Archive for the ‘North West’ Category

Crathie Opportunity Holidays, Aberdeenshire, Scotland

Monday, February 22nd, 2010

Crathie Opportunity Holidays are 4 self-catering cottages in the restored Manse Courtyard of historic Crathie Kirk, Aberdeenshire. Located in the Cairngorm National Park, Crathie lies between the villages of Braemar and Ballater some 50 miles west of Aberdeen.

The 4 cottages are all named after glens near Crathie and all have level ground floor access throughout, fully accessible kitchens, level access showers, height adjustable beds and ceiling tracking hoists. Each of the cottages have their own pages where more details are given about the specific accommodation. Please see the Clunie, Gairn, Gelder and Girnock pages for further information.

The Access Statement gives a summary of the provision for disabled people and further details can be found on OpenBritainon page 319 of the OpenBritain 2010 Guide and on the Crathie Opportunity Holidays Website.

Proven House, Alston, Lancashire

Friday, February 19th, 2010

Proven House provides self catering accomodation situated on a working farm near Alston, Lancashire, in the beautiful Ribble Valley and was converted to a very high standard in 2008. The property has been assessed and given awards for mobility, visual and hearing impairments under the National Accessible Scheme.

The house consists of a fully equipped kitchen/dining area with all modern amenities, comfortable lounge with digital TV/DVD, twin bedded room with adjustable beds and en-suite wet room with disabled facilities.

The Access Statement gives a summary of the provision for disabled people and further details can be found on OpenBritainon page 281 of the OpenBritain 2010 Guide and on the Proven House Website.

Primrose Court, Tebay, Cumbria

Thursday, February 18th, 2010

Primrose cottage constructed Primrose Court 1 and 2 in 2007 with the disabled traveller in mind. They provide the same facilities as Primrose Lodge such as 2 beds, 2 bathrooms with the addition of double ended Jacuzzi bath, en-suite 4-poster, electrically operated bed, twin room, flat screen TVs throughout, dish washer and washing machine. They are both Non-Smoking apart from  where smoking is permitted outside on balconies from the lounge.

Both are flat, with level access and have private drives and parking adjacent to the units. Pets are welcome and they are set in 1 acre garden and within a five minute walk is the Cross Keys Inn, a delightful old country pub, serving bar meals. The little village of Tebay has two churches, two pubs, a railway club and pretty walks along the banks of the River Lune.

Tebay is situated 16 miles from Penrith to the north, 11 miles from Kendal to the south and almost adjacent to the north Lakes and Yorkshire Dales. The Howgill fells, as yet one of the quieter places for walkers, are the hills located within easy reach of the village. The Scottish border is approximately one hours drive north, making Tebay and Primrose Cottage an ideal overnight stop for journeys up and down the country, or an excellent centre to access Cumbria, the Lakes and the Yorkshire Dales.

The Access Statement gives a summary of the different cottages provision for disabled people and further details can be found on OpenBritainon page 279 of the OpenBritain 2010 Guide and on the Primrose Court Website.

Irton House Farm, Cockermouth, Cumbria

Wednesday, February 17th, 2010

Irton House Farm is set in 240 acres of pasture and woodland and commands probably one of the finest views to be found in the Northern Lakes. It is a working sheep farm and was chosen as the venue for the BBC series ‘One Man and His Dog’.

Within easy driving distance are Derwent Water, Thirlmere, Ullswater and the famous waterfall ‘AiraForce’, Buttermere, Loweswater and Crummock Water. The towns of Keswick and Cockermouth, the birthplace of the poet William Wordsworth, are also nearby.

The property is made up of 6 cottages, The Robins, Jinney and Granary which all sleep 2 people, while The Swallows and Shepherd’s Rest that sleep 4 people as well as the Martins which sleeps 6. The Access Statement gives a summary of the different cottages provision for disabled people and further details can be found on OpenBritainon page 276 of the OpenBritain 2010 Guide and on the Irton House Farm Website.

Kerridge End Holiday Cottages, Macclesfield, Cheshire

Tuesday, February 16th, 2010

The Kerridge End Holiday Cottages are in the western edge of the Peak District National Park near Macclesfield. The self catering holiday cottages offer accommodation in the village of Rainow. They are located in the grounds of Kerridge End House, a former Gentleman’s residence built in 1837 for John Mellor. Kerridge End is in the conservation area of the village of Rainow, which lies in the foothills of the Pennines.

The holiday cottages consist of 3 properties each of which have different levels of access. You can read about the access for the different buildings on their individual disability access statements. Please use the links for the Coach House, Stables and Hayloft or simply go to the Kerridge End Holiday Cottages Disability Access page.

Further details can be found on OpenBritainon page 274 of the OpenBritain 2010 Guide and on the Kerridge End Holiday Cottages website.

Nationwide Bungalow, Ambleside, Cumbria

Monday, February 15th, 2010

The Nationwide Bungalow is located in the heart of Cumbria close to Lake Windermere, England’s largest lake and offers spectacular views of unspoilt countryside. The property is in the pretty town of Ambleside which is full of speciality shops, busy restaurants and pubs humming with good-natured conversation.

This comfortable and adapted bungalow sleeps up to seven people and has a beautiful secluded garden which is accessible from the lounge and the driveway. Nationwide offers a twin room, two single rooms, a double sofa bed and a z-bed, with all bed linen supplied. The pleasant living area has a colour TV, video and hi-fi. The kitchen is equipped with an oven, fridge, freezer, microwave, washing machine and tumble dryer. There is central heating throughout and ample off-road parking.

It also boasts:

  • wheel-in shower
  • self-propelled shower/commode chair
  • mobile hoist
  • electric profiling bed

Further details can be found on OpenBritainon page 274 of the OpenBritain 2010 Guide and on the Nationwide Bungalow website.

Wall Hill Farm, Cheshire

Monday, November 16th, 2009

wallhillfarmtitle

wallhillgableview

Wall Hill Farm is a 7 bedroomed grade 2 listed property in Action Bridge, Cheshire. The 250 year old brick built, traditional Cheshire barn was converted in 2009 and includes a bedroom which is adapted for disabled people.

Room 3 is “a  twin room on the ground floor with two 900mm single beds and providing full disability access including wheelchair access to both the bedroom and en-suite bathroom, which contains open area shower, toilet and wash hand basin.”

WallHillbeach_bedroom_bathroom

The Wall Hill Farm website also gives a list of attractions in the area with relevant internet links. A full Access Statement for Wall Hill Farm is available on the OpenBritain Website.

Tate Collection

Thursday, November 12th, 2009

Tate Collection

When I think of the Tate Gallery I think of one gallery in London, maybe this is because I’m simply not in the know, the Tate Collection is actually 4 galleries across the UK and they provide quite a lot of information for disabled people on their website. I would recommend that you visit the website and have a look around for the information that you require but here’s a brief over view of the galleries and some of the available information.

The website is broken down into the 4 seperate gallaries, Tate Britain, Modern (both in London), Liverpool and St. Ives. In each section the format is the same.

On the Visiting  pages there is general information regarding the specific gallery including the address, opening hours, admission prices and how to get there. This information is also available in British Sign Language (BSL) through RealPlayer and it also gives the Minicom number for deaf people.

Visiting Pages:

Tate Britain

Tate Modern

Tate Liverpool

Tate St. Ives
Each of the galleries has an Access and Facilities Page and a page relating to different programmes that the gallery runs for visitors with learning disabilities, blind and deaf people.

Access and Facilities:

Tate Britain

Tate Modern

Tate Liverpool

Tate St. Ives

Programmes:

Tate Britain

Tate Modern

Tate Liverpool

Tate St. Ives

The Tate Boat

There is also the Tate Boat which runs between the Tate Britain and Tate Modern and the site states that:
The Tate Boat can accommodate wheelchair users.

However, exceptionally high tides mean that the Tate Boat cannot navigate certain Thames bridges and a replacement vessel may be used at these times. Some replacement vessels are not able to accommodate wheelchair users so we strongly recommend that customers call 020 7887 8888 on the day of travel for further details.

Guide and hearing dogs are welcome on the Tate Boat.

Access at the Tate Collection

You can find all of this of this information and more on one handy Tate Collection Access Page.

Tate Boat

Bonfire Night at Bitts Park, Carlisle

Monday, November 2nd, 2009

CarlisleLoveCarlislelogo_m

Saturday 7th November 2009, Bitts Park, Carlisle.
Entertainment starts at 6.30pm, Bonfire lit at 7pm and admission is free.

The Carlisle Fireshow is in the top ten bonfire and firework displays in the country and attracts around 35,000 people. The bonfire is themed and built to a specific construction which has a pyrotechnic and firework display set onto moving parts. The firework display which follows is spectacular and the whole show is set to music. A fairground and catering units are also on site and add to the atmosphere. Admission is free although donations are collected for local charities.

Access

Limited disabled parking although some spaces will be reserved in Devonshire Walk Car Park on first come, first served basis. A special viewing area for wheelchair users will be set aside on Sheepmount Road.

Access will be maintained via Irish Gate Bridge. However for safety reasons stewards will ensure the bridge deck is not used as a viewing area due to the expected congestion of spectators.

Shiverpool Ghost Tours

Thursday, October 22nd, 2009

Shiverpool

Why not pop along to Liverpool this Halloween and join a Shiverpool Ghost Tour who’s moto is “We scare because we care!”. Shiverpool Ghost Tours also care about scaring disabled people and handily give information regarding access on their two routes.

The Hope Street Shivers Tour is “fully wheelchair accessible, and there are disabled toilet facilities on the tour route. For those with mobility issues, this tour is a none strenuous walk however it does involve some walking and time on feet listening to stories.”

On the second tour named Auld City Shivers they state “This tour is non wheelchair accessible due to a very narrow staircase leading to the attic of Ye Hole in Ye Wall. Hope Street Shivers is fully wheel chair accessible tour. For those with mobility issues, this tour is a none strenuous walk however it does involve some walking and time on feet listening to stories as well as a narrow staircase at Ye Hole in Ye Wall.”

Although the Auld City Shivers Tour isn’t accessible for wheelchair users at least they make the effort to say so and privide an alternative route. It’s a shame that more information and facilities aren’t provided for people with other disabilities, however they do also say “Wherever possible Shiverpool always try to accomodate those with mobility issues or disabilities and make our tours inclusive for everyone. Please let us know when you book if you have any disabilities or mobility issues.”