A new awards scheme has revealed which family days out are most accessible to people with disabilities. It's also proving popular with parents, as they'll be able to use to it to work out which places are easier to navigate with children and prams.
The Rough Guide to Accessible Britain Awards are published in the third edition of the Rough Guide to Accessible Britain, highlighting the best family attractions in the UK. The awards aim to recognise best practice in providing accessible, inspirational and inclusive visitor attractions across the UK.
The 'Best Family Venue' winner was the Science Museum in London. The four other highly commended attractions from around the UK were Legoland, the South Devon Railwayand Totnes Rare Breeds Farm, the Eden Project and Alnwick Garden. All of these attractions were voted by the judges as going above and beyond to provide accessible, inspirational and inclusive days out.
Here's what the judges thought of these attractions:
Judges praised the Science Museum as "very creative with the way exhibits work for disabled visitors and children. Everything is at just the right height for wheelchair users, exhibits are interactive and they have made sure that all visitors, whatever their disability, can participate in the fun."
The highly recommended attractions include Legoland, Windsor, which judges praised the admirable way staff are matter of fact when dealing with visitors who have accessibility considerations. Disabled people can enjoy a great many of the rides and attractions, and a visit is effortless and very easy to plan.
The partnership ticket for the South Devon Railway and Totnes Rare Breeds Farm is great value for money, and they make a fantastic day out. The owners of the Rare Breeds farm have made a really big effort to ensure that all visitors are immersed in life down on the farm.
The South Devon Railway really adds to the whole experience. Kids and adults love the theatre of travelling on the magnificent steam engines, which makes the 'journey' to the farm an essential part of the day.
The Eden Project's advance information available online to potential visitors is better than any other site, and highlighted that being able to book wheelchairs for a visit is an excellent idea. Judges enthused that the Eden Project deserves its place as one of the country's top attractions.
Of The Alnwick Garden in Northumberland judges said "Given the nature of the attraction, accessibility is the last thing you'd think of – prepare to be surprised". It is the perfect place to enjoy a romp through medieval Britain, with no barriers on participation.
The Rough Guide to Accessible Britain is available FREE to Blue Badge and Disabled Persons Railcard holders. To order a FREE copy visit this website , or call 0800 953 7070. An audio guide, with a special introduction by Ben Fogle, is also available to download FREE from the website.