Mystery surrounds this 5,000 year old monument in the centre of the World Heritage Site. Visit this prehistoric South West site near Salisbury in Wiltshire, and decide for yourself whether Stonehenge was a place of sun worship, a healing sanctuary, a sacred burial site, or something different altogether!
English Heritage also provide information and services for disabled people such as:
Facilities Details:
Toilets: WC adapted for wheelchair users in large toilet block at far end of car park.
Shop: Level access.
Refreshments: Light refreshments are available from the Stonehenge Kitchen.
Access: On tarmac and grass path around outer circle (subject to weather conditions). One wheelchair available to visitors on request at entrance kiosk.
Parking: Reserved parking for disabled drivers is available close to entrance. Ticket office reached by short, sloping tarmac path.
Visually Impaired Visitors: Braille and large print guides are available on request. Touching Stones accessible at the main entrance.
Hearing Impaired Visitors: Audio tour with hearing loop in ten languages (subject to availability).
Both the South Devon Railway, Buckfastleigh and the Museum of the Great Western Railway, Swindon, have facilities for disabled people , the details of which cab be found on their respective websites as listed below:
All our stations are suitable for access by disabled people who are warmly welcomed.
There is plenty of car parking at Buckfastleigh. Our trains have disabled access and reserved spaces for wheelchair users.
Buckfastleigh station is the best starting point for your journey as we have easy, flat access and parking very close to the platform.
Our station at Totnes is only accessible via a footpath link and is some 464 yards from the nearest parking at Totnes National Rail station.
Please note that our dining trains do not have reserved spaces for wheelchair using passengers and the doors of the dining train carriages are narrower than the width of standard wheelchairs. However, we would urge you to contact us so we can help meet your specific requirements.
STEAM is fully accessible – with lifts and ramps giving wheelchair and pushchair access throughout the museum. Disabled toilet facilities are also available.
The displays have many features designed to meet the needs of people with special needs.
We are pleased to provide the following facilities and services:
An experience of sights, sounds, smell and touch
Free admission to carers or helpers assisting a disabled visitor
Free loan of wheelchair or motorised scooter
Fully accessible toilets, fitted with call point
Personal guiding scheme for unaccompanied disabled visitors (booking required)
Subtitled video and large print information panels throughout STEAM
Low-level counters at the Ticket Desk, Shop and Cafe
Induction loop system at the Ticket Desk
Easy to read signage
Guide, hearing and companion dogs welcome (dog bowls available)
Automatic entrance doors
Adult changing room
Free parking for disabled visitors is available within 25 metres of STEAM. Disabled visitors can be dropped off outside the museum entrance. There is level access to STEAM from all car parking areas.
The OpenBritain Guide is now available to order and comes packed full of useful tourist information for disabled people.
For the first time, the three leading travel and accommodation guides for disabled people have become one. Easy Access Britain (published by Tourism for All) and Where to Stay and There and Back (both published by RADAR publications) have now joined forces to create this new, all encompassing guide book.
The new OpenBritain Guide is now the definitive book for the traveller with access needs. The guide is packed with easy to use information – from where to stay, how to get there and what to see and do once your there.
The Open BritainGuide contains everything you need to explore and enjoy Britain to the full if you are disabled.
The book is designed to:
Help disabled people travel and book accommodation with access facilities that are suitable for their needs, by providing an easy to use, one stop solution.
Promote the range of suitable quality leisure activities.
Provide a platform for businesses wishing to promote accessible accommodation, travel, attractions, retail and leisure and sports facilities to people with disabilities.
Build a UK based travel community for people with disabilities so that they can share their experiences, views, suggestions and advice regarding tourism in the UK.
So what are you waiting for? Why not order you copy today!
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.
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.
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.
Tourism for All have recently updated some of their publications for disabled holiday makers. The new publications include a 30 page “Activity and Special Interest Holidays” and 12 page “Transport” guides.
The Activity and Special Interest Holidays publication gives information and advice regarding:
Organisations providing activity holidays
Multi-Activity Centres
Water based activity holidays
Special interest holidays
Accommodation with activities available nearby
Useful contacts
The Transport publication is a great resource for people wanting to know more about:
Travel by Rail
Travel by Car
Travel by Air
Travel by Coach
London Transport
National Travel Associations
National Voluntary Organisations offering assistance
To order your copy of the new publications as well as any of the older ones simply visit the Tourism for All publications page.
Can’t make it to a Bonfire tonight? Never fear, there are lots happening over the weekend too. If you’re in the London area there’s one on Saturday 7th November at Alexander Palace with events starting at 4.30pm. In adition to the usual facilities for disabled people an allocated viewing area will also be provided.
The entertainment will include the country’s biggest and best German Bier Festival in the Great Hall. The family friendly festival features ‘frauleins’ in the form of authentic Bavarian waitresses serving a wide selection of German biers and food to the table and London’s finest Oompah Band playing Oktoberfest classics. Adding to the carnival atmosphere will be Chas and his Band (fronted by Chas Hodges from cockney duo Chas & Dave), performing a rare set of Chas n Dave classics and there will also be an Ale Festival and family fun area in the West Hall, special ice skating sessions and funfairs in the park.
Still need more ideas about what to do this Halloween?
Although the Haunted Attractions web site doesn’t have any specific information for disbaled people it is a great place to start the search for your perfect Halloween fun. You can serach their seasonal attraction listings as well as their year round listings. From there you can go through to the individual attractions websites to look for the relevant information and facilities that you require.
There’s inclusive entertaiment for all the family this Haloween at Chessington World of Adventures in Surrey from the 21st October – 1st November.
“The whole family can enjoy spooky entertainment this Halloween as wicked witches and naughty Goblins take over the Park! New for 2009 ‘The Black Forest Haunt’, escape from Transylvania…if you dare!
Plus a mythical Fiery Faun will be weaving enchanting tales of his homeland using magic and fire to delight the younger members of your family.
With rides in the dark and the chance to get up close and personal with the Zoo’s spiders, snakes and glow-in-the-dark scorpions there’s so much fun to be had it’s scary!”
Chessington World of Adventures has a guide for disabled people on their site.
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.”
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