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Day out in Kenmore: Beach, Village shop and Courtyard
The Star Project enjoyed a day out in Kenmore. We parked at the Kenmore Beach car park, which has only one disabled parking space. We were lucky to find it available, as there are no other disabled parking spaces nearby. It would definitely be great to create a few more. We then spent some time at the beach, admiring the beautiful Loch Tay and skipping stones. The area is just so gorgeous! Unfortunately, there is no accessible path that takes wheelchair users much nearer to the loch, and the terrain is rocky and challenging at the beach. There are a few picnic tables, but they all have steps leading up to them. We managed to use one in the corner, lifting the front of the wheelchair to get there. The steps down to the beach felt unsafe for one of our participants who uses a walking aid, and the ramps were too far away. There is no crossing to the toilet block, which made the group feel unsafe. There are decent male and female toilets, but no accessible toilets at all. We then walk up the hill to visit the village shop. The kerb is quite high, which makes it difficult for wheelchair users. There is no ramp for entering the shop; it can only be accessed by pushing the wheelchair up the kerb. You can move around the main area in a wheelchair, but you can't go up the steps to the second room. The shop itself is gorgeous! It sells very good quality products, including a coffee machine and delicious locally made treats. The staff were very friendly and welcoming. It's the right place to go if you're passing through and need anything, as they sell a wide variety of items. From there, we continued along the main street and crossed the bridge all the way to the Courtyard. There are definitely not enough sidewalks in Kenmore, and the ones that do exist are very narrow. Crossing the bridge in particular felt unsafe and challenging for wheelchair users and their carers. But the path is beautiful. There is still no ramp to access the Courtyard shop, but we managed it. Wheelchair users can move around most of the shop, although there are some narrow corridors. The shop is superb! You can get lost amongst so many delicious and fun things, including treats, crafts, books and more. The staff were extremely kind and treated us all very well. The highlight for us was having an ice cream. It was enormous and absolutely delicious — the perfect way to end the day. They also have an accessible toilet, which was great. Overall, we had a lovely time and would highly recommend a day out in Kenmore. However, please note that if you need a disabled toilet, there is only one at the Courtyard, which is can feel far from the beach. Also, while it is possible to move around, please be aware of safety issues, as there are not enough sideways and they are narrow. You need extra force to enter and move around in the shops, but we all managed it.
The Star Project enjoyed a day out in Kenmore. We parked at the Kenmore Beach car park, which has only one disabled parking space. We were lucky to find it available, as there are no other disabled parking spaces nearby. It would definitely be great to create a few more. We then spent some time at the beach, admiring the beautiful Loch Tay and skipping stones. The area is just so gorgeous! Unfortunately, there is no accessible path that takes wheelchair users much nearer to the loch, and the terrain is rocky and challenging at the beach. There are a few picnic tables, but they all have steps leading up to them. We managed to use one in the corner, lifting the front of the wheelchair to get there. The steps down to the beach felt unsafe for one of our participants who uses a walking aid, and the ramps were too far away. There is no crossing to the toilet block, which made the group feel unsafe. There are decent male and female toilets, but no accessible toilets at all. We then walk up the hill to visit the village shop. The kerb is quite high, which makes it difficult for wheelchair users. There is no ramp for entering the shop; it can only be accessed by pushing the wheelchair up the kerb. You can move around the main area in a wheelchair, but you can't go up the steps to the second room. The shop itself is gorgeous! It sells very good quality products, including a coffee machine and delicious locally made treats. The staff were very friendly and welcoming. It's the right place to go if you're passing through and need anything, as they sell a wide variety of items. From there, we continued along the main street and crossed the bridge all the way to the Courtyard. There are definitely not enough sidewalks in Kenmore, and the ones that do exist are very narrow. Crossing the bridge in particular felt unsafe and challenging for wheelchair users and their carers. But the path is beautiful. There is still no ramp to access the Courtyard shop, but we managed it. Wheelchair users can move around most of the shop, although there are some narrow corridors. The shop is superb! You can get lost amongst so many delicious and fun things, including treats, crafts, books and more. The staff were extremely kind and treated us all very well. The highlight for us was having an ice cream. It was enormous and absolutely delicious — the perfect way to end the day. They also have an accessible toilet, which was great. Overall, we had a lovely time and would highly recommend a day out in Kenmore. However, please note that if you need a disabled toilet, there is only one at the Courtyard, which is can feel far from the beach. Also, while it is possible to move around, please be aware of safety issues, as there are not enough sideways and they are narrow. You need extra force to enter and move around in the shops, but we all managed it.
