Hello everyone – I haven’t posted in a few days.
And where have I been? Up north to Scarborough, Yorkshire.
The review which follows is my opinion on the access issues there.
One of the best things is that local people are mostly friendly and willing to help. I also saw regular buses going from the town center, and many buildings had lifts and accessible entries. My hotel, The Royal, had a lift up from the street level to the reception.
Let’s talk about getting around Scarborough.
In the picture above there is a little tram that goes up and down the cliff. This would be the best way to get down to the front. The down side to that is it is not always working.
The hills and cliffs aren’t something they can change much. If this tram was accessible every day it would make life easier. It’s only 1 pound per trip, or 2 pounds for return.
There are also steps up and down from the cliffs. And a sloped path put in for those who can’t manage them.
There are also sloped roads to get up and down, though these can be more of a challenge.
An open top bus runs along the seafront from 9.30 am till the evening. This can be very helpful as the walk between is 3 miles.
If you want to go up to the castle then prepare to be climbing up sloped roads quite a lot. It is beautiful at the top but hard to get to.
My biggest accessibility bug bear though was a lack of public conveniences. I got caught out walking up to the castle and couldn’t find toilets again till back down at the beach. A few WC facilities along paths would make this easier.
So, in review Scarborough isn’t the best for access, or the worst.
My advice is to always check where you are traveling can always meet your access needs.
Beth writes 