stephaniewhitcombe
Aug 2017
3
Bumpy but accessible
St Ives is a traditional Cornish town and so the streets are made of cobble and are narrow. This said, although it is a bumpy ride, it is accessible in a self propelled wheel chair and we saw the odd mobility scooter. If you have a sever back issue then this is not the place for you!
We arrived during peak holiday season and the streets were very crowded. The first time the boy with the wheels went to the town centre it was hard going, the hills are steep and when wet, pretty slippy and the odd push had to be given. Saying that, along the harbour front the road is wide and accessibly flat and the harbour itself is smooth and wide enough to turn and feel safe. It also has the obligatory cheeky Cornish seagulls! There are no disabled toilets in the centre and the nearest were in a car park quite a distance away. The second time we visited the town centre, he used his hybrid bike and mountain wheels, which was better for the terrain but too wide for any shops and restaurants.
We only found two places to eat, one was a very accommodating Pizza Express which moved some tables so we could get in and move around and the other was a pub slightly down from the harbour but was too noisy and crowded for us to move around safely! We were openly refused access to one restaurant by the harbour, making it clear (very snootily) there was only a stepped entrance and the boy with the wheels would be too wide to sit on the payment at their tables. It sells Pizza and Pasta by the harbour - don't even bother!
The Tate gallery has a long curved if not a little narrow, ramp to the front door and the lady assured us they had full accessibility and toilets (we didn't actually go in after all).
If you like to shop, then you maybe disappointed. The shops are mainly traditional low stepped openings and even if you could get in you probably couldn't turn around. We saw lots of mobility scooters parked up! The only place to get cash in the town is the Post Office, which had a couple of steps up to the counter which was a high topped surface.
St Ives is a traditional Cornish town and so the streets are made of cobble and are narrow. This said, although it is a bumpy ride, it is accessible in a self propelled wheel chair and we saw the odd mobility scooter. If you have a sever back issue then this is not the place for you!
We arrived during peak holiday season and the streets were very crowded. The first time the boy with the wheels went to the town centre it was hard going, the hills are steep and when wet, pretty slippy and the odd push had to be given. Saying that, along the harbour front the road is wide and accessibly flat and the harbour itself is smooth and wide enough to turn and feel safe. It also has the obligatory cheeky Cornish seagulls! There are no disabled toilets in the centre and the nearest were in a car park quite a distance away. The second time we visited the town centre, he used his hybrid bike and mountain wheels, which was better for the terrain but too wide for any shops and restaurants.
We only found two places to eat, one was a very accommodating Pizza Express which moved some tables so we could get in and move around and the other was a pub slightly down from the harbour but was too noisy and crowded for us to move around safely! We were openly refused access to one restaurant by the harbour, making it clear (very snootily) there was only a stepped entrance and the boy with the wheels would be too wide to sit on the payment at their tables. It sells Pizza and Pasta by the harbour - don't even bother!
The Tate gallery has a long curved if not a little narrow, ramp to the front door and the lady assured us they had full accessibility and toilets (we didn't actually go in after all).
If you like to shop, then you maybe disappointed. The shops are mainly traditional low stepped openings and even if you could get in you probably couldn't turn around. We saw lots of mobility scooters parked up! The only place to get cash in the town is the Post Office, which had a couple of steps up to the counter which was a high topped surface.
