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 Topic: The Cotswolds with Limited Mobility
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02/5/2025 at 6:09pm
Location: Liverpool
Outfit: Swift Challenger 560
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Joined: 05/7/2003 Diamond Member 
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Some of you may remember that a few weeks ago I posted about my significant knee injury and my concerns about going on holiday when I wasn’t able to walk very well. We went anyway, and I thought I would write a report of our trip that might help other people with limited mobility enjoy a holiday in the Cotswolds.
We spent the first five nights at Lincoln Farm Park near Oxford. I’ve posted a review of the site in the reviews section. We really liked the site, but it wasn’t very well set up for disabled people. We arrived on Thursday afternoon and got the caravan set up. As the weather was lovely, we didn’t go off-site but just enjoyed relaxing for the afternoon.
On Friday, we spent the day in Oxford. This was brilliant, as you can hire a mobility scooter for free from the Westgate Shopping Centre car park, right in the middle of Oxford. The scooters are not confined to the shopping centre, you can take them anywhere within the city centre. We explored some of the colleges in the morning and enjoyed the architecture and history. In the afternoon, it threatened to rain, so we went into the Ashmolean Museum. I fully expected to have to leave the scooter at the entrance and use my crutches to get around parts of the museum, but it is set up in such a way that you can take the mobility scooter to almost all areas. The only slightly problematic part is that if you are in a mobility scooter, you have to use the lift by yourself due to weight restrictions. Whoever is with you must either take the lift before or after you or, as my husband did, go up the stairs and then try to find where the lift comes out on that floor!
On Saturday, we went to Waddesdon Manor near Aylesbury. Again, they were well set up for disabled visitors. There is about a 20-minute walk from the car park to the manor, but they have a shuttle bus running on a permanent loop from the car park to the stables (where the restaurant is) and on to the manor. There is a charge for this, but if you are disabled, you and a companion can use it for free. At the manor itself, they have separate outdoor and indoor wheelchairs. My husband was able to push me around the manor, and the staff were excellent at directing us to the lifts and helping us move from floor to floor. By the time we came out, my husband was exhausted from pushing me around, so we didn’t bother with a wheelchair for the garden. I just limped around on my crutches to see a little of the garden area close to the house. It would have been good if they had some outdoor mobility scooters for use in the gardens, but at least I was able to see part of it.
On Sunday, we went to the National Trust’s Buscot Park. This was really well set up for disabled visitors, with four or five mobility scooters available to borrow for use in the grounds. They also had wheelchairs for the house, but after exhausting my husband the previous day, I just used my crutches to go around the house. However, having use of the mobility scooter in the grounds was fantastic, as we were able to go for a long “walk” and I could keep up with my husband. They provide a special laminated map with the scooter that shows which paths are suitable and which are not, which is very helpful as the grounds are extensive.
On Monday, it rained quite heavily for most of the day, so we went to Burford Garden Centre. There are wheelchairs available, but there’s not a lot of space inside, and if it’s busy (which it seems to be), it would be tricky getting around in a wheelchair. I chose to limp around on my crutches, and we were impressed with the garden centre; it’s a proper garden centre with a great selection of plants, plus a whole host of other sections selling gifts, clothes, shoes, paintings, etc. There was also a nice restaurant, so it was a great way to spend a rainy afternoon.
Tuesday was moving day, so we packed up and moved on to the CMC site in Broadway. This site was much better set up for disabled people (see my review). After setting up the caravan, we took the car down into the village, looked around the shops, and had some lunch. Lots of the Cotswold villages are small and compact, so I was able to see much of the village using my crutches. It would have been even easier with a mobility scooter, but there are none available to hire in such a small village.
On Wednesday, we phoned a few nearby National Trust properties to see if any had mobility scooters available. Most were booked up, so if you need a mobility scooter at a National Trust site, I recommend booking a few days in advance. We ended up at the National Trust’s Croome Park, as they had one of their “Trampers” available for the afternoon. These are amazing, like mobility scooters but with bigger wheels, more power, and the ability to go off-road. This meant my husband could enjoy one of the long walks we’re used to doing on holiday, and I was able to power along beside him in the Tramper. We also visited the house, where wheelchairs are available for the ground floor, but there’s no access to the upper floors.
On Thursday, we visited Batsford Arboretum. We had been there last autumn and thought it was beautiful, so we wanted to return in the spring. It was well worth the visit, as all the cherry blossom was in full bloom. They have two Trampers available to hire at a cost of £3 for a two-hour session. You must book these in advance for one of the three daily sessions (10am, midday, and 2pm). The Tramper was great for the rough terrain at the Arboretum and handled the steep hills and uneven ground with no difficulty at all.
On Friday, we struggled to find anywhere with mobility scooters available (we really should have booked in advance), so we decided to go to Worcester. It had been many years since I last visited Worcester, and I probably won’t be rushing back, but they have an excellent Shopmobility centre in one of the big multi-storey car parks, with the most helpful staff I’ve ever come across. It costs £5 to hire a mobility scooter for the day, which includes your car parking (which alone would have cost £4.50, so, in essence, the scooter cost us just 50p). They also have a reserved area of the car park for people who have booked a wheelchair or mobility scooter, which made everything so easy. Worcester is very easy to navigate with a mobility scooter, and we were able to take it inside the cathedral and all around the town.
Saturday was our last day, and we spent it in Stow-on-the-Wold. Again, this is a small Cotswold village with everything very close together, so I was able to get around fine on my crutches. Afternoon tea at Huffkins topped off a really lovely holiday. Sunday was spent packing up and travelling home.
I’m so pleased that we didn’t cancel our holiday because of my knee and instead chose to go and make the most of it. I was surprised by how many places had mobility scooters available either for free or for a nominal fee, which made the holiday possible. I was able to manage small distances on my crutches, but the mobility scooters allowed us to go on long “walks” so my husband didn’t feel like he was missing out on the walking he enjoys during holidays. My biggest piece of advice for anyone considering a similar trip is to plan your itinerary well in advance and be sure to book mobility scooters ahead of time, as most places only have one or two and they book up quickly.
We may be having another similar holiday, this time up north, at the end of May, as I had a follow-up appointment at the hospital this morning and have at least another five weeks in the full leg brace. At least I now feel reasonably confident that we can still have a good holiday, even if I can’t walk very much.
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Pixie
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07/5/2025 at 2:33pm
Location: high wycombe Bucks
Outfit: Elddis Avante 574
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Joined: 09/9/2010 Gold Member 
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Great advise. thanks
Any information on assisted wheelchairs.. is mother in law has limited mobility, but not sure I would want her driving a mobility scooter? unless the have a tandem...??
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via mobile 04/6/2025 at 1:43pm
