If you or a member of your family has a disability, careful planning is key to enjoying great accessible holidays in the UK. How you travel, where you stay and the places you visit all need to be considered in advance.
Self-catering accessible cottages can be a great option for inclusive travel in the UK, as they offer privacy and comfort for your holiday. Increasingly, property owners are adapting living spaces to ensure cottages are accessible to everyone.
To help you plan your perfect trip, here are some more tips and ideas:
The Importance of Accessible Holidays
Holidays are meant for relaxing and exploring new places – without worrying about getting around. Everyone deserves a break and the travel industry is waking up to the fact that more can be done to make the UK’s most beautiful places accessible to all.
When you’re visiting somewhere for the first time, the reality is that it can be hard to know what to expect. To offer an inclusive experience, many of the UK’s most popular tourist attractions are finding ways to make visiting easier for all. VisitBritain and VisitEngland offer online guides to accessible breaks for wheelchair users, the visually impaired, neurodiverse and autistic travellers, and those with dementia. These tried-and-tested guides include practical information such as the closest accessible toilets and wheelchair-accessible routes in some of the country’s most beautiful spaces.
The National Trust is working with AccessAble to introduce access guides for its properties across the UK. AccessAble’s own accessibility guides are also helpful. Once you’ve chosen your destination, search its guides by region to start planning activities nearby.
The Premier Cottages Accessibility Scheme ensures our cottage owners are making a commitment to make it easier for all guests to find holiday properties that suit their accessibility needs.
Photo: Sara's Cottage, Cornwall
Why Self-Catering Works Best for Accessibility
Self-catered accommodation is often the preferred option for people booking accessible holidays in the UK. This is because it offers greater flexibility and independence than staying in a hotel or other types of accommodation.
Adapted self-catered cottages offer the high level of comfort and luxury touches you expect for your holiday, as well as the extra space and facilities you need to enjoy a relaxed stay.
Before you book, you’ll want a clear idea of the entire living area, so there are no hidden surprises when you arrive. Some hosts offer video tours in addition to detailed listing information. These help you get a better sense of the space and whether it’s right for you.
Once you’ve checked out the space online, we always advise that you contact the owner directly before booking. This allows you to confirm suitability for your specific needs and book accessible self-catering holidays in the UK with confidence.
Photo: Broadgate Farm, Yorkshire
Key Features of Accessible Self-Catering Cottages
Accessible self-catered holiday cottages should offer barrier-free comfort. For people with reduced mobility and wheelchair users, key features to look for include accessible parking, step-free access, well designed wet rooms, wide doorways, and adaptable furniture and facilities. For those with visual impairments, additional features could include tactile signage and facilities for assistance dogs. Premier Cottages’ accessible properties have been assessed against set criteria to ensure they meet key needs.
Photo: Burlton Cottages, Shropshire
Making Family and Group Holidays Inclusive
Accessible holidays in the UK are a chance to spend quality family-time together. If you have a child with a disability – or are holidaying with elderly parents with reduced mobility – self-catering accessible cottages give families and groups with a range of needs the opportunity to spend time together.
For larger groups looking for inclusive family breaks, Premier Cottages’ accessible cottage collection includes options that sleep 10 or more. These range from barrier-free converted barns that are fully adapted for wheelchair users through to period properties with one or more specially adapted rooms.
Consider what other group facilities are available too. For example, some properties have onsite facilities such as a pool with a hoist to help guests in and out of the water.
Photo: Wallops Wood Cottages, Hampshire
Accessible Holidays Across the UK with Premier Cottages
Premier Cottages’ accessible collection features luxury self-catering properties in popular beauty spots across the UK. Choose from pretty cottages in Yorkshire through to contemporary barn conversions in Cornwall.
Wallops Wood, for example, has several self-catering accessible cottages surrounded by beautiful Hampshire countryside. Its onsite facilities include a heated indoor pool with a hoist.
As well as being wheelchair-accessible, Sara’s Cottage in Cornwall has also been adapted with guests with dementia and autism in mind.
Want to explore East Anglia? The Buttery in Norfolk is a luxurious wheelchair-accessible converted barn, surrounded by green fields, with additional facilities such as adaptable furniture and hoists.
If you are looking for accessible holidays in the UK, browse the collection to find properties adapted to your needs. Each listing provides detailed accessibility information to help you decide if it is right for you. Videos and visual walk-throughs give a better sense of the space. In addition, all participating owners publish a Key Accessibility Features Questionnaire providing information about a cottage’s facilities against a set list of accessibility criteria.
Photo: Long View Cottages, Herefordshire
Plan Your Inclusive Holiday Today
Take a look at Premier Cottages’ accessible collection to find cottages suitable for those with reduced mobility, wheelchair users, and those with visual and hearing impairments. Remember, it’s always a good idea to contact the owner directly to confirm suitability for your specific needs when booking your holiday.