With fabulous scenery and a warm welcome, Scotland has always been tempting– and it is even more so with the launch of a scheme to promote the accessibility of its accommodation and attractions, writes Judith Sleigh.
Autumn in Scotland . . . what comes to mind with those words? To me they mean the glorious range of autumn colours before the leaves fall, fine still days with a hint of frost in the morning air, clear skies with fluffy clouds, quiet roads – and no crowds in the castles and visitor attractions. And there is the inclination after a day sightseeing to relax and enjoy a quiet drink in a friendly pub in the evening followed by a good meal. All the ideal ingredients, in fact, for a short break. What better than to escape for a few days before winter arrives or – if you prefer your own fireside – then days out to explore closer to home. Sometimes, however, limited mobility can make it difficult to marry the places you want to go to with the places you can go to. The cosy bed and breakfast may look welcoming in the photograph but you could arrive to find it doesn't quite suit your needs. Or the castle you've always wanted to visit has lots of spiral staircases.
Now, however, VisitScotland, the national tourist board for Scotland, can help you to find the right place with their recently published, free brochure Accessible Scotland. This
lists almost 1,000 accommodation establishments and visitor attractions, which have been audited by VisitScotland Quality
Advisors in order to ascertain their level of accessibility. You'll find contact details for each one, as well as a short description, enabling you to choose the one that appeals most, whether it be a cosy self-catering cottage or a luxury hotel. Also available from VisitScotland is “Autumn Gold”, a full-colour brochure, with ideas on where to go, lots of practical information, and special offers for short breaks.
Having made the decision to escape from the humdrum of
daily life for a few days, the next step is to decide where to go
– should you head for the Perthshire hills or the Border villages; or take that long-planned visit to the museums and galleries of Scotland's cities and do some shopping while you are there; or go further afield to the Highlands? Almost everywhere in Scotland is easily reached by car and ScotRail has an excellent service to many main towns and quite a number of smaller places while GNER and Virgin operate trains across the border to some of the main cities.
If you're heading off in the next few weeks, here are just a few examples of “Autumn Gold” breaks to whet your appetite. For a city break try the Best Western Edinburgh City, which is right in the centre and has an offer of bed and breakfast for two nights and one dinner for £110 per person
sharing. In the Highlands, near Fort William there are two accessible hotels with autumn offers – The Old Pines Restaurant offers three nights dinner, bed and breakfast midweek for £170 per person whilst the Clan MacDuff Hotel has three nights dinner, bed and breakfast for £105.
In the magical island of Skye, on the outskirts of Portree, sits the Cuillin Hills Hotel which is offering two nights dinner, bed and breakfast for£140 while at the other end of the country, in Dumfries and Galloway you can opt for self-catering
with Rusko Holidays which has a range of cottages and prices.
It's also worth asking the many accommodation providers in Accessible Scotland whether they have special autumn breaks. There is also a good choice of events in the autumn.
Scotland doesn't go into hibernation once the tourist season
is over, in fact things tend to get even busier once the
main season is over. You could opt for a major event such
as the Merchant City multi-arts festival in Glasgow (22-26
September) or the Speyside Whisky Festival in the North East
(24-27 September) or the International Storytelling Festival
in the Borders (22-31 October); alternatively, throughout
the autumn, you could enjoy Historic Scotland's “living history” programme where you could meet Robert the Bruce or a Jacobite soldier in Edinburgh Castle. But if are seeking tranquillity, then you'll find space enough in Scotland to get away from the crowds to explore places such as Kilmartin Glen in Argyll or the Highland Folk Museum in Newtonmore or the Creetown Gem Rock Museum near Newtown Stewart.
VisitScotland's scheme on access for the disabled is based
on criteria which have been drawn up in consultation with
organisations such as Tourism For All and are in line with
NAS. VisitScotland's Quality Advisors visit accommodation
of all kinds as well as visitor attractions and assign each one a one to five-star grading (based on their service and facilities) as well as Category One, Two or Three on access.
Details of the criteria can be found in “Accessible Scotland”
and on line at www.visitscotland.com/accessiblescotland, giving you the chance to check out your choice before you book – although you should always double-check when you call.
For information call VisitScotland on 0845 22 55 121 or
e.mail or check out the web site www.
visitscotland.com or visitscotland.com/library/accessiblescotland.
Ask for “Autumn Gold” and/or “Accessible Scotland” (both
are free) and start planning!
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