An Active Adventure for All

Disability accessible watersports might be an unexpected outdoor option. But it’s very much a reality in the UK nowadays. And for under-18s also, no less! Access Adventures is a charity dedicated to offering adaptive adventure sport experiences to all ages. Their work is an undoubtedly exciting addition to the accessible UK attractions scene.

Access Adventures host regular camps and sessions. Opportunities available include trials of adaptive waterskiing, wakeboarding, alpine skiing, kiting, biking and paddlesports. They’re based at Edge Adaptive Sports Centre near Staines in Surrey. But, for those elsewhere in the UK, they have a Yorkshire & Central Team. This team runs additional adaptive waterski and wakeboard sessions.​

Enjoy Some National Heritage

The National Trust is continually working to improve the accessibility of their collection of heritage sites. Their website links to an accessibility guide which can be used to check not only the suitability of individual sites for disabled users, but constituent parts of those sites. Here’s an example. Fancy a visit to Dyffryn Gardens near Cardiff? Well, you can discover here not only what the accessibility situation is like at the car park there, but also the accessibility of the walled garden, arboretum, and more! The level of detail in the breakdowns is amazing. For instance, whilst the walled garden has easy-to-use access slopes, the arboretum doesn’t (although it does have slopes) Quite some detail, we’re sure you will agree. On the whole, Dyffryn Gardens is excellent for disability access, so it comes recommended by us if you’re in the South Wales area. Take a look at the photo of the glasshouse below for a small sense of what the place is all about.

Catch Some Culture in the Capital

London’s West End is world-famous for its theatres. If you (and whoever else you may want to take with you) have any accessibility requirements, then you can find all the necessary information online in one easy place. Official London Theatre has a comprehensive and detailed venue access guide available. Whichever theatre you’re interested in, everything from the number of wheelchair spaces inside to the sound amplification system is there. There are even stair counts for individual levels. This level of detail makes it an invaluable reference for any theatre lover. Want to know how many wheelchair spaces the Apollo has? This resource can tell you. Or perhaps what sound system the Duke of York’s has in place for the hearing-impaired? You know where to go.

• Shown to the right, the Apollo Theatre, London – featuring lift-accessible wheelchair stalls, and Williams infrared sound.

As always, thanks for reading, and see you next time!