Accessible Winchester

Winchester is a great place to go on holiday and there is lots to do, but how much is accessible for disabled people? The good news is a lot of it is accessible!

Holiday Inn, Winchester

We stayed in the Holiday Inn, Winchester, for our holiday. It is not walking distance from the town, so it is advisable to have a car. There is free parking, including many disabled parking spaces. The hotel was opened in 2012, so is modern and I feel has been built with accessibility in mind.

They are one of the few hotels that have interconnecting rooms. Something that I find works really well for us (Mum, Dad and me). I have my own room, which has emergency cords and an en-suite accessible wet room.

Accessible Bedroom and Connecting Bedroom

There is a double bed in the accessible room, which the hotel takes out and store elsewhere for us, so my hired electric bed and air mattress can go in. This really makes a big difference. Some hotels will allow you to have a hired bed brought in, but will not take their bed out. I imagine it is because they don’t have anywhere to store it. However, it means the room is very cramped and not accessible as there is too much furniture!

The connecting door leads to a twin-bedded room and en-suite. It works well for us as my parents have their own room and I have my own room; however, we are together. We have our own space but they are there if/when I need them. Well, I say they have their own room, but I seem to take over both rooms with all my equipment! 

I imagine it is a set up that would work well for disabled people and their PA/carer, or other family situations where a member of the family, parent or child has an illness or disability and needs help.

The hotel kindly provided me with a small fridge in my room for my medication.

Wet Room

The wet room has a pull-down shower seat and rails, as well as a standard toilet and basins (one of them being lower for a wheelchair user). I have to take my own shower chair, as the other one is not suitable for me, but it is good they have one.

Hotel Accessibility

The hotel in general is very accessible. There are lifts to the lower ground and first floor. It is spacious and easy to get around. The staff are very friendly, welcoming and helpful.

The only couple of things that did not work well were: the mugs for hot drinks at breakfast were stored on a shelf far too high for wheelchair users and the table which the crates containing pastries was high so I could not see what I was picking up! Or if in fact I was putting the tongs into an empty crate! This I imagine is advantageous that it is not at a height that children can reach, so you shouldn’t be picking up food they have fingered and then changed their mind!

There is a new spa which looks lovely however, it does not have a hoist to the hydrotherapy pool which is a shame.

Activities and Places to Visit

Winchester Town Centre

Winchester town centre is a lovely place to visit. There are many things to see and do. The tourist information office is very helpful.

There is a big high street, most of the shops are wheelchair friendly and have a lift if they have a first or second floor. Parts of the high street are on a fairly steep gradient for a manual wheelchair user.

Chococo

There is an amazing chocolate shop called Chococo. Their Venezuela milk hot chocolate is the best I have ever tasted! It is out of this world! You also get a complimentary chocolate with your hot chocolate! Definitely worth a trip! We went four times in the week. It is truly divine!

Winchester Accessible Trail

There is an accessible trail around Winchester. Accessible Winchester Trail is a mile long. It takes you down by the river Itchen, past Winchester College, a house where Jane Austin spent her last few days, the Cathedral and grounds and is a lovely walk. The majority of the walk is flat. One small part quite steep for a manual chair user, unless you are strong, otherwise I would recommend that you have someone with you.

Disabled Toilets

There are several disabled toilets around Winchester which use the RADAR scheme. The one in Abbey gardens has Cathedral music playing in it.

Winchester Cathedral

The Cathedral is a lovely place to visit. It has a huge amount of history and architecture, as well as a stunning west wing window. Most of Winchester Cathedral is accessible. The upper part of the Cathedral is accessible to manual chair users, but not powerchair users due to the weight limit on the platform lift. The platform lift takes you on an interesting ride up some very steep stairs!

The Hospital of St Cross, Winchester

The Hospital of St Cross is an almshouse with stunning grounds, a beautiful church and architecture. It is one of England’s oldest continuing almshouse. All of the areas were accessible except for one small room. There is a disabled toilet in the grounds. It is a long walk from the high street, but if you do walk, I would recommend going via the roads and not via the footpath, as it was very bumpy and I nearly got stuck in the kissing gate!

The New Forest

The New Forest is another lovely place to visit that is not too far from Winchester. You can drive through and see the wild ponies and donkeys. Many of which end up obstructing the road and causing traffic jams, especially in Beaulieu! Many of the villages and towns are not that accessible, with narrow pavements and small, old inaccessible shops. Lyndhurst is a bit bigger and most of the shops are accessible.

Gunwharf Quays and The Spinnaker Tower, Portsmouth

Gunwharf Quays is another place we always enjoy going. It is in Portsmouth right on the waterfront. It is a retail shopping outlet but there is more than just shopping. You can walk by the waterfront, go on a boat trip around the harbour and go up the Spinnaker Tower. The shopping centre itself is all accessible and on the flat and they have several disabled toilets as well as changing places toilets. The Spinnaker Tower is a viewing platform where you can see for miles out over Portsmouth harbour, the Solent, the city, the South Downs and the Isle of Wight. It has lifts and is accessible to wheelchair users to access the view deck at 100 metres and the clouds deck at 105 metres but not the sky deck at 110 metres as that is only accessible by an internal staircase.

Overall, I would highly recommend the Holiday Inn, Winchester and the city in general to visit. 

Hannah x

You may also be interested in reading Ellwood Cottages, Dorset-My Review