Accessible Britain

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THE WEST MIDLANDS AND WEST COUNTRY Log Cabin Café – from there a solid wooden footbridge starts the path up the hill. The total distance from the car park to the summit is around 450 yards. The inclines along the way are not too extreme, but if you’re using a manual wheelchair, assistance may be required in some places. At the viewpoint, low walls allow wheelchair users to enjoy the glorious views and the first-rate birdwatching possibilities – if you visit between April and August, look out for the pair of peregrine falcons that nest in the area. When you’ve had your fill of the views – and if you’ve still got energy to spare – you could finish your day at the aMazing Hedge Puzzle, a few miles over the river in Symonds Yat West. This perfectly formed maze, one of the largest in the UK, is composed of six-foot-high, three-foot-wide hedges; it’s quite a challenge, but great fun and a big hit with kids. Note that you can only exit the maze by finding the centre or going backwards, so this is not something to undertake if you might need to exit quickly. The hard, wide paths are fine for wheelchairs, though the viewing platform in the middle can only be accessed via a metal staircase. Those on foot, however, will appreciate the well-deserved rest seats. The attraction has designated disabled parking and a RADAR key-accessible toilet. FOOD & DRINK aa Symonds Yat Rock has the Log Cabin Café on site (Mar–Oct daily; Feb & Nov Sat & Sun only; closed Dec & Jan). Alternatively, The Saracens Head (01600 890435, www.saracensheadinn.co.uk), at Symonds Yat East, a two-mile drive away, has outdoor seating overlooking the river, a ramped side entrance and a disabled toilet. The aMazing Hedge Puzzle has its own tearoom, serving cakes, teas and light lunches. 095 WWT Slimbridge, Gloucestershire Address: Slimbridge GL2 7BT Web: www.wwt.org.uk/wetland-centres/slimbridge Tel: 01453 891900 Hours: daily Nov–Mar 9.30am–5.00pm; Apr–Oct 9.30am–5.30pm; last entry one hour before closing Dates: closed 25 Dec Entry: [D]£12.70 [C]free [A]£12.70 [4–16s]£7 [Con]£9.80 [Fam]£35.50 You may imagine that wetland centres are frequented solely by fanatical ornithologists brandishing binoculars and talking about obscure species. But in fact, the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) work hard to ensure their habitats are fun places for everyone to visit. Situated beside the Severn Estuary, Slimbridge Wetland Centre is the jewel in the crown of the nine WWT locations in <strong>Britain</strong>. Visitors are free to roam in the same wetland area as many of the birds, and can get very close – feeding of some species is allowed, using bird food available on site. Other species, including flamingoes, are in outdoor open enclosures. In the visitor centre there is an excellent daily talk on frogs and toads, and back outside, beavers, otters, voles, shrews and harvest mice can be seen. Small children won’t be able to resist splashing around in the Welly Boot Land wet play area – remember to bring a change of clothes! The pond dipping area is also great for kids wanting to discover mini aquatic beasties. Canoes are available for hire if you want a duck’s-eye-view of the reed beds. There is a large car park, with plenty of disabled spaces, next to the visitor centre and entrance. A long ramp leads up to the reception area where you can get a map and advice on what to see. All the paths are tarmac, hard gravel or boardwalks, while routes around the different areas of the grounds vary from a quarter of a mile to a full 112
WWT Slimbridge mile. To take the whole centre in, you’ll need to travel around three miles in total. There are many accessible hides but, due to some fairly steep ramps and some uneven boardwalks, unstable walkers or wheelchair users may want to bring a companion to assist at some points. Wheelchair users may also want to bring gloves as lots of birds wandering freely around can cause a lot of mess on the paths – plenty of hand sanitiser is provided throughout the site. You can book manual wheelchairs and powered scooters in advance. There are disabled toilets in the visitor centre and on the grounds. Assistance dogs are welcome, but advance warning is required because of the wildlife on site. FOOD & DRINK aa The visitor centre has a spacious restaurant serving good-quality hot and cold food, including homemade bread and soup. It has moveable tables and chairs and great views over the wetlands through huge windows. 096 Westonbirt, The National Arboretum, Gloucestershire THE WEST MIDLANDS AND WEST COUNTRY Address: Near Tetbury GL8 8QS Web: www.forestry.gov.uk/westonbirt Tel: 0300 0674890 Hours: daily 9am–5pm; last admission 4.30pm Dates: open daily except 25 Dec Entry: Mar–Aug [D]£9 [C]free [A]£9 [5–18s]£3 [Con]£6; Sep–Nov [D]£9 [C]free [A]£9 [5–18s]£4 [Con]£6; Dec–Feb [D]£6 [C]free [A]£6 [5–18s]£2 [Con]£4; prices vary for special events Westonbirt, The National Arboretum, is one of the most magical and inspiring tree gardens in the world. Cared for by the Forestry Commission, it’s a unique collection of nearly 15,000 specimen trees from around the globe. Today, Westonbirt is known as a hotspot for the very best in autumn colour, though the flowering trees are magnificent 113
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THE ROUGH GUIDE to Accessible Brita
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Enjoy even more fun, family days ou
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Contents Click on any chapter to go
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About this book Designed to be good
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HERITAGE HIGHLIGHTS IWM Duxford (E.
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Brockholes Nature Reserve (Northwes
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London 001 The Roundhouse 002 Wembl
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It’s the colour of the pitch - su
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On the site of the London 2012 Olym
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LONDON ZSL London Zoo FOOD & DRINK
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The tour starts in the MCC Museum w
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LONDON Royal Opera House FOOD & DRI
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LONDON London Transport Museum ther
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Ideas aa Art and sculpture Tate St
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016 Westminster Abbey Address: 20 D
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hop-on/hop-off at any stop along th
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the Painted Hall and chapel. There
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023 Horniman Museum and Gardens Add
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024 Bletchley Park, Buckinghamshire
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Parents of any disabled child will
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If you’d rather go sightseeing, h
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FOOD & DRINK aa The sizeable Studio
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In 1842, when the young Charles Dar
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grotto and birds of prey centre 10a
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populated by grazing sheep and the
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available on request, subject to av
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Beach: Address: The Estate Office,
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Emirates Spinnaker Tower THE SOUTHE
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043 Brunel’s SS Great Britain, Br
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and the tidal pools, as well as aro
Page 61 and 62: centre whose residents range from d
Page 63 and 64: Temple of Flora and Palladian Bridg
Page 65 and 66: 051 Haldon Forest Park, Devon Addre
Page 67 and 68: you can pre-book bikes with trailer
Page 69 and 70: Weymouth and Portland National Sail
Page 71 and 72: Octavia the octopus always draws a
Page 73 and 74: Trengwainton Garden THE SOUTHWEST p
Page 75 and 76: Lincoln Cathedral 059 Lincoln Cathe
Page 77 and 78: Ideas aa Animal sanctuaries Bolderw
Page 79 and 80: Holkham Hall Reserve: in summer you
Page 81 and 82: FOOD & DRINK aa The T&D café bar o
Page 83 and 84: a wheelchair, while benches provide
Page 85 and 86: Southwold Pier side and in all the
Page 87 and 88: Wicken Fen is one of Britain’s ol
Page 89 and 90: depending on what you most fancy se
Page 91 and 92: field Cavendish AM LE field Pentlow
Page 93 and 94: floor has a large step up to it, bu
Page 95 and 96: M6 M1 Barrow-in-Furness The West Mi
Page 97 and 98: A619 080 Peak District Scenic Drive
Page 99 and 100: a boat across it or admire it from
Page 101 and 102: 084 RAF Museum Cosford, Shropshire
Page 103 and 104: Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museu
Page 105 and 106: FOOD & DRINK aa The on-site café i
Page 107 and 108: Severn Valley Railway Northwood), a
Page 109 and 110: 091 Royal Shakespeare Company, Warw
Page 111: Hereford Cathedral FOOD & DRINK aa
Page 115 and 116: M18 The Northwest MID LOTHIAN Berwi
Page 117 and 118: South of Grasmere you’ll pass the
Page 119 and 120: it’s a fairly steep hundred-yard
Page 121 and 122: 103 Brockholes Nature Reserve, Lanc
Page 123 and 124: Southport Pier 105 Airkix Indoor Sk
Page 125 and 126: the whole site (even the sewer syst
Page 127 and 128: installations in a converted docksi
Page 129 and 130: Anderton Boat Lift Blue Badge holde
Page 131 and 132: M18 The Northeast and Yorkshire 113
Page 133 and 134: smooth, solid surfaces, although it
Page 135 and 136: Designed by Sir Norman Foster, the
Page 137 and 138: fully accessible bus, with a wheelc
Page 139 and 140: efreshments, call in at the friendl
Page 141 and 142: Betty’s Tea Rooms, Harrogate If y
Page 143 and 144: Roundhay Park of here sits The Mans
Page 145 and 146: (book in advance). The museum has a
Page 147 and 148: Yorkshire Wildlife Park 128 Magna S
Page 149 and 150: Families are particularly well serv
Page 151 and 152: 130 Callanish Standing Stones, West
Page 153 and 154: Fort George (twenty degrees) onto t
Page 155 and 156: which you can reserve in advance. A
Page 157 and 158: Sitting in the heart of the Cairngo
Page 159 and 160: St Andrews itself isn’t easily ac
Page 161 and 162: (with a disabled toilet) about a hu
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all but the most limited hand funct
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143 Dynamic Earth, Edinburgh Addres
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provide a stunning backdrop to the
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yards away from the house are the t
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M6 Wales ISLE OF MAN Barrow-in-Furn
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Electric Mountain landscape of Snow
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153-154 Llangollen Wharf and Pontcy
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Benar, turn off the A496 just befor
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Celtic Quest Coasteering When swimm
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159 Garwnant Forest Visitor Centre,
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some of the concrete surfaces insid
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163 Wales Millennium Centre, Cardif
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Northern Ireland Oronsay Colonsay J
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mobility. If you want to visit the
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(June-Aug Sat & Sun & bank hols), a
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the lives of more than 1500 passeng
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Grand Opera House, Belfast with dis
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Ulster Museum Discovery Zones - nat
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Ideas aa Heritage Fountains Abbey (
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Useful contacts This chapter featur
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advice on available facilities for
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than state what is possible. Predic
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Credits Reviewers: Claire-Louise Ba
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Accessible Britain

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