Rob and Bridget aka The Bimblers are accessible tourism bloggers sharing disabled holidays, weekend breaks, accessible days out and wheelchair friendly walks. As part of our Days Out blogs, The Bimblers have given us some great advice on cheap, enjoyable and accessible days out.
At last, brighter nights are here and long lazy summer days are just around the corner. It’s that time again, time to start thinking about accessible days out.
As disabled travel bloggers, we know how hard it can be to travel, even short distances. We also know how expensive days out can be, especially if you have children so we’d like to share a few ideas with you.
It never ceases to amaze me when people from another area visit our hometown. They always seem to find fantastic things to do and interesting places to see. The problem is, our own area is familiar so we overlook it and we shouldn’t. To help you, here are some ideas for enjoying a free and accessible day out on your own doorstep.
It’s true, in the UK we’re never more than 70 miles away from the seaside. What that means, for many of us, is that the seaside is on our doorstep. Why not take a wheelchair walk along the promenade, it’s free and very refreshing. We have many seaside walks on our blog, for starters you should read 25 Wheelchair Friendly Walks.
If the seaside is too far away, what about finding a local park? Again, they’re often flat, free and accessible. How about having a picnic, partaking in a spot of sunbathing or our favourite pastime – people watching! Also, many parks have free organised events for the kids.
Another free and accessible activity often overlooked, is a day out at the museum. Museums are the perfect solution on rainy days too. National museums are generally free to enter, have activities for children and are educational as well as accessible. Or, if you don’t have youngsters, how about taking a cultural trip to an art gallery or exhibition? Even if you’re not an art lover, try it, you might surprise yourself.
But here’s our absolute favourite – go for a walk. Better still, create your own themed walk. We live in a city, so it’s not difficult to come up with a theme for a walking tour. Whether its statue hunting, famous landmarks or going somewhere we’ve never been before, the ideas are endless. If you live in the countryside, try a wildlife walking tour. See how many animals or birds you can spot as you stroll around your local area. Or try a flower tour, grab your camera and capture the beauty and diversity on your doorstep.
You can also attend free events, start by checking your local newspaper, tourism or council website, you’d be surprised how many free events they have that are open to everyone.
To give you a comprehensive guide to what’s available when you live in a big city, have a read of 10 Free and Accessible Things to do in London.
I think we can all agree, there is no better tonic than a good day out. And, when it’s free, accessible and on your doorstep – it just doesn’t get any better!
For more inspiration on days out around the UK, see other Days Out blogs
Find out how to download the brand-new edition of the Rough Guide to Accessible Britain
About the Motability Scheme
The Motability Scheme exists to give customers, their families and carers greater freedom to get out and do the day-to-day things they need and want to do, by enabling them to exchange all or part of their mobility allowance for leasing a car, scooter or powered wheelchair.
If you’d like us to send you more information about the Motability Scheme, request an information pack below or find out how to join.
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Wheelchair-friendly travel with WheelchairWorld.org
