I am getting more and more enquiries about the facilities that we have for guests who are disabled, or who are just not very mobile and not good with stairs. Although disabilities come in all shapes and sizes. Our youngest daughter Callie, who is of primary school age, has Downs Syndrome and also has ADHD. Not actually a condition that I thought existed until Callie came along! She can be a whirlwind and despite being our third child, sometimes it is like having a little alien in the family - and I mean that in a nice way! So, we do have some personal experience of 'Special Needs' and will always do whatever we can to assist guests in having a comfortable and successful stay with us.
I thought I would try and describe what our cottages are like, from that you may be able to work out if they will be suitable for your needs. Ideally, I will contact you and discuss these details prior to accepting a booking, to ensure that we have the facilities that you require. All the cottages are inspected annually and have been graded as 5 Stars Self Catering by Enjoy England.
Out of our six cottages, five have been officially graded Mobility 1 by the Enjoy England. This means that a person is able to walk up a staircase with assistance, which might require as little as a handrail! However, we can do better than just that. All the cottages have wide doorways and raised electrical sockets. All except the Piggeries have ramp level access to the main entrance. Each property also has their own Miele washing machine and seperate tumble dryer. These facilities are not shared and are provided in each cottage.
The only cottage that did not receive a grading, the Piggeries, is actually a single storey detached cottage with no stairs! You can park a car next to the Piggeries garden, then there is a small ramp from the driveway to a flagged path leading to the entrance door with one step into the cottage. Once in, all the rooms are on the ground floor. There is also a pretty shower room with a granite step of about an inch to get into the shower area. A plastic seat can be put in here for those guests who need to sit (I am fully mobile but sometimes feel like I would like to just sit and be showered upon instead of standing!) It is not a cubicle, there is no door, just a shower curtain. The toilet is of normal height.
In front of the cottage is an enclosed garden. There are 3 steps down to a seating area with picnic bench. However, the bench can be moved and placed on the grassed area for guests who would have difficulty with the steps. The cottage has been popular for guests
with all abilities of walking. We have had a guest (with family) who was in a motorised wheelchair who brought his own ramps to overcome the step into the cottage and a mobile hoist for the bedroom. Some families with young children like this cottage as there is no staircase, for others with an aged parent, or limited walking ability, it has also worked well.
Partridge and Pheasant, each assessed as Accessible Accommodation, each have three bedrooms, all of which are on the first floor. There is also a family bathroom upstairs. On the ground floor is a seperate shower room with wc, so for someone who was not good a climbing stairs, once they had made the journey down in the morning, there would be washing / toilet facilities downstairs for them to use till it was time for them to go upstairs to bed. Cars can be parked in front of these cottages, there is ramp level access to the entrance doors. At the rear of the cottages, reached by the lounge doors, are again ramps leading down into the enclosed garden areas with picnic tables.
The Old Stables, assessed as Accessible Accommodation, is a large four bedroomed cottage. All the bedrooms are on the first floor. There is an en-suite shower room attached to the double bedroom. This is a cubicle. A family bathroom with corner bath, plus a seperate downstairs toilet and washbasin. Once downstairs, these facilities alleviate the need to climb the stairs again. There is ramp access to the main door and a ramp leading from the kitchen door to the enclosed garden at the side of the property. The conservatory doors lead onto a large private garden accessed by a few steps. By using the front entrance you can enter the garden avoiding the steps. Parking is in the drive at the front of the cottage. The interior of the cottage is large and spacious, there is ample room for persons of limited mobility to manouver around the ground floor.
Mole End, assessed as Accessible Accommodation, was completed end of June 2007. There are three bedrooms, two of which are on the ground floor and both have en-suite facilities. The double bedroom has a 5ft king size bed. There is a large bathroom (about 12ft by 5ft 6ins wide) with a wet room type shower area and level access (not a cubicle). The twin bedroom ensuite (also 12ft by 5ft 6ins) has a large range of fitted cupboards, standard height toilet with handrail on the left wall. Again, the shower area is large with level access, all fully tiled with non slip tiles to the floor. In the shower area is a fancy grab rail and a fold down seat. Whilst aesthetically very swish, some guests with no leg strength have preferred to use a plastic chair with side support. The shower hose can be detached from the sliding rail for ease of use. (This was suggested to us by one of the first guests that stayed in this cottage). On the first floor is a pretty twin bedroom accessed by an oak staircase in the living area. Additionally, there is also a seperate utility room with a toilet (number 3) and washbasin. This cottage has spacious rooms enabling someone in a wheelchair to manouver around the cottage easily. Parking is next to the cottage and there is a ramp to the entrance door. This cottage is the most popular for families fetching a relative who needs a ground floor bedroom or just friends who require the extra ensuite facilities.
Woodpecker Cottage, assessed as Accessible Accommodation, was completed at the end of October 2007. This is our largest cottage. It has six bedrooms, five of which have their own ensuites, two of which are on the ground floor. At the front of the property is a double room with a 5ft king size bed. The spacious bathroom (about 12ft by 5ft 6ins wide) has a large wet room type shower area (almost the same as in Mole End). At the rear of the cottage, looking out into the woods, is a twin bedroom. The large (again 12ft by 5ft 6 ins wide) ensuite consists of a modern washbasin, standard height toilet and large open wet room type shower area. Non slip tiles to the floors. Also on the ground floor is a utility room with additional toilet (number 6) and washbasin. On the first floor, the huge family bedroom, an L shape, with 5 ft king size bed and single bed in the alcove, has an ensuite bathroom with large bath and fancy shower hose - ideal for rinsing toddlers off. There are loads of cupboards. The two twin bedrooms have double width shower enclosures, wash basins and toilets. Additionally, there is a pretty single bedroom that is ideally suited for a child. This cottage has been great for large family groups, particularly with grandparents or relatives not good at walking or in wheelchairs. Parking is at the side of the property and there is ramp access to the front entrance. At the rear of the property is a raised decked area with tables and chairs in the warmer weather, this can be reached either by the french doors from the living area or by a permanent ramp from the garden path.
Also, in our news section is an article 'Do you have difficulty walking?' This gives details of a 4 x 4 heavy-duty motorised Tramper vehicle. Some local businesses including ours contributed towards the cost of this, which entitles our guests to its free use. It can be delivered to any of our cottages and used to accompany relatives and friends on specially maintained trails and walks in the area.
The best way to discover if what we have at Barnacre is suitable for you is to contact us. I would much rather discuss in details your requirements than discover when a guest arrives - it has'nt happened yet - that we have not got what you need!
