Wheelchair accessibility
We’ve designed Treasure Hunt Sheffield to be step-free around the whole route.
We asked a wheelchair user to do an honest, independent accessibility review in return for a free game.
The test was carried out on 6th September 2025 and we have copied the unedited review verbatim below.
Here is my review of the Sheffield treasure hunt for wheelchair accessibility.
As a bit of background I am 15 years old and I am a full-time active manual wheelchair user. For the treasure hunt, I used a powered front-wheel on my wheelchair similar to a Tri-ride and I did it with a friend who was able to help me if needed.
First of all, we thought the treasure hunt was really well designed and the clues and instructions mostly easy to follow and I mostly didn’t have any difficulty navigating with my powered wheel and wheelchair.
The treasure hunt starts in Tudor Square which is step-free. The Head of Steam pub on the square is accessible and has an accessible toilet although I did not use it so I can’t comment on what it is like. The treasure hunt then takes you through the Winter Gardens. There is a step-free entrance that leads into a long ramp that is not steep and inside everything is smooth surfaces and step-free. Online information said that there is an accessible toilet in the Gallery inside the Winter Gardens but I did not need to use this one so I didn’t check it out.
Coming out of the Winter Gardens, the clue instructions are not clear. It says to go to the Peace Gardens and immediately ahead there is grassy, garden-like area. The Peace Gardens are actually off to the right not in immediate sight and so maybe a ‘turn right’ instruction would help here. Leaving the Peace Gardens there is a long ramp that is not steep.
We found the map for the Norfolk Street clue (Clue 6) confusing as it stops quite a bit before the place where the answer is and we spent a long time looking around the immediate area of where the map stopped before finally finding the answer quite a bit further down the road.
The crossing at Clue 6 is cobbly and so is the surface of Norfolk Row which you head down after the clue. However, these cobbles are quite small and even, so not as tricky as some cobbles can be.
To get to the clue outside Sheffield Cathedral you need to cross tram tracks and although it is all level access, small casters could get stuck in the tram tracks – no problem for any attachment that lifts the front caster off the ground like my powered wheel. Access into the cathedral is step-free and there is an accessible toilet at the back of the cafe. The toilet requires a radar key but if you don’t have one the cafe staff can give you one. The cafe is small but there are a handful of accessible tables.
After the cathedral, the treasure hunt heads downhill towards Kelham Island and this was the most difficult part to navigate. To begin with, you head down the side of the cathedral on an uneven path made of large cobbles. This isn’t too hard to navigate with a powered wheel as it is going downhill.
When you reach the road, an alternative route is offered down to the Law Courts which is essential to take as the main route is too steep and too cobbly even with a powered wheel attachment. Even the alternative route has challenges – although the pavement is tarmac, the drop kerbs are high and uneven in places and with added obstacles like bins in the way, it became easier to go down the hill on the road. However it is a very quiet road so it felt safe.
It is level access all around the Law Courts and crossing roads on the route down to the river and all along Esteli Parade. It is also mostly flat around this area. It is also smooth and flat or gently ramped getting from Esteli Parade to the area before Kelham Island Museum.
Clue 10 involves navigating more cobbles along a lane towards Kelham Island Museum. It is a flat lane but the cobbles are big and uneven in places. The pavement is made from uneven flagstones and is ok but there were obstacles in the way that meant it was easier to go on the road. As you head away from Kelham Island Museum, it is better to stay on the road because around the corner towards the Fat Cat pub, there are very high drop kerbs. The road is quiet around here so staying on the road is not a problem. In this area there are a few different pubs and cafes – we didn’t go to any of them but the ones we saw appeared to have accessible entrances. We didn’t check if they had accessible toilets.
After Clue 12, the treasure hunt takes you back up the steep hill towards the cathedral. Again, an alternative route is offered and while this is better than very steep street that the main route takes, it was still too steep to get up without assistance. Even with my powered wheel on, I needed my friend to push me.
At the top you have to cross the road before turning left on Campo Lane as you need to be on the other side for St James’s Row but the only useable dropped kerb is on that corner. If you go along Campo Lane before crossing and then try to cross immediately opposite St James’s Row, you will need assistance to get up the kerb. While there is a tiny corner of a dropped kerb at this point, it is not wide enough to be useable.
St James’s Row is a little steep and an uneven surface with wide, uneven flagstones. It is like the path you will have come down on the other side of the cathedral but this one is harder to navigate because it is going uphill and it seemed more uneven. I did manage it without needing help but did have to zig-zag a bit.
Clue 13 is impossible to see from a sitting position. My standing friend was only just able to see it and then, knowing it was there, I went down onto onto the cathedral square and sat with my back right up against the wall of the cathedral and looking back towards the building that held the clue and then I was able to see the answer.
The rest of the route was level access and easy to navigate. At one point there is an alternative route that avoids some steps which works fine and there were no issues navigating to the finishing point outside City Hall.
From this point, we were within easy distance of various places to eat. We went to Pizza Express outside the Winter Gardens which had a level access entrance and an accessible toilet.
In conclusion, it’s another great treasure hunt and was a lot of fun. In general, the route worked for a manual wheelchair user with a powered wheel attachment and a little bit of help. The most challenging part was getting down to and back up from Kelham Island – even with my powered wheel I could not have done this without assistance. There also maybe needs to be an ‘assistance’ hint for Clue 13 so that wheelchair users know where the best place is to be in order to see it. I will definitely be trying out another city after this one!
