Accessible Britain

(with a disabled toilet) about a hundred yards further along the road. Although the
museum building is hundreds of years old, it’s very accessible. The entrance is accessed
via a concrete ramp with a metal rail; wide doors open into a vestibule and the pleasant,
uncluttered reception/shop – the doors are not powered, however, and you may need
help to open them. The reception/shop desk is low enough for wheelchair and scooter
users to use comfortably. The one unisex disabled toilet is spotless, with both fixed and
moveable grab rails, though it’s narrow and there’s insufficient room for scooters, or for
wheelchairs to turn around. Inside the museum are a variety of ramped passages and
flat areas, with bannisters, rails and numerous rest seats: electric wheelchair users will
have little difficulty, though the less able may need assistance with some slopes. The
only area inaccessible to chair users is the fisherman’s cottage, which can be seen from
a viewing window/mirror. Users of large scooters may find some areas a little tight, so a
manual wheelchair is recommended. The museum gets very busy, so call ahead at peak
times, or if you want to book a guided tour.
FOOD & DRINK aa The delightful Tammy Norie (Shetlandic for Puffin) tearoom serves
excellent, basic, well-priced food – toasties, baked spuds and sandwiches – and the
home baking is superb, particularly the scones. Alternatively, about 30 yards from the
museum, the award-winning Anstruther Fish Bar attracts hundreds of visitors and the
biggest queues in town – but it’s worth the wait.
140 Gliding with Walking on Air, Kinross-shire
Address: Scottish Gliding Centre, Portmoak Airfield, Scotlandwell near Kinross KY13 9JJ Web: www.
walkingonair.org.uk; www.scottishglidingcentre.co.uk Tel: bookings 01592 840543 Hours: flying day is
Fri, other dates possible by prior arrangement Dates: all year, but most frequently in spring and summer
Entry: £50 for a 15- to 30-minute trial flight
Walking on Air is a charity set up to allow people with disabilities and a sense of
adventure to soar the thermals using a modified glider. The club uses the Gliding
Centre facilities (operated by the Scottish Gliding Union) at Portmoak Airfield, and the
clubhouse has panoramic views of the airfield.
The Chairman of Walking on Air, Steve Derwin, is passionate about flying and
the opportunities it offers for integration – the club works with BLESMA (a charity
supporting ex-service personnel injured in combat) and has a growing membership
from all walks of life. Go along for a trial flight and experience the adrenaline rush of
the launch and landing, the almost spiritual experience of being up high as you soar
quietly above the mountains, and the mesmerising views of the peaks and lochs far
below. Gliding seems to make everyone a bit poetic. Even if you’re not sure about flying
yourself, you’re welcome to come along to meet the enthusiastic members, watch others
fly and enjoy a very relaxing day out. For flying, they have a two-seater K21 training
glider, known as “WA1”, with hand controls fitted front and back. The Scottish Gliding
Union has converted one of its gliders, as well, in case WA1 is out of action.
The Scottish Gliding Union has gone all out to support Walking on Air, and there are
plans to improve facilities here, with access for people with disabilities a priority. There’s
SCOTLAND
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