Great wheelchair access on the high seas!
5
5
Date of visit: September 2023
I have experience of challenges around: hearing and moving around.
Overall Rating
Excellent
I was visiting Shetland with my son, and was very keen to go on this boat trip to see all of the amazing birds and scenery around the coast of Bressay where we were staying. I am in my 90s and still active but need a wee bit of help with mobility, so we had borrowed a wheelchair from the lovely team at Ability Shetland for the week. We wondered whether we could board the boat with the manual wheelchair which we had borrowed. Well, we were pleasantly surprised. Not only did the website encourage people to let the tour operators know their accessibility needs, when we turned up they even had a specially built ramp to make getting on and off the boat seamless for wheelchair users. And the attitude and skill of the team meant that I felt safe and comfortable at all times, even when we we were out on the open water. They had done a wonderful job of securing the wheelchair once we were on board, in a great spot where I could still see everything that was going on. The audio headphones provided proved to be excellent too, and helped me with my hearing, to pick up the information that Marie was sharing with us through a microphone. We didn't use the toilet while we were on the boat, but it sounded like it would have definitely been accessible for me as I'm able to get out of the wheelchair, and could have managed that. We can't say thank you enough to Marie and the team, and hope that our experience encourages others to make the most of the brilliant and accessible attraction that they have created. We were also lucky with the weather! Marie told us that if we hadn't sourced our own wheelchair, they have a partnership with Ability Shetland, and could have arranged it for us. So that might be a good option for some. I gather they even make a donation to Ability Shetland each time they do this. Good eggs all round.
Disabled Access In and Around
Excellent
Parking & Transport
Excellent
The quayside was an easy and level walk along the dock from the nearby Bressay ferry where we'd arrived earlier.
Accessible Toilets
Average
We didn't use but understand there was an accessible loo for those who could leave their wheelchair to walk a few steps.
Staff
Excellent
Marie was friendly, helpful and enthusiastic. She and her colleague were able to get us seamlessly on board using their access ramp and they knew how to secure the wheelchair in place. They seemed rightly proud of their accessibility.
