the 20th century. Lorimer also designed the landscaped gardens, with formal lawns, yew hedging, flowering borders and a sunken rose garden.

On this page:

Welcome

Contact for accessibility enquiries: Claudia Noble-Pyott and Dan Barlow, Visitor Services Supervisors

Email: hilloftarvit@nts.org.uk

Telephone number: 01334 653127

Web page: Hill of Tarvit Mansion

Please note we have a complimentary ticket policy for carers.

Our Visitor Services team wear name badges and a tweed jacket/navy Trust fleeces/softshell jackets. 
They will be happy to answer any questions you have about your visit.

At a glance

There is level access to the:

  • Gardens
  • Car park toilet block
  • Lower floor of the mansion house

There is a ramp up to the reception area of the mansion house.

Visual

  • Some parts of the visitor experience have low lighting.
  • The standard information booklet for visitors is small print. 

Dogs

  • All dogs are allowed in the gardens (on a lead) and around the grounds.
  • Assistance dogs are welcome throughout the property.
  • Water and treats can be provided.
A white-walled Edwardian mansion house stands on a slight hill. Terraced gardens lie before it.

Getting here

Hill of Tarvit Mansion & Garden
Cupar
Fife
KY15 5PB

Hill of Tarvit is 2 miles south of Cupar, off the A916.

Parking and public transport

  • There is a car park for buses and cars.
  • Disabled parking is available on the forecourt of the mansion house.
  • The nearest railway station is at Cupar (2.5 miles away via A916).
  • Buses are usually willing to stop at the end of Hill of Tarvit’s west drive  – Bus no. 64 to St Andrews.
Expand image 1: A stony path leads between two hedgerows towards an open space. Tall trees grow on the left. Expand image 2: A tarmac drive leads towards an Edwardian mansion house. Lawn drops down to the right, and shrubs and trees grow on the left. Expand image 3: A large gravel area, in front of Hill of Tarvit Mansion, an Edwardian house with white walls.

Getting around the mansion house

There is wheelchair, rollator or buggy access to the ground floor of the mansion. 

  • The mansion is accessed via a ramp that leads into the reception area.
  • The front door has a width of 90cm and is propped open for visitors. It can be opened to a width of 178cm.
  • The ticket desk counter height is 90cm.
  • The door to the Great Hall has a width of 74cm, which can be opened to 150cm.
  • Rooms at Hill of Tarvit are split across 2½ floors, with one staircase to ascend and descend. The staircase has a large, fixed handrail; however, please note that the first 4 steps have no handrail.
  • All of the ground floor is on one level, with no steps.
  • There are seats in most of the main rooms in the house.
Expand image 1: Seen through a stone archway, half of a double set of old wooden doors stands open, with a light inside the house. A set of shallow ramps connect the rough gravel area in front of the house to the flagstone floor inside, covering one shallow step. Expand image 2: A set of old wooden doors stands wide open, with a light on inside the house. A set of shallow ramps pass through a stone archway to the flagstone floor inside, covering two shallow steps. A pull-up banner stands beside a wooden cabinet inside the house. Expand image 3: The ticket desk in the entrance lobby of Hill of Tarvit Mansion. A large green banner covers the front of the desk, saying Welcome to Hill of Tarvit. A till and some leaflets are on the right of the counter. A wooden chair stands beside the desk.

Visitor experience

The visitor experience is a mixture of guided tours and self-guiding times, three days a week. The route around the mansion is designed to show the rooms as they were lived in by the family who owned it. The guides will share details of how, why and for whom the mansion was built.

During self-guided visiting hours (see property page for times) you can go at your own pace and spend as much or as little time as you like in each room. 

  • Tickets for the visitor experience are purchased at reception.
  • The visitor route starts in the Great Hall and progresses through to the Drawing Room, back into the Great Hall, down the corridor to the Library, back out onto the corridor into the Dining Room, the Servery, Pantry, Vacuum Museum and Old Kitchen, then back the same way into the Great Hall before heading up stairs to the second floor, which is 34 steps from the ground floor.
  • There is also a billiard room, which is 10 shallow steps up the grand staircase from the Great Hall.

Sensory experience

  • Lighting can be low in certain rooms due to controlled light levels to protect the collection, but our volunteer guides do have torches if needed.
  • Some rooms have sound playing from speakers. This can be switched off on request – please speak to a member of staff on arrival. 
Expand image 1: The wood-panelled walls, floor and ceiling of the Great Hall of Hill of Tarvit. A round wooden table stands in the middle of the room, lit by a chandelier overhead. A large stone fireplace is at the far end of the room. Long green curtains hang either side of the almost floor-to-ceiling windows. Expand image 2: A large wooden work table stands in the middle of an old kitchen with a red tiled floor. Copper pans hang above the units and benches all round the edges of the room. Expand image 3: A wide wooden staircase heads up to a landing area, with a display cabinet of china straight ahead. A green carpet runs up the middle of the shallow stairs.

Getting around the garden

The garden is on a hillside with paths that can be accessed without steps from the car park. The path surfaces differ throughout the garden and include tarmac, fine pea gravel, paving stones, grass, dust and woodland floor. 

  • There are wooden and picnic benches placed around the garden and paths. Please ask a member of staff for directions to your nearest one.
  • There is no set route around the garden.
Expand image 1: A rough tarmac path leads through a garden towards Hill of Tarvit Mansion, with strips of manicured lawn either side. Expand image 2: A wide iron gate stands in the middle of a tall stone garden wall, with tall trees beyond. The sky above is a deep blue. In front of the wall is a bed of shrubs and then a set of stone steps down into the garden. Expand image 3: Looking down a rough gravel path over manicured lawn towards Hill of Tarvit Mansion. The sun shimmers in the corner of the photo. Expand image 4: A compact surfaced path leads towards woodland, with manicured lawn and yew shrubs to the right, and a stone terrace border to the left. Expand image 5: A rough surfaced path leads through woodland and heads down round a corner. Expand image 6: A small walled garden, with stone parterres containing sculpted shrubs.

Getting around the grounds

There are many different walks around the estate. Access to these walks is via paths from various points around the grounds. 

  • The paths in the woodlands can get muddy and be slippery when wet.
  • Some paths are very steep, especially up to the hilltop.
  • There are a few wooden steps built into the path leading to the Doocot.
  • The path to the hilltop has stiles to climb over.
A slightly sunken path leads through woodland. The ground is covered in leaves.
A path leads through the woodland towards the hilltop at Hill of Tarvit

Facilities

Golf shop (including tea/coffee facility)

The golf shop and tea/coffee facility is a short walk from the car park or mansion house and can be accessed without steps, but there is a very tight corner upon entering the golf cottage which may not be suitable for all wheelchairs.

  • The front door is propped open for visitors, followed by a very tight corner and an internal door into the shop.
  • The front door has a width of 88cm; the internal door of 78cm.
  • The counter height is 90cm.
Expand image 1: An open doorway in a wall of a stone cottage. Two square grey planters stand either side of the door, which also has a rubber mat at the entrance. Above the doorway is a panel that says Kingarrock. Expand image 2: Looking through an open doorway into a small stone corridor, with another door almost immediately on the left.

Toilets

The toilets are located in the car park and split into two blocks – women’s and men’s. 

  • The toilets have level entry and the floors are tiled.
  • The door is 90cm wide.
  • The accessinle toilet can be found next to the women’s block.
  • The door opens outwards and is not automatic.
  • There are toilet facilities and baby-changing facilities in the Mansion House, which can be used during property opening times.
Expand image 1: A wooden toilet block at the edge of a car park. A large sign saying Toilets is in the foreground, beside the tarmac path leading to the block. Expand image 2: A porched area by the entrance to a toilet block. There is a door straight ahead, and one to the left. Expand image 3: A close-up of a wooden door in a wood-panelled wall, with a green handle.

Guide last updated: February 2025
 

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