Travelling with limited mobility?

If you, your partner or touring friends have any concerns about mobility, you’ll find many Tranquil Parks provide wonderful breaks and holidays. Every park in the Tranquil Parks network is independently owned and operated, so accessibility varies from park to park. Here are the results of our research around the member parks to find out what facilities and accessibility information are available.

By law, park owners are required to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ and it’s up to each park to determine what those are. We can’t guarantee that every Tranquil Park will be able to meet your particular needs, but we’re sure that our park owners and managers will always do their best to accommodate you.

The clubhouse at Eye Kettleby Lakes in Leicestershire

The clubhouse at Eye Kettleby Lakes in Leicestershire

Please talk to our parks when booking

If you have particular requirements, it’s always best to call a park before you book to ensure that it’s suitable. If possible, they’ll reserve a pitch for you that’s close to the facilities you need. Don’t forget that the earlier you book, the more likely you are to have a choice of pitches.

Most Tranquil Parks have resident owners, managers or wardens who are on site 24/7. They’ll be happy to answer any questions and provide any help you may need during your stay.

 

Getting around the parks

Most of our member parks are level with gentle inclines. Getting around is usually not too difficult, if you’re using a wheelchair, mobility scooter or a walking aid.

Some Tranquil Parks have tarmac roadways and stone pathways, but many do have gravel. If you have an electric wheelchair or scooter with the right kind of wheels, or if the gravel has been compacted over time, it’s not usually a problem. However, gravel can be difficult for manual wheelchair users, so please check before you book.

When it comes to accessing communal buildings, here’s a quick look at some of the parks that have prioritised easy access:

  • Two Mills Touring Park in Norfolk has ramps to the reception area and facilities. They always ask customers if they have any mobility issues at the time of booking as they always try to allocate pitches closest to the facilities for those who need them the most.
  • Eye Kettleby Lakes in Leicestershire has a clubhouse which is all on one level. There’s a ramp leading from the disabled car parking spaces up to the clubhouse, as well as a disabled toilet in the clubhouse.
  • Blue Rose and Brookside Country Parks in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, respectively, are very flat with ramp access to the reception and communal buildings.
  • At Bath Chew Valley Caravan Park in Somerset, Blue Badge holders are allocated a pitch closest to the facilities and a disabled space in the car park. On arrival, simply pull up to the security barrier and one of the team will collect, pitch and level your caravan ready for you to drive over and unload when you’ve checked in. The entrances to all facilities are at road level with minimal threshold to entry.  
  • Greenacres Caravan Park in Somerset has ‘disabled friendly’ paths and roadways.
  • Lamb Cottage Caravan Park in Cheshire has gravel roadways. But if you let them know in advance, they can reserve a pitch where you could access the facilities building via a grassed area.
  • Overbrook Caravan Park in North Yorkshire has a number of guests who have no difficulty using mobility scooters and walking aids to get around the park.
  • Grooby’s Pit in Lincolnshire always recommend which pitches to book for those needing to be closer to the facilities.
  • At Red Kite Touring Park in Powys, the roadways are tarmac, with natural stone around the facilities, making the site easily accessible for wheelchairs, mobility scooters and walking aids. The pathway through the dog walk and amenities field, however, is gravel. There is no ramp into the reception/shop building, but there are no steps either, just the small edge of the doorframe and the team will always give assistance if needed.
  • Paths around the Old Oaks Touring and Glamping Park amenity block and to the shop and reception are either paved or tarmac. All the facilities are accessble to wheelchairs. Parking is provided for disabled customers within 20 metres of the pond, and level fishing platforms provide safe access to the water’s edge. Four of the Camping Cabins have easy access for wheelchair users.

Special facilities

Whether you need to get a wheelchair into a bathroom or if you need to have an additional person to assist, many Tranquil Parks provide spacious toilet and shower suites or wetrooms with extra-wide doorways, grab rails, shower seats and fittings at the right height for wheelchair users. The following parks wanted to let you know about their facilities:

  • At Delph Bank Touring Park in Lincolnshire, the high grade facilities include a special disabled wetroom which is accessed with a Radar key.
  • Somers Wood Touring Park in Warwickshire has a large separate disabled facility away from the main shower block. Keys are available from reception and guests can reserve pitches close by.
  • Two Mills Touring Park  also has a dedicated large disabled suite with nearby pitches that can be allocated to those who need them most.
  • Bath Chew Valley Caravan Park has a fully equipped disabled suite with wheelchair ramp access if required.
  • Greenacres Touring Park in Somerset has a disabled suite consisting of a wet room big enough for a wheelchair with a ramp and easy access.
  • York Caravan Park has a full disabled suite with step-free access.
  • At Eye Kettleby Lakes, you’ll find the toilet and shower blocks are all level with easy access. Each block has disabled facilities within a short distance of the pitches.
  • Red Kite Touring Park has key-access disabled facilities. You’ll need to let them know if you require this facility so that they can give you a key on arrival.
  • Blue Rose Country Park has a fully equipped walk-in shower room with heating, toilet facilities and a sink.
  • Brookside Country Park has a disabled toilet and sink area plus grip rails in the shower facility.
  • Grooby’s Pit does not have disabled facilities as such, but the toilet/shower block has non-slip hospital flooring and the showers have a grab rail.
  • While not having a designated disabled facility, Overbrook Caravan Park does have wider doors, low thresholds and ramped access where possible. They also provide hand-grabs and stools in the showers.

 

  • At Lamb Cottage Caravan Park the disabled suite is a wet room with shower, hand basin and toilet. There are grab handles and a non-slip wash stall as well as a pull-cord emergency alarm. The entrance has a threshold of about 12 cm, for which some wheelchair users may need assistance.
  • The new facilities block at Greenacres Caravan Park in Cumbria houses six luxurious wet rooms, including one disabled. All have underfloor heating, non-slip flooring, a toilet, spacious changing area, sink and rainfall/detachable shower.
  • At Old Oaks Touring and Glamping Park there are two fully equipped disabled amenity rooms with Radar key access.

 

Radar Keys

Some parks provide access to disabled facilities through the national Radar key scheme. These include:

  • Delph Bank Touring Park, Lincolnshire
  • Cherry Tree Springs, Lincolnshire
  • Old Oaks Touring and Glamping Park, Somerset
  • Waterrow Touring Park, Somerset
  • Wells Touring Park, Somerset
  • Fields End Water Caravan Park, Cambridgeshire

 

Accessible outings and activities

Around 10 minutes’ walk from Bath Chew Valley Caravan Park is the new entrance and bridge to accessible walking trails around Chew Valley Lake. The extended path/cycle trail extends 2 miles through three picnic spots to one of the lakeside cafe/restaurants, so guests can now enjoy a full day out taking in the views and watching the birds. For those who can only travel by car, there is blue badge parking at all three picnic spots. See the park’s useful map.

York Caravan Park has a bus stop at the site entrance from where you can go into York, the Yorkshire Moors and the coast. The buses will drop down to kerb level for step-free access. The National Railway Museum is disabled friendly, as is York Minster, the Yorkshire Museum (in the Museum Gardens), York Castle Museum, and many other of the attractions that York has to offer. 

For ideas on accessible places to visit when staying at Back of Beyond Touring Camping & Glamping Park near the New Forest and Bournemouth, see the parks’ Accessibility page.

At Eye Kettleby Lakes, guests are able to park up next to the fishing pegs for easy access to the fishing lakes. Lakes 2 and 3 are the bases for both of the toilets with sloped entry and equipment aids. The toilet outside Lake 3 is ideally situated at the bottom of lake 4.

If you’re visiting Bath Chew Valley Caravan Park or Plough Lane Caravan Site, Bath and Bristol Park & Ride schemes operate wheelchair accessible vehicles and Blue Badge Parking. See the Accessibility Guides for Bath City and Bristol City Council.

 

Accessibility guides and statements

You’ll find accessibility guides or statements on some parks’ own websites to help you assess their suitability. Some of these statements may provide very detailed information, such as door widths and ramp gradients. Accessibility guides are not required by law, but they are required by some rating bodies such as VisitEngland. Please follow the links below to view the access statements:

 

Other Tranquil Parks with disabled facilities on their website

These Tranquil Parks also feature disabled facilities on their websites:

  • Daisy Bank Touring Caravan Park, Powys
  • Charoland Farm, Lancashire
  • Wolds View Country Park, Lincolnshire
  • Long Acres Touring Park, Lincolnshire
  • Tyddn Du Touring Park, Conwy
  • Longnor Wood Holiday Park, Derbyshire
  • Three Castles Country Caravan Park, Monmouthshire
  • South Wales Touring Park, Carmarthenshire
  • Plough Lane Caravan Site, Wiltshire, and
  • Woodland Springs Touring Park, Devon

We sincerely hope you enjoy your next visit to a Tranquil Park – whatever needs you or your fellow travellers may have.

(This blog was first published in June 2019 and has been updated.)

Discover Our Parks