The UK is an incredible place to get out and explore. From historical sites, stunning scenery, and incredible coastline to vibrant cities, culture and nightlife.
Getting around when you have accessibility issues comes with its own obstacles. Thankfully, there are plenty of places across the UK that you can visit on a road trip that have things in place to help you have the best time possible.
1. South‑Coast “Boardwalks & Biomes”
Route: Brighton → Hayling Island → Bournemouth/Sandbanks
Brighton is a fantastic place to visit, bursting with creativity and vibrant culture, but it also has loads of services that help make your visit much more straightforward.
Find out more about visiting Brighton here
From the wide, level seafront promenade to the futuristic i360 viewing tower. The entire front is step‑free and AccessAble‑audited cafés line the route, while the council hires out both manual and powered beach wheelchairs so you can get right onto the shingle.
If you’re planning a road trip in the area, Hayling Island has a new 2024 timber boardwalk that allows wheelchair users to get down to the beach much more easily.
Boscombe and neighbouring Sandbanks: both resorts lay Mobi‑Mats onto the sand throughout summer and can provide balloon‑tyre beach wheelchairs; several beach huts have extra‑wide doors, low counters and power sockets for medical equipment. Bournemouth also has a cliff-lift to help people explore with an easy ride up the cliff face.
2. Cornish Eden & Atlantic Views
Route: Plymouth → Fowey → Eden Project → Newquay
Further along the coast sits the Eden Project, one of Britain’s more inclusive attractions: level paths through the biomes, free PA/carer entry, 25 free manual chairs, six bookable scooters, a Changing Places toilet and relaxed-hour sessions for sensory‑sensitive visitors.
Find out more and plan your visit here
Add Padstow’s flat Camel‑Trail cycleway (wheelchair‑bikes for hire) and National Trust’s flat clifftop car park at Bedruthan Steps for epic sunset viewing from your vehicle for another fab trip along the coast.
3. Lakes & “Miles Without Stiles”
Route: Keswick → Windermere circuit
One of the most stunning bits of the country, the Lake District is famous for inspiring views, rolling hills, fresh air and outdoor pursuits.
It’s a popular destination for anyone who loves the great outdoors. To make sure as many people as possible can enjoy such a beautiful part of the world, the ‘Miles Without Stiles’ exist, this is loads of routes with easier gradients, open paths and features that help everyone enjoy the Lakes.
4. North Wales Castles & Peaks
Route: Chester → Llandudno → Snowdon Mountain Railway → Anglesey loop
Heading into Eryri (or Snowdonia) then there are ways to help make your trip easier. The
Snowdon Mountain Railway’s diesel carriages take one wheelchair per train, so you can take a relaxing trip to the top of Snowdon.
Make your trip more accessible
Moving across the Northwest UK and into the North of Wales is a fantastic trip, with stunning towns and cities like Chester giving way to rugged coastline and scenic coastal views.
5. Cairngorms & Speyside Scenic Route
Route: Aviemore → Cairngorm Mountain → Grantown‑on‑Spey
In recent years, the North Coast 500 has become one of the most popular road trips for people to go on, a circular route around the Scottish Highlands with loads of things to do and incredible landscapes to explore.
As the route has grown in popularity, more helpful changes have been made to make the trip more accessible, from facilities on the NC500 itself to places to stay and attractions to do more to welcome all guests.
Planning tools & tips
Planning a trip with extra accessibility shouldn’t mean extra hassle. We’ve found some resources that should be able to help:
We’re all about planning ahead when it comes to making the most of a trip, and the AccessAble website is a perfect tool to help. Search locations and get key information about sites, door widths, gradients, turning circles, etc.
A lot of these road trips are made better by taking in some of the trails and exploring. The Slow Ways website helps you plot routes and find places to visit based on ratings designed to help people with accessibility issues.
The AA have a brilliant resource that helps you to find out more about destinations, hotels and more. Perfect for working out if a destination meets your accessibility needs.
Everybody should be able to visit the places they want without running into obstacles and issues that can ruin their trip. Whether it’s protecting Blue Badge spaces or providing invaluable information that helps you plan activities, using the support that’s out there can transform your next road trip for the better.
