Accessible guide to the Midlands

This pretty market town with its half-timbered black-and-white houses and twisting alleyways loops around the River Severn. The Music Hall, found in The Square, offers guided walks throughout different months in the year, and can be adapted to suit access requirements. For quiet time, head to the open space Quarry Park which is a landscaped space with sunken gardens and accessible pathways. Shrewsbury Abbey is largely accessible, with level access and an accessible toilet. Other accessible attractions include Shrewsbury Castle and the Shrewsbury Museum and Art Gallery, which has designated quiet hours.

Get out and into nature with a day trip or short break away in the Malvern Hills. Founder Dee Jones started Sense Adventures when she began to lose her sight but still wanted to enjoy regular walks. For short break holidays, you’ll be met by sighted guides at Malvern station, with other volunteer guides available throughout the duration of your stay to offer support. During the hike, you’ll be accompanied by a sighted volunteer who’ll detail your adventure. Routes are a sensory experience where you’ll discover interactive artworks along the way.

From award-winning gardens with accessible pathways to monkeys, live music and more, the Trentham Estate has plenty to offer. The Amphitheatre hosts concerts throughout the year; it has a ramped access and stewards can bring food and drink to guests. Monkey Forest has an accessible route for mobility scooters and wheelchairs, through some areas are quite steep for manual wheelchairs. For water sports, the Trentham Canoe Club has Paddle-Ability sessions with experienced coaches. Other accessible facilities across the estate include Changing Places toilets, accessible toilets, a hearing loop at the visitor centre, level access throughout and assistance dogs are welcome (except in the Monkey Forest). 

Escape into nature at Cannock Chase, mainland England’s smallest National Landscape at 26 sq miles (68 sq km). Here, glorious heathland meets peaceful forests, where outdoors adventures await. Start your visit at the Cannock Chase Visitor Centre, which has 13 accessible parking bays and an accessible toilet on-site. Hire a Tramper mobility scooter (£5 for 1.5 hours or £25 annually) to navigate its accessible trails.  

For those after a few thrills and spills, head for the UK’s award-winning indoor waterpark, The Wave. Whether it’s high-speed slides or a relaxing float on its ‘lazy river’, The Wave offers access for all. Staff are trained in disability awareness and you can set up an accessibility profile before arrival if desired. You’ll find Inclusive Fitness Initiative (IFI) accredited fitness equipment, free designated car parking spaces, a pool lift, hoist or pod, large directional signs and changing facilities.

Fancy gliding on ice? Inclusive skating lessons at the National Ice Centre and Motorpoint Arena make it accessible to all. Ice-adapted frames are available and manual wheelchair users can also take their chair out for a spin using special adaptors. It also runs quieter sessions. You’ll find Changing Places facilities, accessible parking, lifts to all floors and sensory tours. Assistance dogs are also welcome. 

Once a railway line, the Monsal Trail is now an 8.5-mile (13.7km) multi-user path taking in some of the Peak District’s finest sites. Look out for the Monsal Viaduct, the most striking part of the trail. The entire trail is accessible, and there are easy-access ramps for wheelchair and mobility scooters to access the trail at Bakewell Station, Hassop Station, Great Longstone Station and Millers Dale Station.  

Discover two million years of history at Poole’s Cavern, a natural limestone cavern near Buxton dripping with stalactites and stalagmites. There is accessible parking and level access to the visitor centre, as well as accessible toilets. The main chamber of the cave, which is 100m, is wheelchair accessible. Staff have training and experience in accessibility, so let them know any access requirements prior to booking. 

Perched at the top of a cobbled hill overseeing the city centre is Lincoln Cathedral. Enter though its West Door into the nave where you’ll find vast vaulted ceilings, rose windows, and oak carvings. There’s also a nine-sided Chapter House designed by Sir Christopher Wren. Check out the free floor guided tours accessible to all, handheld audio guides and information leaflets. Other accessible features include hearing loops, assistance dogs are welcome, and there are ramps to enter, exit and manoeuvre inside the cathedral.

In the heart of the Peak District lies this impressive stately home, steeped in history and the backdrop to many movies and TV shows. With an accessible farmyard and semi-accessible outside play area, there’s plenty to keep everyone occupied. You’ll find induction loops throughout the house, garden and farmyard entrance. Assistance dogs are also welcome in the main farmyard, playground and park. Visitors with restricted mobility can enter the house with the lift and there are adapted toilets around the estate. The garden is accessible to those with manual wheelchairs or mobility scooters. You’ll find a sensory garden which is designed to stimulate all the senses, including touch and smell.

Discover the secrets behind one of Great Britain’s most popular names in chocolate. Accessible tours cover the history of the brand right through to its marketing. There’s a 4D cinema with wheelchair spaces and you can customise your own chocolate bar. Darkened areas have low-level lighting, plus, moving and interactive audio-visual images to help guide visitors. For people who are blind or partially sighted there are lots of touch props. For visitors who are hard of hearing or D/deaf, BSL is available on tours, there are subtitles on videos and you can connect to the infrared hearing system. The Cadbury’s ride is adapted for wheelchair users, there are large-print guides, Changing Places toilets and more.

The home of William Shakespeare with an abundance of historical and modern attractions for all, Stratford-upon-Avon has plenty to offer. My Accessible Stratford is a downloadable leaflet created by former police officer Elizabeth Dixon with the support of the Stratford Town Trust. This handy guide shows accessible attractions, shops, hotels, facilities and more. Accessible Shakespeare attractions include Shakespeare’s Birthplace, Anne Hathaway’s Cottage and Shakespeare’s New Place which was his family home for 19 years.

Take a tour into outer space at the National Space Centre, Britain’s biggest planetarium and space exhibition. With accessible pathways and lifts to all levels, explore six space galleries, enjoy the projections in the wheelchair-friendly Sir Patrick Moore planetarium, book a touch tour of the museum, and you can even try out a space-themed toilet. Step-free and wheelchair access is widely available, as is large print and braille, ear defenders, plus Changing Places and accessible toilets.

Journey back in time and experience everyday life during the Industrial Revolution. This sensory experience allows you to uncover the sights, sounds and smells of living over 300 years ago right through to post-war prosperity in the Black Country. You might recognise some parts of the museum as filming locations from the popular TV show Peaky Blinders. With shops and houses to explore, and workshops to take part in, the museum has hearing loops, accessible toilets, wheelchair access, disabled parking, and assistance dogs are welcome. There are access tours, audio descriptive tours with touch and handling experiences, plus British Sign language (BSL) tours for visitors who are D/deaf or hard of hearing.

Trained actors and artists at Bamboozle perform autism-specific shows that engage the audience with interactive sets and sensory experiences. Designed for children and young people, you can book an intimate theatre session as a group, so the whole family can join. Shows are carefully created to put audience members at ease, allowing them space and time to move around and interact as they please. For nature lovers, escape the city and head to the magical Bamboozle garden, The Backyard. There are plenty of sensory activities in this natural, forest school-style setting. Sessions unfold organically and are accompanied by artists playing live music.

Coventry, voted England’s city of Culture 2021, offers several must-sees. Take the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum for contemporary culture, diversity, and arts. It has sensory backpacks, Changing Places and accessible toilets, level access and lifts. A visit to the rebuilt Coventry Cathedral, which runs adjacent to the older, bombed-out, original, rewards you with its huge striking wall of stained glass. Petrolheads will love the Coventry Transport Museum, with accessible displays, wheelchair access, Changing Places and more. Admire the work of Coventry’s neurodivergent artists at Art Riot Collective and have a go at unleashing your creative side as well.

Enjoy a multi-sensory experience at the UK’s only permanent mechanical art venue. From giant marble runs to moving sculptures, exhibits and STEM activities, the museum is inclusive to all, with useful tools for developing cognitive skills. Staff are experienced in caring for a wide spectrum of requirements, and guests are encouraged to interact as much as they’d like. Located on the first floor of the building, access to the museum is by stairs or accessible lift.

The Royal Shakespeare Company welcomes all visitors. The theatre has wheelchair seats and keeps front row seats free for people who are partially sighted. You can book assisted performances for all shows, including sign language interpretation, audio descriptions, captioned and relaxed performances. It offers specially arranged tours and has an in-house access group. The restaurant is accessible and there are accessible toilets throughout, as well as induction loops, infrared headsets and more.

Go behind the scenes at one of Britain’s most iconic ceramics manufacturers at the Emma Bridgewater Factory. See how its pottery is traditionally made and carefully hand-painted, before having a go with a paintbrush yourself in its Decorating Studio. The site is wheelchair accessible and assistance dogs are welcome throughout. For factory tours, advance notice is advised of any access requirements. Accessible toilets are available, and disabled parking is available on-site. 

Using forgotten ingredients and modern techniques, the Shakespeare Distillery produces a range of hand-crafted gins and rums made on-site. With distillery tours, cocktail master-classes, gin tasting and more, have a go a blending your own flavours. There is level access with a ramp, accessible parking, an accessible toilet and more.

Taste the best of the Peak District at Chatsworth’s award-winning farm shop. Pick up produce fresh from the estate and from local artisans for a splendid supper. There is level access and accessible toilets, as well as disabled parking. 

You’ve seen them on screen – now see where they were made! The Locationist takes you behind the scenes on the films and TV shows that use Birmingham as their backdrop. The tour route has been designed with accessibility in mind, and wheelchair users are welcome. It’s recommended to contact the guide in advance with specific access requirements. Tours can also be adapted for neurodiverse guests. With advance notice, a printed version of the script can be made available for visitors with hearing difficulties.