The Lake District in a wheelchair
I have visited the Lake District many times and always love exploring the area. There is still so much that I haven't explored yet, and so I am sure that there will be a lifetime of experiences yet to have. I have decided to share my experience to help others who may like to visit this beautiful part of the country. A couple of times that I visited the Lake District, I have stayed in a Premier Inn. To a certain extent, my heart sinks to admit that I would much rather feel like I was giving money to a local B&B but sadly, too few are accessible enough for me to stay comfortably in. With a Premier Inn hotel, you know what you are getting, and many are newer buildings which means they have to adhere to certain guidelines which give the person staying peace of mind that their needs will be met. The staff were very friendly and helpful, speaking to me rather than the person I was with. This made me feel welcome and safe that I had made the right decision about staying here.
I stayed in Kendal on these occasions, and although Kendal is not in the heart of the lakes, the hotel was positioned well, near to key amenities, and as I had my own car, we could freely drive around. We did not go too far afield at night and found ourselves spending time in the local Wetherspoons. I have the same feelings about this as I do the Premier Inn that we stayed in. I feel happier when we provide a local business with trade. Still, unfortunately, I get drawn to chains because I know that what they have to offer is standardised, providing me with the facilities I need. When speaking about facilities, I refer mainly to level access and access to a disabled toilet and a lift if needed. Many individual businesses, especially those in old buildings, do not have these facilities as 'reasonable adjustment' is not enforced if it is seen as too difficult to implement. In Wetherspoons, the disabled toilet is on the ground floor; however, they have installed a lift so wheelchair users can get up to the second floor, where most of the seating is. The lift doubles up for staff use to collect glasses, but if they know you will need the lift, they are pretty good at keeping it clear.
One thing I have found really useful when in the lakes was a publication by the Lake District National Park Authority called "Miles without Stiles" an online link is here. It details over 40 walks around the National Park and tells you the surface and gradients of the routes to plan ahead. There may be gates on the routes, but there are no stiles as the title suggests. It is not only handy for wheelchair users but also for those bringing small children in buggies. One route we did was around Tarn Hows (route 13); we did the circular walk, which it says is a "route for many", the route for all is a concise walk to a viewpoint and back again, but I wanted something more challenging. The circular walk is well worth doing, and there is some beautiful scenery around there. However, if you are a manual wheelchair user, you will likely struggle to do this route independently. This is mainly due to the path's surface; the guide describes it as " smooth, compact stone and dust, and provides a smooth ride for wheelchair and pushchair users" the "smooth compact stone" isn't that smooth. Your wheels dig into the path, and you find yourself sliding a lot, especially when going downhill and then going uphill; you struggle to get enough grip to push yourself properly up the hill. If you were in an electric chair, this is unlikely to be a problem, but I always needed someone to help me get around. There are loose stones on which your front casters can get caught on, so be careful! It would be unreasonable to expect it to be tarmacked as it wouldn't be in character, but it's just so you aware, and you don't have unrealistic expectations. Parking is across the road, and you have to pay as a Blue Badge holder. The National trust advertises a separate disabled car park, but this is for the "route for all" and not for the walk around the Tarn. I understand the National Trust now has an all-terrain mobility scooter that can be hired (see here), but we did not use this facility. It is well worth a visit but just be aware that it isn't quite as easy as they make out!
Down the valley into the village of Coniston, a very picturesque Lake District village with the main attraction being Coniston Water. We parked in the village car park outside Tourist Information and made our own way down to the lake; however, there is a car park with disabled bays. Coniston Boating Centre have a Wheelchair accessible electric motorboat that can be driven by a wheelchair user or an able-bodied person. They describe it as perfect for the Wheelchair Angler; however, we didn't do any fishing, just cruising around the lake. Details of the boat can be found here, it isn't cheap (£20 an hour,£90 for the day) however it is well worth it. The faster you go, the more battery you use up, but we managed to get to the far shore of the lake, back to the other shore and back to the jetty with battery life to spare (we weren't always going that slowly!). The details say it can accommodate up to 3 wheelchair users, it was just one other person and me, and there was plenty of space. I can fully recommend this.
We visited the Beatrix Potter Experience, which is a must-see if you are a fan. All of the experience was accessible apart from a small part of the garden. It is good value for money as the carer gets free (the person you are with). There is only a small amount of disabled parking, and so they ask that you ring in advance to ensure space is reserved. There is a fairly steep slope down to the entrance with a handle rail for those with mobility issues to steady themselves. If you are using a manual wheelchair like myself, I would advise you to get someone to hold onto you as you go down the slope.
We also visited Dove Cottage; due to this being an old building, there are limitations to making it accessible. There was free parking and so no problems with getting to the cottage. The lower ground was fully accessible and ensured that wheelchair users could experience the upstairs as much as possible. There was a very detailed virtual tour that I could access. A carer gets in free and can access the whole of the cottage while I go through the virtual tour, which by all accounts, I would say was more detailed than some of the information you receive on the main tour!
We went to a lovely Chinese meal in a local restaurant in Kendal called the Silver Fortune. The access was good with a level entrance, but unfortunately, there was no disabled toilet. The service was good, and the food was delicious. In all a lovely meal out and would highly recommend the Chinese Restaurant.
We also went for a meal at Paulo Gianni's Italian Restaurant. When we first arrived, there was a level of what I feel was unnecessary panic as it became apparent that not all tables were accessible and they did not have a disabled toilet. Once we reassured them that it was alright that there wasn't a disabled toilet and found a suitable table to sit at the evening was very good. The food was really nice, and all staff were friendly and helpful. I would highly recommend the restaurant but would suggest mentioning your requirements in advance to prevent any unnecessary embarrassment for both yourself and them.
I stayed in Kendal on these occasions, and although Kendal is not in the heart of the lakes, the hotel was positioned well, near to key amenities, and as I had my own car, we could freely drive around. We did not go too far afield at night and found ourselves spending time in the local Wetherspoons. I have the same feelings about this as I do the Premier Inn that we stayed in. I feel happier when we provide a local business with trade. Still, unfortunately, I get drawn to chains because I know that what they have to offer is standardised, providing me with the facilities I need. When speaking about facilities, I refer mainly to level access and access to a disabled toilet and a lift if needed. Many individual businesses, especially those in old buildings, do not have these facilities as 'reasonable adjustment' is not enforced if it is seen as too difficult to implement. In Wetherspoons, the disabled toilet is on the ground floor; however, they have installed a lift so wheelchair users can get up to the second floor, where most of the seating is. The lift doubles up for staff use to collect glasses, but if they know you will need the lift, they are pretty good at keeping it clear.
One thing I have found really useful when in the lakes was a publication by the Lake District National Park Authority called "Miles without Stiles" an online link is here. It details over 40 walks around the National Park and tells you the surface and gradients of the routes to plan ahead. There may be gates on the routes, but there are no stiles as the title suggests. It is not only handy for wheelchair users but also for those bringing small children in buggies. One route we did was around Tarn Hows (route 13); we did the circular walk, which it says is a "route for many", the route for all is a concise walk to a viewpoint and back again, but I wanted something more challenging. The circular walk is well worth doing, and there is some beautiful scenery around there. However, if you are a manual wheelchair user, you will likely struggle to do this route independently. This is mainly due to the path's surface; the guide describes it as " smooth, compact stone and dust, and provides a smooth ride for wheelchair and pushchair users" the "smooth compact stone" isn't that smooth. Your wheels dig into the path, and you find yourself sliding a lot, especially when going downhill and then going uphill; you struggle to get enough grip to push yourself properly up the hill. If you were in an electric chair, this is unlikely to be a problem, but I always needed someone to help me get around. There are loose stones on which your front casters can get caught on, so be careful! It would be unreasonable to expect it to be tarmacked as it wouldn't be in character, but it's just so you aware, and you don't have unrealistic expectations. Parking is across the road, and you have to pay as a Blue Badge holder. The National trust advertises a separate disabled car park, but this is for the "route for all" and not for the walk around the Tarn. I understand the National Trust now has an all-terrain mobility scooter that can be hired (see here), but we did not use this facility. It is well worth a visit but just be aware that it isn't quite as easy as they make out!
Down the valley into the village of Coniston, a very picturesque Lake District village with the main attraction being Coniston Water. We parked in the village car park outside Tourist Information and made our own way down to the lake; however, there is a car park with disabled bays. Coniston Boating Centre have a Wheelchair accessible electric motorboat that can be driven by a wheelchair user or an able-bodied person. They describe it as perfect for the Wheelchair Angler; however, we didn't do any fishing, just cruising around the lake. Details of the boat can be found here, it isn't cheap (£20 an hour,£90 for the day) however it is well worth it. The faster you go, the more battery you use up, but we managed to get to the far shore of the lake, back to the other shore and back to the jetty with battery life to spare (we weren't always going that slowly!). The details say it can accommodate up to 3 wheelchair users, it was just one other person and me, and there was plenty of space. I can fully recommend this.
We visited the Beatrix Potter Experience, which is a must-see if you are a fan. All of the experience was accessible apart from a small part of the garden. It is good value for money as the carer gets free (the person you are with). There is only a small amount of disabled parking, and so they ask that you ring in advance to ensure space is reserved. There is a fairly steep slope down to the entrance with a handle rail for those with mobility issues to steady themselves. If you are using a manual wheelchair like myself, I would advise you to get someone to hold onto you as you go down the slope.
We also visited Dove Cottage; due to this being an old building, there are limitations to making it accessible. There was free parking and so no problems with getting to the cottage. The lower ground was fully accessible and ensured that wheelchair users could experience the upstairs as much as possible. There was a very detailed virtual tour that I could access. A carer gets in free and can access the whole of the cottage while I go through the virtual tour, which by all accounts, I would say was more detailed than some of the information you receive on the main tour!
We went to a lovely Chinese meal in a local restaurant in Kendal called the Silver Fortune. The access was good with a level entrance, but unfortunately, there was no disabled toilet. The service was good, and the food was delicious. In all a lovely meal out and would highly recommend the Chinese Restaurant.
We also went for a meal at Paulo Gianni's Italian Restaurant. When we first arrived, there was a level of what I feel was unnecessary panic as it became apparent that not all tables were accessible and they did not have a disabled toilet. Once we reassured them that it was alright that there wasn't a disabled toilet and found a suitable table to sit at the evening was very good. The food was really nice, and all staff were friendly and helpful. I would highly recommend the restaurant but would suggest mentioning your requirements in advance to prevent any unnecessary embarrassment for both yourself and them.
I have also stayed in a self-catering holiday home. I found this on a mainstream site, and it was more than suitable for my needs. If you have particular access requirements, I would suggest doing a little more research than I did for this holiday. It looked accessible enough for me, so I took a leap of faith on that one. I wasn't disappointed, but I am also aware that my needs may be less than someone else in a wheelchair. I have always tried to adapt to my surroundings, which means that even when I try not to rely on adapted facilities too much, this approach has definitely allowed me more freedom to visit places I want to. This visit was a bit different to previous experiences, but I actually felt that I got more out of the experience. There was very little in the direct area, apart from a local pub that was pretty much next door. It was a lovely local pub and was always made to feel welcome. There was level access but no disabled toilet, but that really didn't matter as I was just staying next door.
Over the past few years, I have had a National Trust membership; this has opened my eyes to many wonders that I did not know existed. Not only that but when visiting somewhere like the Lake District you get other bonuses like free parking and the chance to visit places that you never thought about visiting for a more affordable amount of money. My monthly membership allows me to get into most National Trust properties for free; many also allow the person that is with you to get in free.
I have more recently gone camping at a National Trust campsite in the Lake District and was very impressed with the facilities. When I first arrived, we were given a choice of where to set up that would be best for my needs. There was a fairly new toilet and shower block with a fully accessible toilet and a separate fully accessible shower room. I could access the main reception area via a ramp that offered a small shop and information service. Everyone was accommodating and friendly, which has made me want to have many more camping experiences. The area itself was not within walking distance to many of the popular destinations in the Lake District, but there were a couple of local pubs and some local shops a short drive away.
All in all, the experience in the Lake District was a good one, with people being helpful ensuring we had an enjoyable visit. It is definitely somewhere that I would like to visit again and do some more exploring. Next time it would be nice to do some more walks from the 'Miles without Stiles' pack as there is definitely much more to see.
All in all, the experience in the Lake District was a good one, with people being helpful ensuring we had an enjoyable visit. It is definitely somewhere that I would like to visit again and do some more exploring. Next time it would be nice to do some more walks from the 'Miles without Stiles' pack as there is definitely much more to see.
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