Planning your family holidays, or arranging a weekend away with your friends, shouldn’t be made more difficult by accessibility needs. With greater consideration to accessibility becoming more and more widespread, there are countless fantastic places to take a trip in the UK that wheelchair users can enjoy. Local councils and charities do a tremendous job of providing accessible toilets, lifts, parking, and more are available – and that's worth celebrating.
Whether you’re a relaxer, an adventurer, or something in between, we've compiled a list of the best wheelchair-friendly holidays in the UK.
Accessibility on Board
Every great holiday starts with a great journey, and thanks to CrossCountry, you can arrive in comfort and style – whatever your accessibility needs. Passengers can request travel assistance up to two hours before the journey, to ensure that they travel with confidence. If you need assistance at short notice, please let a member of staff know, or use a Help Point at our stations.
Wheelchair Walks in the Lake District
The Lake District National Park has become a haven of accessible activities, most notably with their Miles Without Stiles routes for comfortable, accessible walking on a range of different accessibility levels to accommodate as many people as possible. These open pathways have limited gradients, no physical boundaries, and improved surfacing to make the experience more comfortable for wheelchair users. Around the Lake District, you will also find a variety of accessible activities, including painting, stargazing, birdwatching, and more, making the Lake District ideal for disabled friendly holidays.
Trains to the Lake District
You can get to the Lake District with a simple onward journey from CrossCountry stations. Either travel directly to Carlisle by changing from a CrossCountry Train at Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, or arrive at Crewe on services from Birmingham, Coventry, Manchester, and more, and switch onto a direct service to Penrith.
Torquay Beach Holiday 
Where could be better in the UK for taking a sunny wheelchair accessible holiday than Torquay? With sandy beaches and the English Riviera to boast about, there is no more scenic location to while away the summer days than one of Devon’s most popular tourist destinations, and it is a fantastically accessible place to visit for wheelchair users. The main seafront in Torquay is Torre Abbey Sands, which has excellent disabled access to the beach, pier, and promenade, along with accessible bathrooms and sand chairs to really ensure that wheelchair users can join in the fun.
Trains to Torquay Beach
You can reach Torquay on CrossCountry routes from a wide variety of locations around the UK. Whether you’re local and travelling from places like Newton Abbot or Exeter; or coming from further afield like Bristol, Stockport, or Weston-super-Mare; you can find direct routes to Torquay on CrossCountry trains.
City Break in Cymru
Getting involved in the hustle and bustle of a city can be accessible to all, as proven by the fantastic accessibility seen throughout Wales’ capital city, Cardiff. Known in Cymraeg as Caerdydd, Cardiff is a city full of culture. Ranging from medieval heritage to the modern bay area, and with activities for families, groups of friends, couples, and everything in between. Cardiff city centre is pedestrianised and has been praised by wheelchair users for how accessible the streets are – with smooth surfaces, wide pathways, dropped curbs, and fantastic public transport connections. Cardiff is a city that welcomes people of all kinds, regardless of accessibility requirements.
Trains to Cardiff
Finding your way to Cardiff is super easy with CrossCountry, as a range of our services run directly to Cardiff Central station. Situated in the heart of the city, you can get your holiday started in comfort by boarding a train to Cardiff – popular routes include Bristol to Cardiff, Newcastle to Cardiff, Manchester to Cardiff, and more.
Culture in Cambridge
The UK is a country filled to the brim with cultural holidays on offer, and Cambridge is one of the nation’s favourite weekend getaways for soaking up heritage and culture. Thanks to an expansive inclusivity drive to support wheelchair users, there are plenty of ways to spend your break in Cambridge that you can get involved in regardless of accessibility requirements. Whether it’s the Fitzwilliam Museum, with step-free access; the Botanical Gardens, with paved pathways and ramps; or even going punting, where mobility scooters and wheelchairs can be stored free-of-charge. With wheelchair accessibility accounted for in all aspects of this trip, you can relax and recharge on your staycation to Cambridge.
Trains to Cambridge
Making your way to Cambridge with CrossCountry is simple – with direct services running from around the UK, you can arrive in style and comfort. Whether your journey starts in Birmingham, Leicester, or Stansted, you can get on board a CrossCountry service directly to Cambridge Station.
If you're planning a trip to one of the best wheelchair friendly holidays in the UK, don't forget to book an Advance ticket via our website or our Train Tickets app for zero booking fees. You can also find information on how to get cheaper train tickets via our special offers page. If you need more information, you can contact us here.
The UK is bursting with fun activities. Whether you’re visiting one of the best historical places in the UK, the best forests in the UK, or the best cinemas in the UK, you can always travel by train. CrossCountry has services running up and down the country to ensure you can get to the places you need to be.
Written by Julia