Seats & Picnic Tables : General Guidance
General Guidance | Perches | Seats | Picnic Tables| Design List
Seats offer an opportunity for visitors to the countryside to rest, relax, and enjoy the view. They also provide useful resting places for elderly and disabled people and those with mobility difficulties. This is especially important in the countryside where path surfaces may not be as good as in urban areas, the ground may be uneven and there are more likely to be ramps or steps.
Seats or resting points are most useful at the top and bottom of slopes and at intervals along more difficult or arduous sections of path. By taking advantage of natural shade and shelter, good views, or attractive surroundings, people can be encouraged to make best use of any seating that is provided. The surface around seating and picnic tables should be firm, stable and flush with the path. If the path is accessible to wheelchairs, a surfaced resting place at least 900mm square can be provided for wheelchair users. Seating is best set back from the main route so that it does not pose an obstacle, but care should be taken that it is still readily accessible and, where possible, is on the same level as the path. The incorporation of a heel space of at least 100mm below seats and perches helps people to stand up more easily by allowing them to put their feet below their centre of gravity.
Picnic tables should
be designed so that they are readily accessible to both
able bodied and disabled people, with some tables that are accessible
to people in wheelchairs being provided in suitable locations.