Everyone deserves to enjoy a relaxing experience when they are out and about, and there are many businesses in Rutland that offer a fully accessible venue, or can provide specific access information to help you plan your visit making Rutland the perfect accessible holiday destination.
Credit: The Falcon Hotel
Hotels & Guesthouses
The Falcon Hotel
Crowned ‘Best Boutique Stay’ in this year’s Muddy Stilettos awards for Leicestershire and Rutland, The Falcon Hotel in Uppingham offers the perfect blend of comfort and luxury. Step free access, automatic sliding doors, wheelchair-accessible rooms with full wet rooms and rails, plus features such as windows operated by electric switches at wheelchair-friendly height make staying at The Falcon a real pleasure. In-house training ensures that all staff can respond appropriately to customers’ additional needs.
www.falconhotel.co.uk
Spanhoe Lodge
Rated by the AA (in 2022) as 4 Silver Star Award: Highly recommended (guest accommodation) Spanhoe Lodge is set on the outskirts of the beautiful village of Laxton, offering superb rooms with the added benefit of a café and bar on site. Access to each of its eight large ground floor, en suite bedrooms is via its own front door. One room has a fully fitted micro-kitchen for those wanting a self-catering option, and another is fully wheelchair accessible.
www.spanhoelodge.co.uk
The Olive Branch
The Olive Branch 4* Inn has a fully accessible family suite on the ground floor. The bathroom is a ‘wet room’ allowing for full accessibility, with a walk or ‘wheel-in’ shower and a separate double-ended bath.
www.theolivebranchpub.com
Rutland Hall Hotel
Rutland Hall Hotel has two accessible bedrooms within the hotel accommodation.
www.rutlandhall.co.uk
Greetham Valley
Greetham Valley 3* hotel in Greetham has two accessible rooms.
www.greethamvalley.co.uk
Redwings Lodge Hotel
Redwings Lodge Hotel near Morcott has 19 ground floor rooms and one wheelchair-accessible room (but without a walk-in shower).
www.redwingslodge.co.uk/rutland-uppingham
Barnsdale Lodge
Barnsdale Lodge 3* hotel has two accessible rooms with en suite walk-in shower, height adjustable sinks and grab rails.
www.barnsdalelodge.co.uk
Credit: The Stables at Ayston
Self-catering
The Lodge Country Park
Awarded 3* Gold Award by VisitEngland, The Lodge Country Park in Market Overton holds the NAS Award for Mobility Impairment – Part-time wheelchair users. It has two wheelchair accessible self-catering cabins with a level shower room. Set in ten acres of meadowland there’s a lovely country café on site, providing adults with learning disabilities work-based training in catering, hospitality and tourism. The Country Café has a warm, welcoming feel, with excellent disabled access, wonderful views and a children’s play area.
www.lodgecountrypark.org.uk
Cuckoo Barn Lodge
Proud holders of the NAS Award for Mobility Impairment – Older and less mobile guests, Cuckoo Barn Lodge is a reverse-level luxury eco lodge, two miles north of Rutland Water.
www.cuckoobarnlodge.co.uk
Castle Chase Cottages
Set in parkland on a family farm in Ayston, enjoy gorgeous, accessible self-catering accommodation of impeccable quality. There’s level access from the parking area and throughout the single storey properties. Discreet adaptations make The Tack Room and The Old Stables very accessible and easy to use; there’s a roll under sink and induction hob in the kitchen, with the added ease of a slide and hide oven. The bathrooms and en suites are fitted with a roll in shower with split height shower doors for ease of use, with grab rails. The bathroom sink can also be adjusted to different heights. Both properties are interconnected through a garden gate for ease of use. Both properties can be booked together to accommodate up to 8 guests.
www.castlechase.co.uk
Fairchild’s Holiday Lets
Fairchild’s Holiday Lets each accommodate up to eleven guests and benefit from their own hot tubs which seat 4-5 people. Big Drift Barn has three downstairs bedrooms, sharing two wet room showers and Fairchild’s Barn has two downstairs bedrooms each with its own wet room showers. With step-free access and wide doorways, it’s a great choice for guests with limited mobility and wheelchair users.
www.visitourfarm.co.uk
Credit: RJ Photographics (Rutland Garden Village)
Things to do
Rutland Water Nature Reserve
Visitors of all ages and abilities can ‘go wild’ at Rutland Water Nature Reserve which is accessible at both the Egleton and Lyndon Visitor Centres. A mobility scooter is available for hire at both sites; advance booking is recommended.
The Anglian Water Birdwatching Centre is the gateway to the Egleton Nature Reserve. Panoramic views from floor-to-ceiling windows give you a taste of the wildlife out on the reserve, where there are over 20 wildlife hides to explore, and both short and long walking routes. With wheelchair and pushchair access to many hides, this is a great place for anyone looking for a wild experience.
Lyndon Visitors Centre is the home of the iconic Rutland Ospreys, and is located on the south shore of the reservoir. The visitor centre, car park and trails are located off the Lyndon Road, on the south shore of Rutland Water. Follow the drive down to the car park; the paths are wheelchair-user friendly.
Rutland Water
Rutland Water offers a fantastic fishing experience for everyone, from experienced anglers to beginners. Rutland Water Fishing Lodge offers wheelchair-users the opportunity to get out on Rutland Water in the Wheelyboat; a lovely smooth boat with an outboard engine and a hoist for lowering wheelchairs into the boat.
www.anglianwaterparks.co.uk/rutland-water-park/trout-fishing
Over the past thirty-five years The Wheelyboat Trust has supplied more than 220 specially designed Wheelyboats around the United Kingdom so that disabled people can enjoy independent access to water-based activities. www.wheelyboats.org
Rutland Water Cruises
Rutland Water Cruises is a family-run business operating boat trips since 1986, cruising around Rutland Water during daylight hours from April to October each year. Visitors can enjoy the scenery from the water, amidst the sailors, anglers and waterbirds, whilst listening to commentary highlighting points of interest. Rutland Belle can accommodate up to 6 standard-size wheelchairs per sailing from Whitwell only. Booking advisable. Unfortunately, mobility scooters don’t fit on the board lift. The boarding lift has a total combined weight of 250 kg SWL (2 people can stand on it). There are handrails on the jetty, boat entrance and a bridging plate so no gap to breach upon boarding. There are 3 steps down into the lower saloon (handrails on both sides). Further steps at the stern (rear boat) to access the top deck (open air) which may not be suitable for people with mobility issues. No wheelchair access to the upper deck.
www.rutlandwatercruises.com
Credit: RJ Photographics (Rutland Water Cruises)
Rutland Farm Park
Carers get free entry to Rutland Farm Park, a small 18-acre working family-run farm, where you can meet, greet and even feed some of the friendly animals. Please note: Open all year round, Rutland Farm Park is a working farm, so parts of the walkways are not suitable for wheelchairs and mobility scooters, particularly in Winter. There is a wheelchair accessible toilet on site and if you get hungry, head to Daphne’s Tea Room which serves everything from breakfast baps to hot lunches and gluten-free treats too.
www.rutlandfarmpark.co.uk
Oakham Castle
Oakham Castle is fully accessible with access into and around the building. Close parking and two accessible toilets are on site. The grounds are uneven with no paths. A selection of replica and original items which can be handled on request provides an interesting feature for the visually impaired.
www.oakhamcastle.org
Rutland County Museum
Rutland County Museum is fully wheelchair accessible, with a wheelchair available to borrow on request.
www.rutlandcountymuseum.org.uk
Rocks by Rail: The Living Ironstone Museum
Rocks by Rail: The Living Ironstone Museum has a flat, surfaced access route from the car park, generally the routes around the site are suitable for wheelchairs, though it may feel like you’re going off-roading at times!
www.rocks-by-rail.org
Rutland Garden Village
Located in the heart of Rutland close to Ashwell, Rutland Garden Village is home to a fantastic garden centre, café, a large children’s play structure and an exclusive collection of retailers. The site is fully wheelchair accessible and welcomes canine companions. To reserve a wheelchair for your visit, please contact Rutland Garden Village.
www.rutlandgardenvillage.co.uk
Rutland Cookery School
Rutland Cookery School is wheelchair friendly with full disabled access and facilities including a dedicated height adjustable work station, which is also suitable for people unable to stand for any length of time. It is essential that you advise when booking if this station is required – there is only one.
www.rutlandcookeryschool.co.uk
The Dairy Barn Café – Ferneleys
The Dairy Barn Café has a large car park, with dedicated disabled parking. They are a wheelchair friendly Café, with large entrances for ease of access and a spacious disabled toilet. Their adventure golf course is also wheelchair friendly!
www.ferneleysicecream.co.uk
Rutland Sailing Club
Rutland Sailing Club at Edith Weston is fully wheelchair-accessible, the club is at the forefront in the UK for actively encouraging people of any ability to go sailing, and is the home of Rutland Sailability; With over 25 years of experience of facilitating safe sailing for people with disabilities Rutland Sailability offers a range of training, sailing for fun as well as racing, for those with every level of sailing skill – beginners to elite. Welcoming sailors with a disability and able-bodied volunteers; everyone is a member and age is no barrier. The group has members aged between 7 and 87 years old!
Weather permitting, Rutland Sailability sails every Thursday and Saturday from April to October. From November to March, the group meets on Thursdays for an interesting series of talks, training and socialising. Specially adapted boats, changing facilities and training are available for absolute beginners through to our Paralympic hopefuls.
www.rutlandsailability.org.uk
Barnsdale Gardens
Recognised with an award by the Rutland Access Group for its accessible facilities, Barnsdale Gardens boasts 38 individual gardens in an eight-acre site. With accessible parking, accessible toilets and ramp-access to parts of the gardens, Barnsdale Gardens is a joy to visit. It even has wheelchairs and a mobility scooter for visitors to use – they are very popular, so it is advisable to pre-book.
The whole site is on a flat, level area with 90% accessible by wheelchair users. All buildings are single storey with no stairs or lifts to negotiate. A viewing platform has been installed for the Town Paradise Garden, as it is not possible to access this garden safely with a wheelchair. The whole garden can be viewed easily from this platform.
Several members of staff have been trained to the ‘Welcome Host’ standard, which means that they are aware of how to accommodate visitors with disabilities. There is also a fridge that can be used to store medication during your visit if required.
There is a cost to enter the gardens, but entry to the tea room, gift shop and nursery are free. As the accessible toilet is positioned out of the gardens it can be used without having to pay the garden entry fee. The Herb Garden is ideal for those who would really enjoy a sensory area.
www.barnsdalegardens.co.uk
Stamford Arts Centre
The ballroom, gallery, reception and coffee shop at Stamford Arts Centre are all on the ground floor and easily accessible. Toilet facilities are available close to both the Ballroom and the Theatre, which is equipped with an induction loop; hearing aids should be switched to the T position. There is a platform lift to the Theatre with two spaces for wheelchairs. Parking for disabled badge holders is available in St Mary’s Street and St George’s Square.
The Arts Centre plays host to the ever-popular Stamford Groove SEN Disco; a fun-filled night out for adults with disabilities aged 16+, their families and support workers. Stamford Groove is a great opportunity to dance to great music with a live DJ, socialise and meet new people in a safe place. The Gallery Bar will be open and a quiet zone available in a separate room for anyone needing a break from the action.
www.stamfordartscentre.com
Countryside for all
There are three accessible countryside routes available in Rutland, each with no stiles and surfaces suitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs: Egleton Nature Reserve, Rutland Water and Exton. You can download further information about these routes on our ‘Walks and Trails’ page.
