AUTUMN ADVENTURES

Carrie-Ann Lightley travels to Scotland for a much needed and much anticipated break

Iam tentatively wheeling my way across a forest floor, with light dappling through the canopy of leaves and the unmistakable sound of water rushing somewhere nearby. Suddenly I come to a clearing, and ahead of me is the most beautiful waterfall. Using a wheelchair means I’ve never been able to access such natural tranquility, and after all of the stresses and strains of 2020 so far, I’m so grateful for this moment. I won’t pretend that accessible travel is ever easy, and travelling as a disabled person during a pandemic certainly brings an extra level of things to worry about – but, during my first trip of the year, the stars seemed to align, to remind me exactly why I love to travel. A September heatwave, comfortable accessible accommodation, an amazing piece of mobility technology, and stunning accessible natural environments all combined to make me fall in love with Scotland’s Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park.

This was a trip that had been planned many times, first for March and then June, and finally in September I had the joy of packing a suitcase. I had been invited by the owners of Wood Leisure, a family-owned holiday park business in Scotland, to review their new accessible caravan holiday home at Callander Woods Holiday Park in Perthshire. ACCESSIBLE CARAVAN The two bedroomed accessible caravan holiday home is modern, spacious and well equipped, with two comfortable twin bedrooms, a wet room, open plan lounge/dining room and accessible kitchen with lowered units. The larger of the two twin bedrooms has an overbed lifting pole to assist with turning and transferring, and the wet room has the usual support rails around the toilet, sink and shower, as well as a folding shower seat. The caravan is accessed via a ramp leading on to decking with outdoor seating, and there is a parking space alongside. I have fed back to the owners about making some accessibility improvements – a threshold ramp for the door, and some adjustments to the shower seating, would make it even more inclusive. I’m delighted to say that the feedback was responded to straight away and that Wood Leisure are committed to making improvements as soon as possible. The holiday park itself is in the popular tourist town of Callander, at the gateway to the Trossachs and the Scottish Highlands. Facilities include a children’s play area, fishing, laundry facilities and a dog walking area. The caravan holiday home is pet friendly, so my husband and I were joined on the trip by our little dog, Poppy.

OUTDOOR ADVENTURE

This trip taught me that, for the outdoors to be truly accessible you need the right equipment. Some time ago the guys behind the amazing Trekinetic wheelchairs got in touch to ask if I’d like to trial their Trekinetic GTE all-terrain powerchair on my travels, and it seems that we picked the perfect trip for it. Forests, beaches, parks, and gardens; as well as shops, restaurants and pubs – the Trekinetic GTE meant I was able to get everywhere I wanted to go. Fast Aid Medical and Mobility, based in Midlothian, kindly loaned me their demo Trekinetic GTE and delivered it to me at the holiday park.

PLACES TO VISIT

Q U E E N E L I Z A B E T H F O R E S T PARK WATERFALL TRAIL

My magical waterfall experience began at the Lodge Forest Visitor Centre, Queen Elizabeth Forest Park, Aberfoyle. Parking up at the centre gives panoramic views over the forest, with a signposted accessible mile long trail through the trees, leading to the waterfall which appears almost out of nowhere. There’s plenty of seating along the way, and the visitor centre has a great café and accessible toilets. I had an all-terrain powerchair, and miraculous Scottish September sunshine – I knew I had to spend some time on the beach. An hour’s drive from Callander brought us to one of the most popular and attractive beaches on the Fife coast – Aberdour Silver Sands. Parking was plentiful, but busy, even in the middle of the week. We enjoyed a lovely lunch at the beach café’s outdoor seating, overlooking the bay. Public toilets are available, including accessible toilets.

C A L L A N D E R T O W N A N D MEADOWS

Closer to our holiday home from home, we enjoyed walks around the tranquil Callander Meadows beside the River Teith. Paths are well surfaced and flat, with plenty of bench seating, and parking at the Meadows car park is free for Blue Badge holders.

Callander’s Main Street has lots of lovely little independent shops, cafes, pubs and restaurants, some with steps and some with level access. We had a lovely meal at The Riverside Inn, which has level access throughout, accessible

SILVER SANDS BEACH

toilets, and is dog friendly.

COVID SAFETY

Accessible travel during a pandemic, is for me – to use that famous 2020 buzzword – unprecedented. I had no idea what to expect, and I was apprehensive. But I can reflect on this trip honestly saying that I felt safe – from the thorough deep cleaning of the caravan park holiday home, to enforcement of social distancing measures, temperature checks in restaurants and those around me wearing face coverings. This break gave me a much-needed reset, and I now feel ready to face whatever winter 2020 might bring.

FIND OUT MORE

To read Carrie-Ann’s full in-depth review of her trip to Callander, including links to all of the places visited, visit her blog at carrieannlightley.com.