Suffolk Tourist Guide - Articles
Facilities for people with disabilities visiting Suffolk
This article - Facilities for disabled people visiting Suffolk - is 'work in progress' - as new pieces of information are received and added. If you have any comments or information to add please send an email to
info@suffolktouristguide.com so that your knowledge can be shared. If not just keep coming back to see what's new!
General
The Bure Valley Railway is proud to be probably the first railway of any sort in the region to provide six carriages in which wheelchair-bound people of any age can be accommodated in comfort and security, along with their fellow passengers, friends and family.
The Bure Valley Railway offers full access to disabled passengers in wheelchairs.
Both Aylsham and Wroxham stations are all on the one level, including shops, toilets, café, platforms and even the workshops at Aylsham.
Along with our standard carriage fleet, there are six specially designed coaches which can carry wheelchairs easily. Each has a special seating arrangement plus double doors on both sides and detachable ramps. When the ordinary seats are down, these carriages have the same carrying capacity as regular carriages, but when the seats are raised they can each accommodate four manual wheelchairs securely.
Other types of wheelchair may be carried depending on their size.
When the BVR is running a full three-train service, every train normally has two of these coaches, giving disabled passengers a completely free choice of which train to catch.
Please see our display for more details Bure Valley Railway
Optua Leisure organises sport and leisure activities, day trips and taster sessions for disabled people across Suffolk.
The aims of Optua Leisure are to encourage disabled people to become more active, which improves health and well-being, and to give them the opportunity to enjoy regular activities and to try new ones.
The service is available to anyone with a physical, sensory and/or learning disability. Registration is free, and comes with a quarterly newsletter packed full of exciting activities and events, news topics and articles from service providers and service users.
For more information about Optua Leisure see Optua Leisure website, call 01473 836770 or email leisure@optua.org.uk
Many of the rambling trails in Suffolk are fairly easy, partly because Suffolk is infamously flat! So ramblers with disabilities can get about and enjoy our countryside reasonably easily. The best organisation to contact for information on accessible trails and group hikes are the Disabled Ramblers. From their website "We are a group of like-minded disabled people who enjoy being in the countryside, and who get about using paths and trails of all kinds. We are truly 'ramblers', although very few of us can walk more than a few yards! Our membership consists mainly of mobility disabled people and we get about mainly through use of a wide variety of mobility aids, ranging from electrically powered pavement buggies, scooters, powerchairs and, in some cases, manually propelled wheelchairs. We organise rambles of varying difficulty from easy to challenging all over England and Wales, and, along with our volunteers, spouses and friends, each event provides recreation and challenge to suit every taste. " Click on the link above to access their website for more details.
Access for all in the Brecks includes 10 trails for everyone including those with restricted mobility. Call Brecks Partnership on 01842 760116 or see their website The Brecksfor more information
British Red Cross - provides short term loans of medical equipment such as wheelchairs and walking frames at a number of Red Cross Centres around Suffolk. For further information please contact the Medical Loan Service on 01473 219261.
Please also see the Medical Equipment Service listed at British Red Cross, Suffolk
OTHER INFORMATION SOURCES
Tailor made holiday and travel service for people with disabilities:
Accessible Travel and Leisure 01452 729739
Providers of holiday information for people with disabilities and their carers:
Holiday Care 01293 773716
Holiday Information and advice for people with a visual impairment
RNIB Holiday Service 020 7388 1266
Area Specific Information -
Lowestoft area
D.I.A.L - Information Line - For general information on disability matters, and wheelchair hire in the Lowestoft area - call 01502 511333
Information supplied by DIAL
Eating Out - the following are accessible for wheelchair users –
Lowestoft
Brewers Fair 01502 733073 (wheelchair accessible with adapted toilet facilities)
*Carlton Manor 01502 566511 (wheelchair accessible toilets)
Potters Kiln 01502 733073
East Point Pavilion Restaurant 01502 538902 (fully accessible with adapted toilets)
*Hotel Victoria 01502 574433 (wheelchair accessible toilets and rooms)
Number One Pizza and Pancake Co 01502 501880
Jolly Sailors, 01502 561398 (no adapted toilets, ramp available)
Thatched Roof Restaurant 01502 566310 (no adapted toilets)
The Library, Godfrey’s Store 01502 516298 (adapted toilet)
The Ship Inn, 01502 562592 (fully accessible with adapted toilets)
Oulton Broad
*Crooked Barn 01502 501353 (see Ivy House Country Hotel)
*The Wherry Hotel, 01502 516846 (wheelchair accessible toilet and rooms) The Wherry Hotel
Pakefield
*Fishers Hotel and Restaurant 01502 569805 (no adapted toilets)
Southwold
Five Bells Inn, Wrentham, 01502 675249 (wheelchair accessible toilets and rooms)
The Plough, 01502 578239 (adapted toilet)
The Randolph, Reydon 01502 723603 (no adapted toilets)
*Also provides accommodation.
Other accommodation options in the area
Lowestoft
Edingworth Guest House 01502 572051
Foxburrow Travel Inn 01502 572441
Somerton House Hotel 01502 565665
Oulton Broad
Broadlands Holiday Village 01502 573033
Parkhill Hotel 01502 730322
The Mill House B&B 01502 565038 (not suitable for wheelchairs)
Laurel Farm 01502 568724
Kessingland
Four Winds Retreat - Self Catering Accommodation, English Tourist Council 4 Star Rating, Mobility: Level 2, spacious accommodation in a quiet, relaxing atmosphere surrounded by the sea, woodland & marshland. Four-Winds is a detached property set in approximately 4 acres of grounds and has been in the hands of two families since the early 1920’s. It has retained its unusual originality and has recently had the addition of a purpose built annex. This annex has also been sympathetically designed with the disabled, wheel chair users & their carers in mind. We can provide a list of private local care agencies who can give nursing / care as required. However the owners, jane and Peter Garner, are usually on site if emergency assistance is required.
01502 740044
Kessingland Beach Holiday 01502 740636
Southwold
Newlands Country House 01502 722164 - unique within this area offering the best Disabled facilities in the Suffolk coastal area, first class accommodation, Heated indoor Swimming Pool thoughtfully designed rooms allow for various options tailored to individual’s needs. Grade 1 Accessible.
Call 01502-722164 speak to Penny or David
The Plough Inn, Wangford 01502 578239
Pakefield
Pontins Holiday Centre 08706 010479
Beccles
Pinetrees 01502 470796
Info from Lowestoft TIC
East Coast Mobility - 01502 514500
Shopmobility - Electric and manual wheelchairs and scooters are available for hire - 01502 588857
Social Services offer a variety of services for Blind and Partially sighted people -01502 405000
Toilets - Waveney District Council has introduced the Radar National Key Scheme for its disabled persons toilets. Keys vcan be purchased from the TICs at the East Point Pavilion, Lowestoft, and 69 High Street, Southwold, the DIAL office an the Shop Mobility Office.
Public conveniences specially equipped to cater for wheelchair users are situated in the following locations -
Lowestoft - Pakefield St, Claremont Pier South Beach, Triangle Market, Kirkley Cliff Road, South of South Beach, East Point Pavilion Visitor Centre, Town Hall High St, 161 Rotterdam Rd.
Oulton Broad - The Boulevard
Kessingland - near the Beach
Southwold - Church Green, Harbour Car Park, North Pier
Halesworth - Thoroughfare Car Park
Bungay - Bus Station St Mary's St
Beccles - The Quay Toilets, Blyburgate car park
Car parking - visitors in possession of an orange or blue badge may park their vehicle free of charge on all Council operated car parks with no time restriction, providing a current badge is displyed and the clock is correctly set.
Information received from Ivy House Country Hotelwho have two accessible rooms for guests -
Waveney Stardust - a modern, comfortable, centrally heated cruiser with wheelchair access and full disabled toilet facility.
Waveney Stardust
Waveney River tours in Oulton Broad can take up to 3 wheelchairs on their double decker boat, open deck, aft - call Mrs Bland on 01502 574903 for more information.
Oulton Broad and the park are very wheelchair friendly - and also Pets Corner.
Broadland Holiday Village have a lovely swimming pool with hoist - however you have to stay there or at Ivy Country House to access this facility. Broadland Holiday Village is flat, and all accommodation and the restaurant has ramp access, but due to the nature of the accommodation facilities the inside is not suitable for wheelchair use. Their telephone number is 01502 573033
Blickling Hall near Aylsham, Norwich, a National Trust house and gardens which are w/c accessible and also shop and cafe - can see the first floor as there is a dedicated lift.
Bure Valley Railway - there are dedicated w/c accessible coaches (might need to be pre-booked)
Lowestoft South Beach promenade recommended as being flat with toilet facilities.
Saxmundham Area
Park Farm Cottages - Sibton, Saxmundham. There are four cottages, all totally at ground level and have all had wheelchairs in, although only one has an Accessibility Grading. Tel David and Margaret Gray on 01728 668324 for details
.......................................................................................................
Ipswich Area
The East Anglian Sailing Trust (EAST), is based in Ipswich and provides disabled people and their carers with regular opportunities to access and enjoy sailing activities whilst promoting enhanced independence, confidence and community involvement. see website for more details East Anglian Sailing Trust
Shopmobility - hire of motorised buggy or wheelchair for use in the town centre for shopping etc - 01473 222225
Wattisham Hall Holiday Cottages - 3 charming barn conversions in the heart of rural Suffolk open all year around for full weeks and short breaks, with a Level 1 Mobility award, each cottage has a bathroom and bedroom on the ground floor. Further information contact Jo and Jeremy Squirrell on 01449 740240.
Gladwins Farm - offers quiet self catering Suffolk hot tub holidays in tasteful conversions of period cottage farm buildings - they have two cottages that have Mobility 2 Level Accessibility approvals. Tel Robert 01206 262261
Bury St Edmunds Area
British Red Cross - British Red Cross - provides short term loans of medical equipment such as wheelchairs and walking frames at a number of Red Cross Centres around Suffolk. For further information please contact the Medical Loan Service on 01284 767215.
Please also see the Medical Equipment Service listed at British Red Cross, Suffolk
Theatre Royal, Disabled Access
A signal from the induction loop should be received from every seat in the auditorium.
There are four wheelchair accessible seats available in Dress Circle Boxes F, H, K and M. You are advised to book early for these seats. In the unlikely event that they are not available we will do our best to accommodate you elsewhere in the Theatre, or on an alternative date. On arrival, all wheelchair users are kindly requested to make themselves known to the duty manager who will be pleased to help you to your seat.
There is ramped access to both foyers and a ground floor adapted toilet in the Theatre foyer.
Please note that there is no level access to the Pit and the Upper Circle seating areas. All Dress Circle boxes have level access.
Guide Dogs are admitted to Dress Circle Boxes.
To receive any of our publications in a large print format please contact the Box Office
Theatre Royal
Sudbury Area
Fiddlesticks B&B, Pentlow see Fiddlesticks
For the more adventurous! - you might like to have a look at this website - Able Travel Accessible Adventure Travel
Accessible African safaris and worldwide adventure travel advice for wheelchair users and physically disabled people.
Would you like to try an adventure holiday? Maybe go on safari, go skiing, explore another country and meet different cultures...
Based on personal experience of a C5/6 quadriplegic, and with input from you, this site tries to broaden disabled travel horizons.
info@suffolktouristguide.com so that your knowledge can be shared. If not just keep coming back to see what's new!
General
The Bure Valley Railway is proud to be probably the first railway of any sort in the region to provide six carriages in which wheelchair-bound people of any age can be accommodated in comfort and security, along with their fellow passengers, friends and family.
The Bure Valley Railway offers full access to disabled passengers in wheelchairs.
Both Aylsham and Wroxham stations are all on the one level, including shops, toilets, café, platforms and even the workshops at Aylsham.
Along with our standard carriage fleet, there are six specially designed coaches which can carry wheelchairs easily. Each has a special seating arrangement plus double doors on both sides and detachable ramps. When the ordinary seats are down, these carriages have the same carrying capacity as regular carriages, but when the seats are raised they can each accommodate four manual wheelchairs securely.
Other types of wheelchair may be carried depending on their size.
When the BVR is running a full three-train service, every train normally has two of these coaches, giving disabled passengers a completely free choice of which train to catch.
Please see our display for more details Bure Valley Railway
Optua Leisure organises sport and leisure activities, day trips and taster sessions for disabled people across Suffolk.
The aims of Optua Leisure are to encourage disabled people to become more active, which improves health and well-being, and to give them the opportunity to enjoy regular activities and to try new ones.
The service is available to anyone with a physical, sensory and/or learning disability. Registration is free, and comes with a quarterly newsletter packed full of exciting activities and events, news topics and articles from service providers and service users.
For more information about Optua Leisure see Optua Leisure website, call 01473 836770 or email leisure@optua.org.uk
Many of the rambling trails in Suffolk are fairly easy, partly because Suffolk is infamously flat! So ramblers with disabilities can get about and enjoy our countryside reasonably easily. The best organisation to contact for information on accessible trails and group hikes are the Disabled Ramblers. From their website "We are a group of like-minded disabled people who enjoy being in the countryside, and who get about using paths and trails of all kinds. We are truly 'ramblers', although very few of us can walk more than a few yards! Our membership consists mainly of mobility disabled people and we get about mainly through use of a wide variety of mobility aids, ranging from electrically powered pavement buggies, scooters, powerchairs and, in some cases, manually propelled wheelchairs. We organise rambles of varying difficulty from easy to challenging all over England and Wales, and, along with our volunteers, spouses and friends, each event provides recreation and challenge to suit every taste. " Click on the link above to access their website for more details.
Access for all in the Brecks includes 10 trails for everyone including those with restricted mobility. Call Brecks Partnership on 01842 760116 or see their website The Brecksfor more information
British Red Cross - provides short term loans of medical equipment such as wheelchairs and walking frames at a number of Red Cross Centres around Suffolk. For further information please contact the Medical Loan Service on 01473 219261.
Please also see the Medical Equipment Service listed at British Red Cross, Suffolk
OTHER INFORMATION SOURCES
Tailor made holiday and travel service for people with disabilities:
Accessible Travel and Leisure 01452 729739
Providers of holiday information for people with disabilities and their carers:
Holiday Care 01293 773716
Holiday Information and advice for people with a visual impairment
RNIB Holiday Service 020 7388 1266
Area Specific Information -
Lowestoft area
D.I.A.L - Information Line - For general information on disability matters, and wheelchair hire in the Lowestoft area - call 01502 511333
Information supplied by DIAL
Eating Out - the following are accessible for wheelchair users –
Lowestoft
Brewers Fair 01502 733073 (wheelchair accessible with adapted toilet facilities)
*Carlton Manor 01502 566511 (wheelchair accessible toilets)
Potters Kiln 01502 733073
East Point Pavilion Restaurant 01502 538902 (fully accessible with adapted toilets)
*Hotel Victoria 01502 574433 (wheelchair accessible toilets and rooms)
Number One Pizza and Pancake Co 01502 501880
Jolly Sailors, 01502 561398 (no adapted toilets, ramp available)
Thatched Roof Restaurant 01502 566310 (no adapted toilets)
The Library, Godfrey’s Store 01502 516298 (adapted toilet)
The Ship Inn, 01502 562592 (fully accessible with adapted toilets)
Oulton Broad
*Crooked Barn 01502 501353 (see Ivy House Country Hotel)
*The Wherry Hotel, 01502 516846 (wheelchair accessible toilet and rooms) The Wherry Hotel
Pakefield
*Fishers Hotel and Restaurant 01502 569805 (no adapted toilets)
Southwold
Five Bells Inn, Wrentham, 01502 675249 (wheelchair accessible toilets and rooms)
The Plough, 01502 578239 (adapted toilet)
The Randolph, Reydon 01502 723603 (no adapted toilets)
*Also provides accommodation.
Other accommodation options in the area
Lowestoft
Edingworth Guest House 01502 572051
Foxburrow Travel Inn 01502 572441
Somerton House Hotel 01502 565665
Oulton Broad
Broadlands Holiday Village 01502 573033
Parkhill Hotel 01502 730322
The Mill House B&B 01502 565038 (not suitable for wheelchairs)
Laurel Farm 01502 568724
Kessingland
Four Winds Retreat - Self Catering Accommodation, English Tourist Council 4 Star Rating, Mobility: Level 2, spacious accommodation in a quiet, relaxing atmosphere surrounded by the sea, woodland & marshland. Four-Winds is a detached property set in approximately 4 acres of grounds and has been in the hands of two families since the early 1920’s. It has retained its unusual originality and has recently had the addition of a purpose built annex. This annex has also been sympathetically designed with the disabled, wheel chair users & their carers in mind. We can provide a list of private local care agencies who can give nursing / care as required. However the owners, jane and Peter Garner, are usually on site if emergency assistance is required.
01502 740044
Kessingland Beach Holiday 01502 740636
Southwold
Newlands Country House 01502 722164 - unique within this area offering the best Disabled facilities in the Suffolk coastal area, first class accommodation, Heated indoor Swimming Pool thoughtfully designed rooms allow for various options tailored to individual’s needs. Grade 1 Accessible.
Call 01502-722164 speak to Penny or David
The Plough Inn, Wangford 01502 578239
Pakefield
Pontins Holiday Centre 08706 010479
Beccles
Pinetrees 01502 470796
Info from Lowestoft TIC
East Coast Mobility - 01502 514500
Shopmobility - Electric and manual wheelchairs and scooters are available for hire - 01502 588857
Social Services offer a variety of services for Blind and Partially sighted people -01502 405000
Toilets - Waveney District Council has introduced the Radar National Key Scheme for its disabled persons toilets. Keys vcan be purchased from the TICs at the East Point Pavilion, Lowestoft, and 69 High Street, Southwold, the DIAL office an the Shop Mobility Office.
Public conveniences specially equipped to cater for wheelchair users are situated in the following locations -
Lowestoft - Pakefield St, Claremont Pier South Beach, Triangle Market, Kirkley Cliff Road, South of South Beach, East Point Pavilion Visitor Centre, Town Hall High St, 161 Rotterdam Rd.
Oulton Broad - The Boulevard
Kessingland - near the Beach
Southwold - Church Green, Harbour Car Park, North Pier
Halesworth - Thoroughfare Car Park
Bungay - Bus Station St Mary's St
Beccles - The Quay Toilets, Blyburgate car park
Car parking - visitors in possession of an orange or blue badge may park their vehicle free of charge on all Council operated car parks with no time restriction, providing a current badge is displyed and the clock is correctly set.
Information received from Ivy House Country Hotelwho have two accessible rooms for guests -
Waveney Stardust - a modern, comfortable, centrally heated cruiser with wheelchair access and full disabled toilet facility.
Waveney Stardust
Waveney River tours in Oulton Broad can take up to 3 wheelchairs on their double decker boat, open deck, aft - call Mrs Bland on 01502 574903 for more information.
Oulton Broad and the park are very wheelchair friendly - and also Pets Corner.
Broadland Holiday Village have a lovely swimming pool with hoist - however you have to stay there or at Ivy Country House to access this facility. Broadland Holiday Village is flat, and all accommodation and the restaurant has ramp access, but due to the nature of the accommodation facilities the inside is not suitable for wheelchair use. Their telephone number is 01502 573033
Blickling Hall near Aylsham, Norwich, a National Trust house and gardens which are w/c accessible and also shop and cafe - can see the first floor as there is a dedicated lift.
Bure Valley Railway - there are dedicated w/c accessible coaches (might need to be pre-booked)
Lowestoft South Beach promenade recommended as being flat with toilet facilities.
Saxmundham Area
Park Farm Cottages - Sibton, Saxmundham. There are four cottages, all totally at ground level and have all had wheelchairs in, although only one has an Accessibility Grading. Tel David and Margaret Gray on 01728 668324 for details
.......................................................................................................
Ipswich Area
The East Anglian Sailing Trust (EAST), is based in Ipswich and provides disabled people and their carers with regular opportunities to access and enjoy sailing activities whilst promoting enhanced independence, confidence and community involvement. see website for more details East Anglian Sailing Trust
Shopmobility - hire of motorised buggy or wheelchair for use in the town centre for shopping etc - 01473 222225
Wattisham Hall Holiday Cottages - 3 charming barn conversions in the heart of rural Suffolk open all year around for full weeks and short breaks, with a Level 1 Mobility award, each cottage has a bathroom and bedroom on the ground floor. Further information contact Jo and Jeremy Squirrell on 01449 740240.
Gladwins Farm - offers quiet self catering Suffolk hot tub holidays in tasteful conversions of period cottage farm buildings - they have two cottages that have Mobility 2 Level Accessibility approvals. Tel Robert 01206 262261
Bury St Edmunds Area
British Red Cross - British Red Cross - provides short term loans of medical equipment such as wheelchairs and walking frames at a number of Red Cross Centres around Suffolk. For further information please contact the Medical Loan Service on 01284 767215.
Please also see the Medical Equipment Service listed at British Red Cross, Suffolk
Theatre Royal, Disabled Access
A signal from the induction loop should be received from every seat in the auditorium.
There are four wheelchair accessible seats available in Dress Circle Boxes F, H, K and M. You are advised to book early for these seats. In the unlikely event that they are not available we will do our best to accommodate you elsewhere in the Theatre, or on an alternative date. On arrival, all wheelchair users are kindly requested to make themselves known to the duty manager who will be pleased to help you to your seat.
There is ramped access to both foyers and a ground floor adapted toilet in the Theatre foyer.
Please note that there is no level access to the Pit and the Upper Circle seating areas. All Dress Circle boxes have level access.
Guide Dogs are admitted to Dress Circle Boxes.
To receive any of our publications in a large print format please contact the Box Office
Theatre Royal
Sudbury Area
Fiddlesticks B&B, Pentlow see Fiddlesticks
For the more adventurous! - you might like to have a look at this website - Able Travel Accessible Adventure Travel
Accessible African safaris and worldwide adventure travel advice for wheelchair users and physically disabled people.
Would you like to try an adventure holiday? Maybe go on safari, go skiing, explore another country and meet different cultures...
Based on personal experience of a C5/6 quadriplegic, and with input from you, this site tries to broaden disabled travel horizons.