If you are looking for holiday cottages with wheelchair access, then Cotswold Charm is a great place to stay with a variety of access-friendly holiday cottages and accessible accommodation.
Situated in the heart of the beautiful Cotswold town of Chipping Campden, Cotswold Charm is a beautiful collection of holiday cottages providing accessible holiday accommodation for all, including wheelchair users and is a great choice for a family holiday to get away from it all or for those looking for comfortable accommodation.
Cotswold Charm can provide wonderful self-catering cottage breaks in a rural location with many beautiful views locally. Offering optional ground floor bedrooms on request, access for wheelchairs, shower rooms, friendly cottages, and a whole host of accessible facilities such as shower seats and shower chairs, these are the perfect cottages for anyone with limited mobility. Each cottage has its own individual layout including wide doorways for easy access by wheelchair.
Despite the range of facilities, our cottages provide spacious living for anyone seeking a relaxing holiday, or specifically, safe, disabled holidays. We have even had visitors come who have been celebrating special celebrations and even family reunions, who have enjoyed relaxing in our Cotswold accessible cottages at the same time.
- George Barn: Is fully wheelchair accessible all on the ground floor with a large lounge diner with a disabled kitchen, a ground floor bedroom an ensuite wet room and 3 ensuite bedrooms on the first floor. Includes an accessible garden adjacent to the garage.
Old Granary: Threshold of 1 1/2 and 2 inches. Ground floor bedroom and en suite wet room. The kitchen and lounge are on the first floor. - Over the Arches: Small threshold onto the ground floor lounge which has a luxury sofa bed settee plus en suite bathroom and toilet but is not fully fitted for a wheelchair. The kitchen, diner and double bedroom are on the first floor. There is an accessible ground-floor garden.
Where is Chipping Campden?
Cotswold Charm is a great place to base yourself if you are looking for holiday cottages with wheelchair access in the Cotswolds and particularly Chipping Campden.
Chipping Campden lies in a bowl beneath steeply rising ridges with its intrinsic beauty, historical buildings and sweeping views.
It is a picturesque market town and comes from a combination of the local deep golden yellow honey-coloured oolitic Jurassic limestone stone from its adjacent quarries and a fine range of architecture financed by the wool trade and silk merchants through the early 1400s to 1900 and later the arrival of Griggs and legacy of the Arts and Crafts movement.
It is also just a walk away from Broad Campden, another delightful little village to explore during your stay.
Cotswold Charm provides accessible holiday cottages with wheelchair-friendly self-catering holidays in the Cotswolds and Chipping Campden. From its wheelchair-accessible self-catering George Barn in Chipping Campden, it is possible to use your wheelchair or mobility scooter to cover the 7 – 800 yards to Chipping Campden’s historic High Street and then explore its range of very special architecture from the 14th to 20th centuries. The High Street is never more beautiful than when seen whilst going to a pub or St James Church under a setting autumn sunset.
From the end of Blind Lane, there is a lovely footpath passed the thatched cottages going down Westington and passing its Green to Sheep Street and onto the High Street. Getting more out of your day and visit is worth getting the Guided Walk onto your iPhone or tablet from the Information Centre.
Chipping Campden is also within a 10 to 20-minute drive of many Cotswold villages, Broadway, Stow on Wold, Burford, Winchcombe and even Stratford upon Avon. Within this boundary, you will find many accessible attractions like:
- Hidcote Manor Gardens
- Batsford Arboretum
- The Gloucester & Warwickshire Steam Railway at Toddington
- Birdland at Bourton on the Water
- Royal Shakespeare Theatre at Stratford
- The National Motor Museum at Kineton
Just to name a few.
Accessing the High Street from Blind Lane
What makes Cotswold Charm ideal for holiday cottages with wheelchair access is that you can easily access Chipping Campden via Wheelchair and mobility scooter. This is because from Cotswold Charm’s wheelchair-accessible self-catering George Barn, in Blind Lane, you can simply turn left onto the lane and pick up the footpath towards Westington.
- From here you can follow it down past the thatched cottages to Sheep Street and the High Street by the red telephone box.
- From here you can turn left and look at Robert Welch Designs studio/shop on the corner before travelling up Lower High Street to the Volunteer Inn on your left and St Catherine’s Catholic Church (unfortunately there are steps up to the inside) on the other side of the road. However, there is a dropped curb by the church which gets you onto the footpath on the top/north side of the High Street. The other dropped curbs on that side are alongside The Square/car park in the middle of the town and at the far end of the street by Grevel House and opposite Church Street.
- From Sheep Street Corner you can turn right along the lower/south side of the High Street where you will find a disabled parking bay and dropped curb by both the Cutts Garage archway and the Library/bus stop opposite The Square/car park. There are two further dropped curbs by the Noel Arms archway and the Old Police Station/Tourist Information Centre. From there and almost to Church Street the pavement is sunken well below road level until you get near Bedfont House (opposite Grevel House) and the chemist.
- From here to get to St James Church (without having to go against the traffic) you are best crossing the road by the old water pump and going up Leysbourne where you will find the lovely Ernest Wilson Memorial Garden on your right before turning at the end into Cidermill Lane where you follow the path around to Church Street and the church. There is a fairly steep sloping pathway up to the church and the graveyard. A wheelchair ramp is available inside the church to get you up and down the 2/3 steps – it will be well worth the effort.
- Back down the path from the church and you will find the Court Barn Arts & Crafts Museum on your left – again well worth a visit. Cross to the dropped curb on the other side of Church Street and a bit further down you will find the Sir Baptist Hicks Almshouses on your right – there is a wide paved area in front of these. However, there are steps at the end and you will need to retrace a few yards to gain access to the road where you can travel down the right-hand side around the corner. Once around the corner, you will need to take great care with the traffic when crossing onto the footpath on the left before going on down back to the High Street.
Access to Broad Campden
There are routes to the Bakers Arms and this pretty little village:
From George Barn:
- Turn left onto Blind Lane
- From the end of Blind Lane, there is a lovely footpath passed the thatched cottages going down Westington to the corner with Sheep Street.
- Right into Catbrook – footpath on left
- The footpath goes almost to the Bakers Arms – it does cross the road twice.
From the High Street:
- Go through the Noel Arms archway and through its car park to Calf Lane
- Bear right and carry on straight up George Lane, passing the Recreation Ground to Catbrook
- Pick up the footpath on the left to the Bakers Arms
There is no footpath beyond the Bakers Arms towards the village, so very great care is needed, particularly if going around the bend and beyond The Mound on your left. Take the little Kitchen Lane to the right of St Michael’s Church – it is narrow and fairly steep, but very little vehicular traffic.
Eating Out and Shopping
Because of the topography and age of the High Street, the majority of entrances are either up or down a 6” or bigger step and on the lower/south side. There are also plenty of wheelchair-accessible restaurants in Chipping Campden too.
- You will find wheelchair access to The Red Lion Tavern via its carpark entrance on Sheep Street.
- Just around Sheep Street Corner and passing the One Stop Shop (2-inch threshold/step) you will find Victor’s Café which is wheelchair accessible via its passageway and wide internal door. They eat snacks, sandwiches, cakes, nibbles, etc. Excellent service, open Tuesday to Saturday mornings.
- A bit further up the High Street and under the Cutts Garage archway, you will find Cambrook Court.
- Across the road and slightly right from the archway, you will see Huxleys raised garden area – to get to it, turn right, cross the road, go up there, and then leave to the gateway into their outside eating area. There is also access from the garden into the building to dine in the dry.
- By the bus stop and disabled bay, you will find the Library which is wheelchair accessible.
- Beyond the library is the Noel Arms, go under the archway and there is a ramp up to the wide accessible bar/restaurant entrance. Inside there is room to Hanover plus a disabled toilet.
- Across the road from the archway is the Town Hall which is accessible through the door by the bus stop. It is a venue for exhibitions and local markets.
- Go back across the road and opposite the War Memorial and you will find the Co-Op which has a ramp down from the pavement. Ideal for local food and necessities shopping in Chipping Campden.
- Next door but one through the archway, you will find a ramp up into the Old Police Station and the Tourist Information Centre and
- From here you can turn right and go to the chemist on the corner of Church Street – it has a step down into it, but there is a bell that you can ring for service.
- Cross the road here and bear left onto the upper/north side by Grevel House. You will find Tokes’ deli and wine shop on the right– great tastes and a splendid selection of wines, etc.
Chipping Campden Holiday Cottages with Wheelchair Access: What to See Locally in Chipping Campden
You will have to drive to some of these locations, but they will make for an enjoyable holiday. They are all within reach for disabled access holidays and provide access for wheelchair users on arrival with some providing mobility scooters/trampers, etc. There are plenty of things to do.
Hidcote Manor Gardens (National Trust) GL55 6LR
There are Disabled Bays in the carpark and not too much gravel for you to cross to get to the main entrance. Depending on your physical strength to can see approx. 75% of the garden and surrounding area from its paths, but you will see even more if you book and hire one of their buggies. The café/restaurant is wheelchair accessible, as is the garden centre/shop.
Autumn is a time for the senses – colours and scents will fill the air while birds enjoy the berries and quietly follow the gardeners around the garden looking for bugs. Historically the Red Borders are in full bloom and visitors can hope to see colour across the garden in the late summer and autumn with sweet scents from the heliotropes and grasses catching the light as they move and dance.
Dovers Hill (National Trust)
Easiest with a short drive – turn right out of the gateway, at the junction left into Dyers Lane, please take great care when you get to the brow and cross the junction, after 300 yards turn right into the entrance through the trees into its car park.
You will find a latch gate through which you can gain access to a mile of the hillside. In front of you, you will see the topography with its brass map identifying key features in the landscape as far away as the Black Mountains in Wales and the Wrekin in Shropshire.
On a clear day, the views are stunning. Go along the edge of the hill away to the right and for those with a tramper, there is a wheelchair walk/path down the side of the hill through the site of the Roman Vineyard into the valley below. On a good day, Dover’s Hill offers some spectacular views and thanks to the location of the car park, offers anyone with mobility issues easy access.
Broadway Tower & Country Park (WR12 7LB)
Easiest with a short drive – turn right out of the gateway, at the junction left into Dyers Lane, please take great care when you get to the brow and junction where you turn left, when you reach the main road at the top of Fish Hill, carefully cross it and go through the stone pillars and over the brow you will find the entrance to the park on the bend.
There is no wheelchair access up the tower, but there are tremendous views from its footpath and around the Morris & Brown café which is wheelchair accessible.
Broadway
The picturesque village has a wide footpath down both sides of its High Street and a large green at the bottom for you to enjoy. There are many wheelchair-accessible places where you can eat including the Lygon Arms and the Swan, etc.
The Gordon Russell Design Museum (WR12 7AP) is wheelchair accessible from the Co-Op car park and has an internal lift to get between the floors.
Batsford Arboretum and Garden Centre (GL56 9AT)
There are 3-disabled bays near the entrance to the garden centre, however, they are on quite a steep slope and will still have to go up the slope to gain access, you may be well advised to park a bit further away on a more level ground.
It is worth ringing them beforehand and booking a “Tramper” to help to cover the mile or so of paths that run up and across the slopes and get a really good look around the arboretum.
Batsford Arboretum has 2,850 labelled specimens covering the world and in particular, the Far East with 1,300 different trees, shrubs and bamboo and it has also held the National Collection of Japanese Flowering Cherries since 2002.
The collection of Acers with so many species of Japanese maples makes for a fiery autumn of splendid colour. The oak trees look beautiful and offer essential habitat for insects and birds; Sorbus – both Mountain Ash and Whitebeam varieties are well known for their large range of autumn berries and wonderful colour.
The newly enlarged restaurant is now open and provides excellent quality meals at very reasonable prices. The garden centre may also attract you.
For something different, Batsford is also home to The Cotswold Falconry Centre and around 150 Birds of Prey – many of which can be seen in free-flying demonstrations each day.
Gloucestershire & Warwickshire Steam Railway (GL54 5DT)
The scenic heritage track runs steam and diesel trains for 14 miles between Broadway and Cheltenham Race Course. You are probably best to join it at Toddington
From Broadway, go down the High Street and turn left for Cheltenham, follow the road to the roundabout at Toddington, where you turn left and after 150 yards turn right into the station.
You will find disabled trackside parking on your left with wheelchair access to the Flag & Whistle Café and the platforms.
Some trains have carriages which have been specially adapted for wheelchair passengers and their helpers. The spaces in these adapted carriages are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis and so availability cannot be guaranteed – best to ring in advance.
(Picture)The train staff are happy to provide a ramp at our main stations to enable both wheelchair passengers and anyone who cannot climb the carriage steps to board the trains. Please be aware that the maximum width of a wheelchair that can be accommodated on these ramps is 79cm / 2ft 7in).
All stations (except Gotherington and Hayles Abbey Halt which are accessible only on foot) have good access for disabled passengers. Although the platform at Cheltenham Race Course is normally accessed via a long slope which some visitors might find difficult, we now have flat, disabled access from the car park available on request.
Occasionally trains must use platforms that are normally accessed via a footbridge. If you have problems using a footbridge a member of the station staff will be more than happy to show you where you can cross the line via the barrow crossing at the end of the platform.
Royal Shakespeare Company: Stratford upon Avon (CV37 6BB)
If you’re staying in holiday cottages with wheelchair access, then no trip to the area is complete without seeing a play at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre at Stratford upon Avon. There are a few Disabled Parking bays opposite the theatre in Waterside ad there is ramped access to the theatre.
To avoid disappointment, you would be very well advised to book well in advance on 01789 331 111.
You will find a range of productions between the RSC’s 3 theatres with Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol (adapted by David Edgar) on until 1st January 2023.
Bourton on the Water
Bourton on the Water’s High Street is very much on the level and relatively easy to use from a wheelchair point of view. Known as the Venice of the Cotswolds, the shallow Windrush River runs under it many small bridges.
The Cotswold Motoring Museum GL54 2BY is the home of TV star Brum and is wheelchair accessible throughout.
Birdland Park & Gardens GL542AY is home to over 150 species of birds in a variety of habitats. Wheelchairs can be pre-booked.
Cotswold Wildlife Park: Burford (OX18 4JP)
There is a wide range of mammals to see such as mega-herbivores like Giraffes, Camels and Tapir, and large carnivores such as the Asiatic Lion.
Wheelchair hire is free and mobility scooters can be booked in advance for 2-hours at £5 and the whole day at £10.
