Wheelchair accessible beaches to visit this summer

One of the best things to do in the summer in Britain is visit the beach. Though parts of the coastline are limited due to the natural landscape, there are a number that are accessible or offer facilities, such as beach wheelchairs and trampers, so that every visitor can have a lovely day out at the beach.

Here are some of our favourite wheelchair accessible beaches you can visit this summer.

Bournemouth Beach, Dorset, England

One of the best known accessible beaches in Britain is Bournemouth Beach. Not only is it one of the UK’s most famous and popular seaside locations but it is wheelchair accessible and has accessible toilets available throughout the year thanks to the RADAR scheme. You’ll find blue badge designated parking on the promenade, right on the beach front and there are a series of accessible beach huts available for hire too.

Another reason why Bournemouth’s beach is so popular is because it spans most of the town centre too, so you won’t have too far to travel should you also want to indulge in some shopping or take advantage of the nearby restaurants.

If you’re looking to stay nearby –

Marsham Court Hotel overlooks the beach at Bournemouth, offers free parking and is just a five minute walk into the town centre. The hotel offers several accessible facilities, including Changing Places Toilet and shower room, WelcoMe, a tool that allows visitors to let the hotel know of any needs they may have without drawing attention to themselves, Sensory rooms, and hoists for guests to use the outdoor swimming pool.

Find out more here.

Hilda’s Retreat can be found nearby in Poole and is a renovated two bedroom bungalow with level access and a fully wheelchair accessible bedroom, with a profiling bed and celing hoist.

You can find out more here.

Birchcroft Hideaway is also close to Bournemouth at Ferndown. It is also close to the New Forest and the Jurassic Coast, giving you plenty to explore. The property has a wet room as well as wheelchair friendly bedrooms and is fully equipped for a self catering holiday.

Great Yarmouth Beach, Norfolk, England

Great Yarmouth Beach is another large beach that is wheelchair accessible. There are accessible toilets available in the summer months at North Beach and there is disabled parking there too.

Visitors can hire specially designed beach wheelchairs which are available for free for the duration of your trip. The chairs can be picked up at the Sea Life centre on Marine Parade and can be reserved ahead of time.

For somewhere to stay nearby, Hall Farm Cottages are a half hour drive from the beach in nearby Norwich and with easy access to the Norfolk Broads. The cottages have a selection of accessible bedrooms and are dog friendly.

You can find out more here.

Broad Haven Beach, Pembrokeshire, Wales

There are many beautiful beaches in the Pembrokeshire area of Wales and Broad Haven beach is one of the most accessible. It is right next to the town, so you don’t have too far to go to enjoy a day out at the beach itself and has accessible toilets, as well as designated parking spaces. There are all terrain wheelchairs available and a ramp, to allow easy access onto the beach itself.

Nearby, you can find Asheston Eco Barns, which is just under half an hour away by car. These luxury self catering cottages have a focus on Green Tourism, with several sustainable features, including heat pumps. They are all accessible, with level entrances and doorways suitable for wheelchair users and additional equipment, like hoists and shower seats can be provided.

Find out more here.

North Berwick Beach, Scotland

With a lovely harbour and plenty of gorgeous views, this is another beautiful beach to visit that happens to be wheelchair accessible. It’s a popular spot for families because of the quality of the rock pooling and the number of places to stay nearby but it also has wheelchairs available to hire and there is designated blue badge parking and accessible toilets available at the harbour.

This area is popular with holiday makers, so there are lots of great places nearby you could stay, but you can see some of our suggestions here.

Goodrington Sands, Devon, England

Located near the town of Paignton in the popular English Riviera, Goodrington Sands has level access and a slip way leading down to the sand. There are beach wheelchairs available to hire from Reach Outdoors, who are based on the seafront and is free to visitors.

There are several accessible beaches around Devon, including Saunton Sands at the other end of the county which makes it a good place for holiday makers.

Near Goodrington Sands there are lots of places to stay, including Beverley Holidays, a caravan park with over 65 years of holiday experience. They have a selection of adapted caravans, suitable for wheelchair users with a variety of additional facilities to help make your holiday memorable. Find out more here.

You can find other places to stay around Devon here.