Accessible guide to the Scottish Lowlands

Comprised of the Modern One, Modern Two, National and Portrait, there is a wealth of accessible events and tours for all visitors at the Scottish National Galleries. Experience the vast collection from Rembrandt to Rubens, Monet to Van Gogh. Look out for social events and concerts for people living with dementia, sensory-friendly mornings for people living with autism, and sensory storytelling sessions for all ages. There are also tours and workshops for blind people and people who are partially sighted, also British Sign Language tours. Most staff have received training in a range of areas including equality awareness. Accessible facilities include wheelchairs to borrow, places to charge mobility scooters, accessible toilets, Changing Places toilets, and more.

The V&A Dundee is an epic building of architectural merit. Sitting proudly alongside the River Tay, it’s home to a collection of work from local and international artists. The museum is accessible to all, with lifts to all floors. Assistance dogs are welcome, there are wheelchairs to borrow, accessible toilets throughout and a Changing Places toilet. The website has a virtual tour for guests who would like to familiarise themselves with the space and what to expect, plus a quiet room for time out. For people who are blind or who are partially sighted, there is an app called myEyes to help navigate the museum. Check out Euan’s Guide for more accessible things to do around Dundee.

A ‘Cinema For All’, Glasgow Film Theatre (GFT) is a collaborative space and home to the Glasgow Film Festival. Showcasing independent films and latest releases, the cinema is accessible, with wheelchair spaces, hearing loops, lifts to the cinemas, plus, captioned, audio-described and British Sign language screenings. The first cinema in the UK to win the Autism Friendly Award, the GFT is also the first cinema in Scotland to introduce autism-friendly film screenings for children and their families. There is an Access Film Club, in partnership with the National Autistic Society, open to people age 15 and over. It offers relaxed film screenings, including post-film discussions, for people with autism and those with additional support needs.

Found in the heart of Glasgow’s Royal Exchange Square is the Gallery of Modern Art. This impressive building hosts events and artworks from local and international artists. Accessible to all, there is a hearing loop and a British Sign Language introduction to GoMA, wheelchair access to public areas via the lifts, and accessible toilets on the ground floor. There is an Autism Aware microsite, with the museum hosting early openings, quieter opening times, family sessions and sensory packs for visitors.

Designed by acclaimed architect Dame Zaha Hadid, the award-winning Riverside Museum sits proudly on the junction of the River Kelvin and River Clyde. Beneath the jagged roof are more than 3,000 exhibits dedicated to transport and technology. Gold winner of VisitScotland’s Green Tourism Award, the museum is accessible to wheelchair users, with lifts between floors. Outside there are Blue Badge accessible parking bays, while inside you’ll find a Changing Places facility, accessible toilets, hearing loops, and assistance dogs are welcome. There are BSL and International Sign Language introductions to the museum to help plan your visit. 

Born and raised in Glasgow, Rennie Mackintosh pioneered the Art Nouveau movement in the UK, and House for an Art Lover is another great example of his ideas. Designed by Mackintosh in 1901, the house was finally completed in 1990. With ramped access, there is a lift to all floors within the building. Paths around the outside of the house and gardens are tarmacked, flat and accessible, perfect for exploring the gardens and art sheds. With Blue Badge parking spaces, registered assistance dogs are welcome.

As one of Scotland’s most popular tourism hotspots , Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum is as impressive on the inside as it is on the outside. With 22 galleries to explore, expect paintings, sculptures, historic relics and more as you look out for works from Monet to Rembrandt, and Salvador Dalí’s ‘Christ of St John of the Cross’. It is wheelchair accessible in all public areas using the lifts. Accessible toilets are found on each floor, guide and assistance dogs are welcome and there are hearing loops available. There are BSL and International Sign Language introductions to the museum to help plan your visit. 

Edinburgh Castle sits proudly overlooking the city and holds a dynamic history and many secrets within its walls. There is step free access at the castle with ramped access, though some areas have cobbled surfaces. Inside, you’ll find a free audio tour for blind and partially sighted visitors. Assistance dogs are welcome when kept on a lead and there are visual stories for people living with autism to help plan a visit in advance. Due to the nature of the building, some areas, such as The Vaults, are only accessible by stairs with handrails. Other facilities include a small number of wheelchairs and ear defenders to borrow, plus adapted toilets at the site.

Experience old Edinburgh and uncover its sometimes grisly past with an accessible tour. Explore the Blair Street Underground Vaults, the Old town or the secrets of the Royal Mile, Palace of Holyroodhouse and more. With a range of different tours, Mercat can adapt tours to be accessible, with Euan’s Guide offering useful reviews. Most tours are accessible and assistance dogs are welcome.

Check out where Scotland’s National Bard spent his first years. The Robert Burns’ birthplace cottage is now a museum and holds thousands of artefacts and handwritten manuscripts. The space has been designed to ensure that it is accessible to all. There is level access throughout, accessible toilets, a cafe and shop. There are ‘accessible opening hours’ across the site on the first Tuesday of every month where audio-visual aspects of the museum are turned off and cleaning lights are turned on.

Sat on the north east coast of Scotland’s Lowlands is Aberdeen, a city of sparkling granite buildings and resident dolphins playing in the nearby waters. Take in a show at His Majesty’s Theatre with accessible performances including BSL interpreted, audio described, captioned and relaxed performances. Learn about the city’s nautical past at the Aberdeen Maritime Museum, which has a full access guide and wheelchairs available at the front desk. Or visit the Aberdeen Art Gallery’s 18 collections, with facilities including lifts to all floors, quieter visiting times, a Changing Places toilet and more. Euan’s Guide has an accessible overview of the city, with other attractions to visit.

Take to the skies and enjoy the views of the lochs and mountains of Kinross-shire below. Walking on Air is a registered charity offering gliding sessions to all in an adapted glider, using hand controls in place of rudder pedals. Depending on your age, you can fly solo or along with a qualified instructor. Flights take place mostly on Fridays from the Scottish Gliding Centre, which is accessible to wheelchair users.

Explore Scotland’s national stadium, Hampden Park, and experience the Scottish Football Hall of Fame. Home of the Scottish Football Association, the stadium also hosts music concerts and is, of course, where the cup final takes place. The stadium tour can be step-free, using lifts and ramps, and information can be requested in large print. Other accessible facilities include on-site accessible parking and accessible toilets.

Drive around 40 minutes outside of Glasgow and you’ll find one of Scotland’s biggest outdoor activity centres which is accessible to all. In 2012, Castle Semple Centre became Scotland’s first ‘Centre for Excellence’, awarded by the The Royal Yachting Association’s Sailability programme. Guests can try rafting, kayaking, canoeing, explore the pathways by the loch and spot the local wildlife. Facilities include adapted sailing dinghies, Wheely Boats with step-free access and space for wheelchair users, adapted hand bikes, trikes, side-by-side bikes and more. Staff are experienced at helping everyone get out and about on the water safely.

Every Tuesday, join the inclusive skating session at Murrayfield Ice Rink, which allows wheelchair users to take to the ice in a fun and relaxed environment. Carers are welcome to walk alongside if they don’t feel confident on skates.  

Taking place for three weeks in August, the annual Edinburgh International Festival and Fringe Festival coincide, offering dynamic performing art shows. There’s street performers, comedians and well-known and emerging artists. Both festivals have a range of accessible performances across the city, with the Fringe also creating the Venue Access Award to promote best practice across the venues. The Fringe provides sensory backpacks, captioned performances, and the International Festival provides an access guide (also in braille and audio formats). You can book wheelchair spaces, companion seats, discounts, and lots more. Other festivals in Edinburgh throughout August include the Art Festival and International Book Festival.

Scotland’s peaty soil make the whisky made here some of the best in the world. The Scotch Whisky Experience, along Edinburgh’s Royal Mile, will reveal everything you want to know about this famous tipple. Winners of Euan’s Guide ‘Venue of the Year’ for accessibility and accessible tourism in 2018, the tour is inclusive to all. There is BSL and American Sign Language and a smart device with subtitles and BSL, plus a hearing loop is available in the reception area. The building and tours have been purposely designed for easy access for wheelchair users and visitors with mobility requirements. Take a look at the access guide to plan your visit.

Welcome to Glasgow’s first single malt whisky distillery in over a century. Experience Lowland-style whisky, made with water from Loch Katrine and Scottish barley, at the Clydeside Distillery. Book onto a tour to go behind the scenes at the distillery – or even create your own personalised bottle of single malt. The distillery is fully accessible and staff have undertaken VisitScotland’s Accessible Tourism Training. There are spacious accessible toilets on the ground and first floors of the distillery.  

Found in the heart of the Southern Uplands lies the perfect spot to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life, Craik Forest. Discover trees that are over 100 years old, and keep a look out for wildlife including salmon, bats and owls. The Burnside Trail is an easy access route with a firm track for wheel chair users; it’s the perfect spot for forest bathing and picnics alike.

There are 65 blooming marvellous acres to explore at Dawyck Botanic Garden in the Scottish Borders. If you like trees, you’re in luck – the arboretum here has a spectacular collection. Much of the garden is accessible for wheelchair and mobility scooter users, but not all due to steps. However, there is a waymarked wheelchair-accessible route along the lower level of the garden. There are two wheelchairs for visitors, as well as seating at helpful intervals around the garden. There is an accessible toilet in the visitor centre. In the future, the garden hopes to provide disability awareness training to its staff and offer sensory tours of the space.  

Charity Beach Wheelchairs has been hiring specialist wheelchairs since 2015, so more people can enjoy Scotland’s beautiful beaches. There’s nothing better than listening to the sound of the waves on a warm summer’s day. There are electric and manual wheelchairs to choose from at the charity’s bases at Portobello Beach and North Berwick, and the manual chairs can even be used for a dip in the sea. The charity also loans out its manual beach wheelchairs for use at other Scottish locations in the low season – get in touch in good time to find out more. 

Head to the Galloway Forest Park, Scotland’s first Dark Sky Park, for out-of-this-world adventures in the great outdoors. Kirroughtree is the gateway to the park, where you can enjoy a coffee and a cake at the accessible visitor cafe before heading out onto the trails. There’s an easy-access trail that leads from the visitor centre directly to an accessible wildlife viewing hide, so you can see Scotland’s red squirrels and other wildlife up-close. The visitor centre is also home to a full Change Places facility and a further accessible toilet near the bike shop.