Accessible Highlands
5
5
Date of visit: June 2019
I have experience of challenges around: dexterity or coordination and moving around.
Overall Rating
Excellent
Remote Scottish Highlands is not the first place you think of visiting, but we were pleasantly surprised. Ben Eighe Visitor Centre on side of Loch Maree has several wheelchair friendly tracks, one of which links to the Caravan Club site at Achnasheen. The hide and centre are fully accessible. Then we visited Torridon. The accessible National Trust hut looks unprepossessing but is brilliant, a tardis of information and videos. There is a walk down past the Deer Centre (a step entry) to the loch side which is accessible if you are a bit adventurous (some grass and bumpy tarmac). Unfortunately at the far end to return to the village there is a steep and very rough road but we managed to get the scooter up. Opposite is an excellent, accessible cafe. You can then go along the quiet road through village back to visitor centre. Probably best to do route in reverse so you are going down the gentle incline of the rough bit after a cafe stop. There is also an accessible community centre and art gallery in the village with wifi (donation). Apart from that, the whole Torridon valley is worth a drive as there are plenty of laybyes with stunnnig views from the car. We got down the pensinsula nearly to Applecross and great views across to Skye.
Disabled Access In and Around
Excellent
Parking & Transport
Average
Car essential but loads of laybyes en route and free parking at Ben Eighe and torridon visitor centres.
Accessible Toilets
Average
Accessible toilet at Ben Eighe visitor centre but not at Torridon.
Staff
Excellent
Very helpful and welcoming staff (and local people), all of whom came up with ideas for tracks that might be accessible for wheelchairs, such as the road up by the river from Poolewe.
