It’s summer holiday season, which means many people are thinking about a break on part of the UK’s glorious coastline. However, if you are a wheelchair user or have problems with mobility, getting to the beach can be very difficult as many of them are very inaccessible. Luckily, the UK does have a large selection of accessible beaches, meaning that everyone can enjoy the sun, fun and sand of the British seaside. Here are five of the best.
Summerleaze Beach, Bude, Cornwall
Summerleaze Beach has the beautiful rolling dunes and calm waters that make up the best kind of beachside scenery, and all within five minutes of Bude town centre. The council car park has direct wheelchair access to the beach and disabled toilet facilities, and a disabled sand chair can be hired which is able to take you right down to the seashore.
Bournemouth Beach, Dorset
A beautiful sandy stretch of seven miles, Bournemouth Beach is nestled beneath cliffs, giving it its own microclimate and some of the warmest waters in the UK. It is also incredibly accessible, offering cliff lifts and land trains that provide access to all areas of the beach and its pier. Disabled parking and toilets are available, as well as sand chairs. Dedicated accessible beach huts can be hired during peak season, with space for up to four wheelchairs, as well as an adapted shower and toilets.
Skegness Beach, Lincolnshire
Skegness Beach offers all the classic experiences of a British seaside holiday, including donkey rides, candy floss and bracing weather. It is also very well equipped for disabled visitors, with several walkways straight onto the beach, a flat car park that meets the sand and adapted toilets. Sand chairs are also available to transport you the 250m from the car park to the water’s edge.
North Berwick Beach, Scotland
North Berwick Beach is considered the most accessible beach in Scotland, and is well worth visiting for its beautiful golden sands and charming higgledy piggledy jumble of houses right on the edge of the beach. The beach has sand wheelchairs for hire plus a hoist to help transfer into them, and an adapted walker that can be used on the sand.
Broad Haven Beach, Pembrokeshire, Wales
The Pembrokeshire coastline is stunning and can be enjoyed up close by disabled visitors in several areas, including Broad Haven. The beach has several all-terrain wheelchairs to hire, and at low tide there is a large, broad expanse of firm sand to explore. All-terrain wheelchairs are also equipped to cope with shallow water, meaning you can enjoy a refreshing dip in the sea too.