When the sun is shining there is nothing better than heading to the beach, grabbing an ice cream and enjoying the sea air, so why not check out some of the UK’s most accessible beaches and have a quintessential beach holiday this summer?
Sumerleaze Beach, Bude, Cornwall
Summerleaze Beach, like most of the beaches in Cornwall, is a beautiful part of the world to visit. Plus, you’re right on the border between Cornwall and Devon giving you plenty of opportunity to explore the coast in two of Britain’s most popular holiday counties. At Summerleaze Beach you’ll find a tarmacked path which leads directly to the beach from the car park as well as a flat viewing area and level access to everything that is on site. There are also wheelchair friendly toilets and the various businesses in the vicinity are also easily accessible. If you have limited mobility and don’t have a wheelchair of your own, adapted wheelchairs suitable for use on the beach are available to hire from the beach office too.
Boscombe Pier Beach, Bournemouth, Dorset
Sticking with the south west for the moment, the beaches at Boscombe as well as the main beach in Bournemouth are both well known for their accessibility. Boscombe pier Beach has disabled access beach huts right on the seafront which are large enough for up to four wheelchairs and are adaptable, should you need more space. They also have a charging point for electric scooters, hoists in the ceiling and wooden walkways leading across the sand – perfect for spending a few hours at the beach. The beach office also have beach-friendly wheelchairs available to hire and fully accessible cliff lifts for those that want to explore the top of the cliffs, for some truly incredible views. If you want to explore the wider Boscombe area, the land train is wheelchair friendly and can take you to a number of other locations. Bournemouth’s main beach also has a number of accessible features, so you can make a real day of it.
Image: Bournemouth Beach
Skegness Beach, Skegness, Lincolnshire
The North has some pretty incredible beaches too, in fact this one regularly features in the Good Beach Guide and has loads of accessible features to make your trip to the beach as smooth as can be. There is a flat esplanade that leads right to the beach from the town and several walkways around the beach which are flat and have good disabled access. Again, beach friendly wheelchairs are available to hire from the beach should you need them and there are adapted toilets onsite.
Torre Abbey Sands, Torquay, Devon
In the heart of the English Riviera you’ll find Torquay, an incredibly popular tourist destination which has everything you could need for a traditional British beach holiday. The beach at Torre Abbey Sands has great disabled access to the beach, pier and promenade as well as accessible toilets and sand chairs that are available for guest’s use. There is a level car park too for anyone bringing their car and isn’t far from the town’s train station.
Weymouth Beach, Weymouth, Dorset
Weymouth in Dorset is one of the most accessible beaches in the county along with Bournemouth. The resort here has ramps going down to the beach and square matting on the sand for wheelchair users to drive over letting you enjoy the sand. Free to hire beach wheelchairs are also available and the beach has its own Changing Places toilet too.
Have you got any other suggestions for accessible beaches in the UK? Let us know! You can get in touch with us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Sources:
https://www.handiscover.com/content/tips-articles/wheelchair-accessible-beaches-in-the-uk/
https://www.euansguide.com/news/britains-best-beaches-with-disabled-access/
http://wheelchairtraveling.com/englands-top-5-accessible-beaches/