Accessible Bank Holiday Staycations

By Editor1SYS | August 20, 2019 0 Comments

From seaside towns along the coast to quaint country retreats, Great Britain has plenty of amazing spots to staycation this bank holiday weekend. Here are Rough Guide to Accessible Britain’s top places around the country for an accessible weekend away or day out adventure.

Head South West to Bath

Roman remains, fine architecture, and leafy waterways.  The entirety of this stunning city has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site which is not surprising because visiting Bath is truly delightful.

The Romans spent 300 years building a bathhouse but ancient legends say King Bladud founded Bath and created the hot springs using magic. Celtic tribes visited the waters to communicate with their goddess of fertility.

Wander the green spaces, have a cup of tea in the superb coffee shops, and of course, visit the world-famous Roman Baths. Enormous effort has gone into making this ancient site accessible, with four lifts giving access to ninety percent of the complex. Wheelchair-users may need help to negotiate the uneven paving around the Great Bath. Induc­tion loops, BSL audio-tours and an enhanced audio description guide are also available as well as three wheelchairs and one mobility scooter to borrow.

It is not only the historical hot springs that’ll impress you,  you’ll find Britain’s most elegant Georgian architecture, a unique and fascinating abbey, and an array of quaint boutique shops.

Escape to nature in the Lake District

Take a drive through some of the finest scenery in Britain. Starting at Cockermouth, a handsome market town on the north western edge of the Lake District, head south west onto  a mile-long fully accessible path that leads from Maggie’s Bridge car park down to the lakeshore. The views from here across to the undulating slopes of Fellbarrow are lovely, and visitors with good mobility can continue through the lakeside woods.

As you head south, the scenery gets wilder and more dramatic at every turn particularly as you drive over the 1167-feet-high Honister Pass, hemmed in by steep, craggy hillsides.

Once over the pass, the road loops north through the Borrow­dale Valley, treating you to classic Lakeland vistas in all directions.

Seaside vacation in Norfolk

As part of the National Trail, there is a 45-mile-long Norfolk Coast Path that runs from Hunstanton to Cromer, but you don’t have to walk it all – the one-mile stretch linking the busy harbour of Wells-next-the-Sea to its beach and coastline makes an easy, accessible and enjoyable stroll, with plenty to look at along the way.

Start at the harbourmaster’s office on Beach Road, where the level asphalt footpath then heads north towards the lifeboat house and beach car park. This footpath runs  parallel to the road and narrow-gauge railway line. As you follow the path, you’ll be treated to great views of the lively harbour full of working boats, a pleasure craft, and the saltmarsh and sandbar running alongside it is rich with birdlife. There are plenty of rest benches along the way, including a few with spaces for wheelchairs next to them. After about a mile, the path reaches a steep concrete slipway that, with care, can be used to access the sandy beach. After you’ve had your fill of the sea views, and perhaps stopped for a bite at the Beach Café, go back the way you came.

For more information on the Rough Guide to Accessible Britain or to view other accessible venues, please visit accessibleguide.co.uk, follow www.twitter.com/accessibleguide or ‘like’ www.facebook.com/accessibleguide.