Accessible Britain

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aqueduct: the Vale of Llangollen Canal Boat Trust runs trips for disabled visitors in a specially adapted narrowboat with a hydraulic wheelchair lift, a disabled toilet, low windows providing exhilarating views, and space for twelve passengers and up to four wheelchairs. Half-day trips follow the canal to Llangollen Wharf, five miles west, while full-day trips go all the way into the English county of Shropshire. All trips depart from Trevor Basin, adjacent to the aqueduct; there’s a drop-off point near the mooring, and a small car park about twenty yards away (with a RADAR key-accessible toilet). You book the whole boat for your party, and should arrange it well in advance; a donation of £85 is requested per trip. Over at Llangollen Wharf, the Horse Drawn Boat Centre offers delightful 45-minute narrowboat trips, pulled by a horse plodding gently along the towpath. It’s a supremely leisurely affair, without even the sound of an engine to disturb the peace. The boats have ramped access for wheelchair users, who can sit in the open air or under cover – book ahead to be sure of a space. There’s no parking at the wharf, but visitors with restricted mobility can be set down at a drop-off point while a companion parks elsewhere: staff will advise you of the nearest parking spots. There’s a small disabled toilet at the wharf. FOOD & DRINK aa At Trevor Basin, the wheelchair accessible Telford Inn (01978 820469) serves decent food on the opposite side of the canal from the boat moorings – the Canal Boat Trust can drop you off on that side after your trip. Over in Llangollen Wharf, there’s a tearoom near the horse-drawn boat ticket office, with ramped access and a tempting array of home made scones, cakes, soups and light meals. 155 Snowdonia Scenic Drive WALES Driving distance: 53 miles Approx time without stops: 1 hour 40 minutes The 53-mile drive between Machynlleth and Beddgelert is one of the most scenic in Wales. Taking in woodlands, valleys, mountains, beaches and an ancient castle, it offers all the quintessential hallmarks of southern Snowdonia. From Machynlleth – a handsome little town in the Dyfi Valley – take the A487 towards Dolgellau. Five miles up the road, past the beautiful beechwoods of the Tan y Coed forest reserve, you’ll pass the signed turn-off for the Corris Crafts Centre, worth a stop to browse through the jewellery, leatherwork, ceramics, glassware and other items sold here (there’s also an on-site accessible café with a disabled toilet). Continuing north from here, look left for some impressive close-up views of Cadair Idris, southern Snowdonia’s most famous peak. Heading north from Corris, the Snowdonia National Park car park near the junction with the B4405/A487 at Minffordd is known as Dol Idris and has a picnic area, a disabled toilet and a nice wheelchair-friendly circular walk of about 800m around two small lakes. There is also a café in summer. Onwards from Dolgellau, head for the A493 (to Fairbourne) then turn off at Penmaenpool for the toll bridge over the Mawddach Estuary (60p) – the car park off the trail, just short of the bridge, is a good place to admire spectacular estuary views, and the trail itself is wheelchair accessible (see www.mawddachestuary.co.uk). Once over the bridge, follow the A496 to Barmouth, where the road follows the coast north, in places offering terrific views down to the sandy beaches of Cardigan Bay. One of them – Traeth 176
Benar, turn off the A496 just before the village of Dyffryn Ardudwy – has an accessible boardwalk along the sand dunes and beach, served by a car park with a disabled toilet and picnic tables. The A4085 A4086 Llanwnda Pass of Llanberis Caernarfon Mount Snowdon Bay A499 Pontllfyfni B4418 Llyn Penygroes Gwynant Craig Cwm Silyn A498 734m Pen-sarn Llangybi A487 Dolbenmaeu BEDDGELERT Moel Hebog 782m B4411 Penrhyndeudraeth Porthmadog Portmeirion Talsarnau Tremadog Bay HARLECH views from the beach are sublime. Ten miles north of Barmouth you reach the pretty town of Harlech, whose stunning thirteenth-century castle looms dramatically over the sea, visible for miles around. Sadly there is no wheelchair access to the castle, which can only be entered via a steep flight of steps. Beyond Harlech, the hills become steeper as you enter the heartland of Snowdonia National Park. The picturesque village of Beddgelert makes a good place to end your drive – it has an accessible information centre, a RADAR key-accessible public toilet and an accessible riverside walk. For more details on disabled facilities in Snowdonia, visit www. eryri-npa.gov.uk. Dyffryn Ardudwy A496 A493 Llanegryn Llyn Dinas Llanbedr Mawddach Estuary Dysynni Glyder Fawr 999m Llyn Trawsfynydd A470 B4405 A470 Capel Curig A5 SNOWDONIA NATIONAL PARK A487 Pen-y-Bont A487 Ysgubor-y-coed CEREDIGION B4391 B4407 A489 BETWS-Y-COED B5113 A5 Penmachno GWYNEDD Y Llethr 754m Ganllwyd Tal-y-llyn Eden Moel-y-llyn 521m Llyn Conwy PENMAENPOOL Llanaber Dolgellau BARMOUTH Lynnau Cregennan Barmouth Arthog Bay CADAIR IDRIS Llwyngwril Bryn-crug Tywyn Aberdovey A4085 Rhyd Pennal Dolwyddelan Blaenau Ffestiniog A496 Ffestiniog Abergynolwyn Trawsfynydd Wnion CONWY Llyn A4212 Celyn Arenig Fawr 854m A494 Rhobell Fawr 734m Llanfachreth A470 Aberangell CORRIS Cemmaes A470 MACHYNLLETH POWYS Pentrefoelas Carnedd y Filiast 669m 0 5 miles The Ael-y-Bryn Hotel, on the main road through Dyffryn Ardudwy (01341 242701, www.hotelaelybryn.co.uk), has disabled access, superb views over Cardigan Bay and good food (daily noon–2pm & 6–9pm), including excellent Sunday lunches (noon–6pm). 156 Newport Parrog Coastal Trail, Pembrokeshire Address: The Parrog, Newport SA42 0RW Web: www.pembrokeshirecoast.org.uk Tel: 01239 820912 (Newport Tourist Information Centre) Hours: year-round, daylight hours only Dates: may close during adverse weather Entry: free; parking free for Blue Badge holders WALES This short but very pretty half-mile stretch of the Pembrokeshire Coast Path is completely wheelchair accessible, giving disabled visitors, and those with limited mobility, a taste of the spectacular scenery offered by one of <strong>Britain</strong>’s most popular long-distance walking trails (www.nationaltrail.co.uk). Starting from the Parrog (old harbour) in Newport, the purpose-built trail heads east, skirting the estuary of the River Nevern and offering splendid, ever-changing views out to sea and upriver to the mountains. The gently undulating route takes you past reed beds, through trees, over streams and finally to the Iron Bridge – a 177
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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
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centre whose residents range from d
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Temple of Flora and Palladian Bridg
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051 Haldon Forest Park, Devon Addre
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you can pre-book bikes with trailer
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Weymouth and Portland National Sail
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Octavia the octopus always draws a
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Trengwainton Garden THE SOUTHWEST p
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Lincoln Cathedral 059 Lincoln Cathe
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Ideas aa Animal sanctuaries Bolderw
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Holkham Hall Reserve: in summer you
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FOOD & DRINK aa The T&D café bar o
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a wheelchair, while benches provide
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Southwold Pier side and in all the
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Wicken Fen is one of Britain’s ol
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depending on what you most fancy se
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field Cavendish AM LE field Pentlow
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floor has a large step up to it, bu
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M6 M1 Barrow-in-Furness The West Mi
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A619 080 Peak District Scenic Drive
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a boat across it or admire it from
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084 RAF Museum Cosford, Shropshire
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Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museu
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FOOD & DRINK aa The on-site café i
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Severn Valley Railway Northwood), a
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091 Royal Shakespeare Company, Warw
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Hereford Cathedral FOOD & DRINK aa
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WWT Slimbridge mile. To take the wh
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M18 The Northwest MID LOTHIAN Berwi
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South of Grasmere you’ll pass the
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it’s a fairly steep hundred-yard
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103 Brockholes Nature Reserve, Lanc
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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
Page 163 and 164: all but the most limited hand funct
Page 165 and 166: 143 Dynamic Earth, Edinburgh Addres
Page 167 and 168: provide a stunning backdrop to the
Page 169 and 170: yards away from the house are the t
Page 171 and 172: M6 Wales ISLE OF MAN Barrow-in-Furn
Page 173 and 174: Electric Mountain landscape of Snow
Page 175: 153-154 Llangollen Wharf and Pontcy
Page 179 and 180: Celtic Quest Coasteering When swimm
Page 181 and 182: 159 Garwnant Forest Visitor Centre,
Page 183 and 184: some of the concrete surfaces insid
Page 185 and 186: 163 Wales Millennium Centre, Cardif
Page 187 and 188: Northern Ireland Oronsay Colonsay J
Page 189 and 190: mobility. If you want to visit the
Page 191 and 192: (June-Aug Sat & Sun & bank hols), a
Page 193 and 194: the lives of more than 1500 passeng
Page 195 and 196: Grand Opera House, Belfast with dis
Page 197 and 198: Ulster Museum Discovery Zones - nat
Page 199 and 200: Ideas aa Heritage Fountains Abbey (
Page 201 and 202: Useful contacts This chapter featur
Page 203 and 204: advice on available facilities for
Page 205 and 206: than state what is possible. Predic
Page 207: Credits Reviewers: Claire-Louise Ba
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