When travelling as a wheelchair user, or with a wheelchair user, finding accessible holiday accommodation will be at the very top of your list.
There are several things you’ll need to look out for. While space to move around and transfer into and out of bed is vital, there’ll be all sorts of other things you’ll want to see too. Disabled holiday accommodation with wet room facilities or a roll-in shower with shower seat is a must. And then there’s accessibility around the rest of the building. Can you easily wheel into reception and to your room without help? Are the restaurant and bar or self-catering facilities on level ground? Can you reach the car park or local transport links without encountering steep hills, steps or cobbles?
While hotels and self-catering holiday cottages can be a great choice for disabled access holidays, hostels are also well worth considering.
With premises dotted all over England and Wales, our hostels are:
- committed to diversity and inclusion: we’re always working to make our hostels more inclusive
- spacious: rooms in hostels are, by nature, larger than most hotel rooms
- well situated: our hostels have enviable positions in the middle of cities and towns, close to must-see sights and in otherwise building-free rural areas
- well-equipped: with restaurants and self-catering facilities, drying rooms, water refill points and laundry facilities, we help guests to be self-sufficient
- affordable: hostels are kinder to your pocket than hotels, especially in popular tourist areas
- friendly: our staff are on hand to help wherever it’s needed
- for all ages: though built on the premise of opening up travel and exploration to young people, guests of all ages are welcomed into our hostels
Tempted to give a hostel holiday a try? Check out some of our favourite UK locations for wheelchair accessible breaks.
Wheelchair accessible holidays in Cornwall
One of the UK’s favourite holiday spots, Cornwall is a brilliant pick for wheelchair friendly breaks. Sights like the ever-popular Eden Project are designed for wheelchair suitability while local walks and cycle paths are open to those using wheelchairs or handbikes. Hire a Tramper all-terrain scooter at Trebah Gardens or an accessible bicycle for an adventure along the Camel Trail. Plenty of picturesque Cornwall beaches, including Perranporth (where you can rent a sand chair), Treyarnon Bay and Gyllyngvase are suitable for wheelchair users, with ramp access and disabled toilets on-site.
Accessible stays in Cornwall include YHA Boscastle, which offers a large disabled room with well-equipped en-suite shower room, and YHA Penzance with its DDA standard rooms and bathroom facilities. Situated almost on the beach meanwhile, YHA Treyarnon Bay provides guests with the choice of two accessible bedrooms with en-suite facilities.
Disability friendly holidays in London
Widely considered to be one of the world’s most accessible cities, bustling London might be busy but it’s also open to all. In addition to excellent wheelchair friendly transport links, the Big Smoke also provides plenty to do and see, even if accessibility is a concern. Whether it’s ogling infamous artworks in the Tate Modern or the National Portrait Gallery, being wowed by historic artefacts at the British Museum or soaking up the culture at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, there are more accessible attractions here than you’d probably imagine. The V&A, Natural History Museum and Kew Gardens, Buckingham Palace, St Paul’s Cathedral and Tower Bridge – if it’s an iconic sight, there’s a way in.
Stays in London are simple too. The modern, wheelchair appropriate YHA London Central is even closer to it all, situated right in just five minutes from Oxford Street but at a fraction of the cost of a West End hotel.
Disability friendly holidays in Shropshire
All too often forgotten, pretty Shropshire on the border of England and Wales is a perfect place to get out into the countryside. This county offers miles of accessible walks, ranging from the Stiperstones all abilities trail to Onny Meadows, located next door to the Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre and Norton Camp.
Historic towns like Shrewsbury and Ludlow come with their challenges, however perseverance is rewarded with fabulous historic sights and great food enjoyed in friendly restaurants. Interesting historic days out with good wheelchair access are found in Ironbridge Gorge, home to Blists Hill Victorian Town, Coalbrookdale Museum of Iron and the Coalport China Museum.
Nearby to many local must-see Ironbridge attractions you’ll find two excellent hostels. With accessible bedrooms and bathrooms, YHA Ironbridge Coalport, next door to the China Museum, is the perfect spot from which to explore everything the Ironbridge Gorge has to offer. YHA Ironbridge Coalbrookdale, ideal for a large group visit, is suitable for YHA Exclusive Hire only and offers accessible bedrooms, two of which have wheelchair friendly en-suite facilities.
Accessible holiday options in the Peak District
One of the UK’s most beautiful natural spaces, the Peak District is just the place for getting outdoors. Surprisingly accessible, the Peak District is home to a Miles Without Stiles initiative, meaning that everybody can enjoy the fresh air and beautiful views the region has to offer. From the Derwent Reservoir, made famous as the Dambusters’ training ground, to the Mam Tor landslips, the Peaks offers a variety of interesting trails without stiles and steep gradients. Many of these are also paved for ease of manoeuvre in a wheelchair. And if you’re keen to get off-road, Tramper all terrain scooters can be hired from various locations.
When it comes to hostel accommodation, Peak District visitors have plenty of options. Depending on where you’d prefer to base your countryside explorations, you might choose YHA Ilam Hall with its two spacious accessible bedrooms with en-suites housed inside a 17th century gothic manor.
In the heart of the Hope Valley, YHA Castleton Losehill Hall meanwhile offers a selection of accessible holiday accommodation for visitors of varying ability levels. And for true adventurers, YHA Edale is part of an on-site activity centre where exciting outdoors activities, including canoeing, archery and abseiling are adapted to suit wheelchair users.
Disability friendly holidays in Eryri (Snowdonia)
In Wales’ Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park, even the summit of the very highest mountain isn’t off limits to wheelchair visitors. Thanks to the Snowdon Mountain Railway, guests can take a scenic train ride to the visitors centre atop this famed peak, enjoying the disability friendly facilities on arrival. However, if you’d rather explore the countryside on your own wheels there are trails aplenty across the park that are suitable for wheelchair users. Trampers are also available for hire from the Park Authority, letting you go where a normal wheelchair won’t manage.
Here in Eryri (Snowdonia), we are privileged to own two properties in unrivalled locations. YHA Snowdon Pen-y-Pass is located at the very base of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) and offers a converted barn with good wheelchair-suitable bedroom and bathroom facilities. From directly outside the hostel, you can catch the handy Sherpa bus to get you around the local area. Located in a picturesque wooded spot on the banks of Llyn Ogwen, YHA Idwal Cottage provides access to one spacious wheelchair friendly en-suite bedroom.
Wheelchair friendly holidays in Bath
A beautiful small city that makes space for wheelchair users, the Roman settlement of Bath is ideal for a short break. Here you can visit the Roman Baths that gave Aquasulis its name with 90% of the site accessible to wheelchairs despite its ancient roots. This means everyone can experience the Great Bath and Sun Lounge as well as the 18th century Pump Room. And if you’re inspired to indulge yourself, the famed Thermae Bath Spa is fully wheelchair accessible too. Other great local attractions suitable for wheelchair users include No. 1 Royal Crescent and Bath Abbey while unmissable eats can be enjoyed at the wheelchair suitable Olive Tree Restaurant, Bath’s only Michelin starred eatery.
Offering disabled access rooms with en-suite bathroom facilities, the modern annex of the historic YHA Bath is well equipped for wheelchair users. An affordable alternative to local hotels, this smartly converted hostel is ideal for budget trips.
Wheelchair accessible holidays in Northumberland
There’s something for everyone in Northumberland, home to sandy beaches accessed by concrete slips and an International Dark Skies Park, where you’ll find Kielder Observatory with its level access and wheelchair level telescopes. Located on the border with Scotland, a visit to Northumberland gives you the opportunity to explore historic sights including the famed Hadrian’s Wall and the Holy Island of Lindisfarne with its wheelchair suitable priory and accessible trails.
However you prefer to get away from it all, there’s disabled holiday accommodation to suit here in Northumberland. YHA The Sill at Hadrian’s Wall is ideally located for The Sill visitor centre and offers a large accessible room with en-suite roll-in shower. Closer to the Scottish border, YHA Berwick has a modern lodge annex with private en-suite rooms suited to wheelchair users. Situated in the centre of busy Berwick-upon-Tweed, this hostel provides public transport access to Edinburgh in the north and Newcastle and beyond to the south.
Photo credit: tonymills / pbnash1964 / Colin & Linda McKie / QQ7 / rickbowden / Atbphotography/Wirestock / valdisskudre / Michael Conrad / Adobe Stock
