Accessibility Guide
Accessibility Information for accessible holidays at Barnacre Cottages
Read our Accessibility Guide on the official VisitEngland site.
Three of our five cottages have been officially graded Mobility 1 by Visit England. Mobility 1, means that a person is able to walk up a staircase with assistance, which might require as little as a handrail.
More recently, two of our cottages, Woodpecker and Mole End have been graded as Mobility 2 which we are delighted about, having done a lot of alterations and work. It is a personal passion of ours that our cottages can be accessible whilst also being stylish.
All the cottages have wide doorways and raised electrical sockets. All except the Piggeries have ramp level access to the main entrance. Each property also has their own washing machine and tumble dryer. These facilities are not shared and are provided in each cottage.
I have tried to give a breakdown of the facilities in each cottage to ensure that guests book what is right for them.
This cottage was assessed as Accessible Accommodation NAS Mobility 2 and is our largest and most spacious cottage. It has seven bedrooms, six of which have their own ensuites, two of which are on the ground floor.
At the front of the property is a twin room on the ground floor this can also be made into a super king on request. The spacious bathroom (about 12ft by 5ft 6ins wide) has a large wet room type shower area.
At the rear of the cottage, looking out into the woods, is a bedroom which contains a double and a single bed. This room can either be used by a family, parents and a child, or two adults. The large (again 12ft by 5ft 6 ins wide) en-suite consists of a modern washbasin, standard height toilet and large open wet room type shower area with fold down seat. Non-slip tiles to the floors.
Also on the ground floor is a utility room with additional toilet and washbasin.
The cottage has a conservatory / sun lounge, which is accessed off the kitchen area down some steps with a handrail. Unfortunately, there was no way of avoiding having steps to this new room. However due to the open plan space and it not being a closed off room, guests have found that it still allows everybody to gather and still feel included.
There are some French doors leading from this room out to a new covered level seating area. This cottage has been great for large family groups, particularly with grandparents or relatives not good at walking or using wheelchairs.
Parking is at the side of the property and there is ramp access to the front entrance. At the rear of the property is a raised decked area with tables and chairs in the warmer weather, this can be reached either by the French doors from the living area or by a permanent ramp from the garden path.
A group of local businesses including ourselves and a variety of countryside organisations, have got together to develop the Wyresdale Wheels for all project, which means that there is now an all terrain buggy, the Tramper, which is available for hire.
The Tramper is a specially designed, four wheel drive electric buggy, which can be used off road and even on rough ground, mud and grass. It enables people who have difficulty walking to experience the countryside, woodlands and lakesides; and to accompany their friends and families when out walking.
The Tramper is available to use, for a donation for maintenance. You can use it for just a few hours or a few days subject to availability. You will be given a brief lesson on how to use the Tramper before you take it out for a drive.
New trails are currently being developed. However, there are currently six routes that you can use to take you in the countryside within three miles of the cottages. These trails are also ideal for less agile walkers and people with buggies, as they are stile free and few steep slopes.
Trampers are also available for hire from Beacon Fell near Chipping at Wyre Estuary Country Park and the Wild Boar Park also at Chipping. At these places you also need to book ahead.
For more information please contact us and we can send you a leaflet giving more details.
Should you require any equipment such as hoists, Millercare in Preston , (telephone 01772 788128), will deliver direct to the cottage prior to your arrival.
For those guests who wish to hire various items of equipment, this company will provide ‘holiday hire’ and also deliver direct to the cottages.
Tel 01253 864163
A few guests have also required the services of a local carer during their stay with us. The company that we have used is:
Priory Homecare,
Four Oaks,
Garstang Road,
St. Michaels,
PR3 0TD.
Their telephone number is 01995 679662. They also have a website.
Our contacts there are Carol and Sam.
“The best way to discover if what we have at Barnacre is suitable for you is to contact us. I would much rather discuss in details your requirements than discover when a guest arrives that we have not got what you need.”