To mark Purple Tuesday (November 4), Visit England has released a list of England’s best accessible travel experiences including award-winning attractions and adapted accommodation options.
Purple Tuesday is a global social movement to improve the customer experience for disabled people and their families. Next month, the UN’s International Day of Persons with Disabilities will also take place on December 3.
To mark these disability awareness days, here are six of the best accessible experiences across England:
Eureka! Science + Discovery, Merseyside
Located in Seacombe, Eureka! Science + Discovery is an attraction for children and young people to explore how STEM subjects influence and shape our lives.
Eureka! provides interactive learning opportunities with exhibits immersing visitors in subjects like the human body, environmental science and creative tinkering. The venue is fully accessible, with design features including a sensory-friendly chill out area, a changing places facility and wheelchair access throughout.
Eureka! also hosts regular relaxed days for disabled visitors and their families, admitting less visitors to ensure the galleries are quieter than usual and being more flexible on arrival time.
Mylor Sailing & Powerboat School, Cornwall
The Mylor Sailing and Powerboat School in Cornwall aims to offer fully inclusive sessions for budding sailors, ‘from absolute beginners to salty seadogs’ aged six and above.
Running year-round accessible sessions out of Mylor Yacht Harbour in a National Landscape (formerly known as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty), all staff have received disability training for boats and equipment.
The team pride themselves on making sailing and power boating as inclusive as possible with adapted facilities, boats and equipment to allow everyone to get on the water.
ROARR!, Norfolk
Jurassic adventure is in store at ROARR!, Norfolk’s dinosaur-themed adventure park. Offering dozens of dinosaur attractions and rides, ROARR! endeavours to provide facilities accessible to all guests, including its indoor and outdoor play zones.
The wheelchair hire in the park is free; mobility scooters are available to hire, along with ear defenders and guests have access to a quiet room if they need to take a break. An accessibility chart, available online, also details accessibility information for each attraction which can be viewed in advance of planning a visit.
Attractions highlights include Dippy’s Splash Zone, the Predator High Ropes, Dippy’s Theatre performances and travelling back in time within Valley of the Dinosaurs.
Accessible short breaks in the North York Moors, Yorkshire
The North York Moors Accessibility Project inspires people with accessibility requirements to take short breaks in the region, known for its spectacular scenery and centuries of history and heritage.
North York Moors attractions and accommodation providers worked with VisitEngland to develop their access and provide disability awareness training for key staff.
The region’s attraction highlights include taking a historic train journey on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, visiting the Whitby Abbey ruins and enjoying the magnificent Helmsley Walled Garden.
Visitors can explore the area by car, wheelchair-friendly trails, adapted bikes and trampers. Accessible accommodation options include the Inn on the Moor Hotel and a range of self-catering cottages which have all been audited by professional access advisors.
Marsham Court Hotel, Bournemouth
The award-winning family-run Marsham Court Hotel is a relaxing four-star property on the Dorset coastline with views across Bournemouth Bay. With five accessible bedrooms and a specially designed sensory room, the hotel has made every effort to offer comfortable inclusive stays for all guests.
Marsham Court Hotel’s outdoor terrace areas are wheelchair accessible and the outdoor pool has an i-swim pool hoist and shuffle board to accommodate those with mobility requirements.
It was also the first hotel in the UK to install a Changing Places facility and is committed to promoting accessibility awareness and ensuring that all staff members receive Disability Awareness Training.
Hoe Grange Holidays, Peak District
Hoe Grange Holidays offers eco-friendly, self-catering holiday accommodation on a working farm in the Peak District. The team is passionate about providing high-quality wheelchair-accessible holidays with a wide range of specialist equipment and outstanding accessible facilities including an accessible hot tub.
Hoe Grange Holidays also have two Boma 7 off-road wheelchairs for hire. Both can be used on the High Peak Trail, around the farm or on local tracks and trails.
Hoe Grange Holidays also welcomes guests with autism and learning difficulties, providing a peaceful haven away from crowds.
