Shropshire
VIEWING THE OSWESTRY AREA FROM A WHEELCHAIR
Llwyd Mansion, Oswestry
Oswestry is a medieval market town which retains a lot of its original character. It has a good selection of shops, both well known stores and interesting smaller outlets. There is good access to most of these and sufficient dropped kerbs. One of the oldest buildings in the town Llwyd mansion situated on the junction between Cross Street and Bailey Street dates from 1604.
For accessible places to stay in the area please scroll to the bottom of the page and for a wider accommodation search for other areas of Shropshire and the UK click here.
Oswestry and District Access Group have recently produced an updated version of their excellent 'Access Guide' which includes detailed information about shops and restaurants in the town. You can download it in pdf from their website www.access-oswestry.org.uk.
:
St. Oswalds Church
St. Oswalds church in the town centre is well worth a visit, especially for the beautiful stained glass windows, and part of it dates back a thousand years. Situated just behind the church is The Heritage Centre which although not large inside it is possible to access it to have lunch. Alternatively on the Salop Road on the way out of town is the Highwayman Public House which has very good access and serves a good variety of lunches and evening meals.
The Medieval Tour
Themed guided walking tours are available starting from the Heritage centre. Both Victorian and Medieval trails are conducted by costumed guides and have routes that are suitable for wheelchair users. Pre-booking is not necessary and they start at 10.30am every Monday and 2.00pm every Saturday (1st May-30th September) and 2.00pm every Saturday (1st October-30th April). The tours are an excellent way to learn about the turbulent history of a town set in the Marches where border conflicts between Wales and England were constantly being fought over the centuries. For more information phone 01691 662753 or e-mail: guides@oswestry-welshborders.org.uk
Cae Glas Park
Near the Heritage centre is Cae Glas Park that provides a pleasant place to sit and has attractive floral displays in the spring and summer.
Sampling the Chocolate Fountain at The Cambrian Visitor Centre
Housed in the old railway station is the Cambrian Visitor Centre. It is now the home of 'The Chocolate Maker'. Where you can see demonstrations of chocolates being made, have a go at decorating chocolate lollipops and you can purchase some of the wonderful creations in 'The Chocolate Shop'. Our reseachers found the workshop area very informative and user friendly.
A researcher from Ifton Opportunities checking out the chocolate selection.
Also on site is tourist information, a small art gallery, a shop selling souveniers and craft as well as 'Zak's' a themed cafe open every day for breakfasts, lunches and its speciality 'afternoon teas'. The cafe will also be open for evening meals from 30th of May 2008. There is an accessible toilet on site which is well designed, spacious and has left hand transfer. There are five good sized designated parking spaces adjacent to the building.
Unfortunately at the present time the adjacent Oswestry Railway Museum has two high steps at the entrance so is not accessible for wheelchairs.
The entrance to the Gatehouse at Whittington Castle
Whittington Castle is a borderland castle (owned for centuries by the Fitzwarren family) approximately 3 miles from Oswestry. It is unique in that it is now owned on a 99 year lease by the local community who have just completed a £950,000 restoration project to improve facilities and access for all visitors. Improvements include a new cafe serving hot and cold light snacks, a wheelchair accessible lift inside the small 16th century cottage (attached to the gatehouse tower) and a good surfaced pathway and boardwalk across the moat and up on to the ramparts.
By the remains of the inner castle across the accessible boardwalk
There is also an information room with interactive exhibits and a book shop as well two accessible toilets (N.B. the one adjoining the information room is large enough for several carers to assist if required). The castle was once a much larger structure and there are information boards around the site detailing its history.
A Shire horse at Park Hall
Approximately one and a half miles from the town is Park Hall Farm which has good disabled access to most of the site. There is a tearoom and a disabled toilet (that is being upgraded later in 2005). It is possible to handle small animals and to learn about milk production. Also on site is The Welsh Guards Collection, a Victorian School/ Museum and a classic car and motorbike collection. There is archery for teens and adults. If you can transfer from your wheelchair then two of the Quad bikes are operated with hand controls. There are special events held throughout the year. However please bear in mind that there are a lot of activities for children, that are only suitable for those that are able bodied.
Chirk Aquaduct
Fifteen minutes from Oswestry is the village of Chirk Bank. If you park by Monks Bridge on the canal, there is a well maintained tow path. This goes along beside The Llangollen Canal and over the Aquaduct, with splendid views over the Ceiriog Valley.
Chirk Castle
About a mile from the aquaduct is the medieval border castle at Chirk which has been continuously lived in for over seven hundred years, the last four hundred by the Myddelton family. There is access to the staterooms both on the ground and upper floor via a wheelchair stair climber operated by a member of staff. As it is a requirement of health and safety rules that only one wheelchair is allowed upstairs at a time, it is advisable to ring and book beforehand. Tel 01691 777701. The stair climber can only accommodate a standard wheelchair with large rear wheels, therefore it may be necessary to transfer from your own into one of theirs. A large area of the extensive gardens are also accessible, look out for the wheelchair sign on an arched gateway as this is the disabled entrance. The castle tea room is accessible, there is a wheelchair entrance just past the main door and there is a disabled toilet on the other side of the courtyard. Tickets are available from an office by the car park. There is a courtesy bus from the car park to the castle, if you cannot transfer to this it is possible to park outside the castle entrance. Please state if this is necessary when collecting your tickets. Please note however only three cars are permitted at any one time.
The woodland walk at the Earth Centre
The Earth Centre is located in the grounds of the Derwen College just off the main A5 near the Orthopaedic Hospital at Gobowen. There is a 750 metre trail that meanders around the perimeter through an arboretum of indigenous species of trees. Although only four years old they are quickly maturing and on the day we visited there was plenty of autumn colour provided by berries and leaves. In the centre of the site are examples of different habitats including a small hay meadow and a pond, as well as an accessible bird hide and insect attracting shrubs. The whole site is laid out with well signed wheelchair accessible paths and there is a disabled toilet. The centre is open Monday to Friday from 9am until 4 pm (except during the college holidays and occasional staff holidays). You can ring the college on 01691 661234 to check opening times. The arboretum trail is now open at weekends and holiday times as well and can be accessed through wheelchair friendly kissing gates. After your visit, Betty's Coffee Shop (that serves excellent home made meals and wonderful cakes) is only a few hundred yards away within the Derwen College. Also on the site there is a small plant nursery, a walled garden, several craft shops and the Orangery Restaurant.
The Mere
Nearby Ellesmere is a good place to see one of the area's lakes. There is a pleasant path that goes around the lakeside and a visitor centre, where in spring Heron Watching takes place. Near the visitor centre is The Boathouse restaurant which is accessible and serves excellent meals. Although there is no disabled toilet in the restaurant, just a few yards away there is a disabled public toilet accessed by a Radar key. There is also a pathway along the canal from The Wharf in the town centre.
Researchers from Ifton Opportunities at the newly opened Hoffman Kiln, Industrial Heritage Site
Llanymynech is four miles south of Oswestry on the A483. The Visitor Centre is situated at the wharf on the left hand side as you enter Llanymynech. There is limited parking on site. The entrance is on a camber and stony but it is possible to negotiate it with assistance. It has displays detailing the industrial heritage of the area including Hoffman's Lime Kiln. It is open Sundays and Bank holidays between Easter and the end of September and Saturdays in July and August, 2.00 - 4.30pm. There is a disabled toilet inside the Visitor Centre but it is only available during opening hours.
Wheelchair access to the kiln itself
The new trail extends the area of the Llanymynech Heritage Site that is accessible for wheelchairs users is now finished. It allows people with mobility issues to not only see more of the site but to be able to actually go inside the Hoffman Kiln. There has been a great deal of thought and effort to make this interesting and unique piece of architectural heritage accessible for all visitors and we commend those connected with the development for the site for their achievement.
This will be a category 3 circular trail (approximately 1 mile) which means manual wheelchair users may need the assistance of a fit pusher to access all areas. A key is available for the gate at the entrance (for easier access for larger wheelchairs) and the education room by ringing 01691 624448 in advance of your visit.
For more information about the history of Llanymynech visit :- www.llanymynech-hoffman.co.uk
Funding has recently been received to further improve access to the site including wheelchair accessible picnic tables, improvements to path surface by entrance and designated parking.
The researchers who visited the area can recommend 'The Village Pantry' cafe in Llanymynech for its excellent food and helpful staff.
We hope this information about Oswestry will encourage wheelchair users of all ages to try an area that they otherwise might not have considered.
PLACES TO STAY
Hafod
A new bed and breakfast establishment called Hafod Holidays is now open at Llynclys just outside Oswestry.
The profiling bed at Hafod
It has a spacious room with full wetroom facilities and care can be provided if required. Toilet raisers, bath boards, and other mobility equipment are offered free of charge. more info
Also on site is a chalet suitable for wheelchair users who can manage a few steps.
Please contact Jan Woods on 01691 830437
or e-mail :- info@hafodbandb.co.uk
Alternatively visit their website :- www.hafodbandb.co.uk
Moreton Park Lodge
Moreton Park Lodge Gledrid :- This is just ten minutes north of Oswestry on the A5. It has two accessible twin/double rooms situated on the ground floor. The twin/double rooms have zip linked beds that allow for right or left hand transfer and wheelchair turning space. Each has an en-suite wheel-in shower room and toilet. A fold down z-bed is available on request. One of the rooms has a wheeled shower chair. Breakfast is served in the adjacent Lord Moreton restaurant and bar which has a children's playroom. This could be suitable for accompanied and unaccompanied wheelchair users. more info
Tel : 01691 776666
Also on the site is the extensive Moreton Park Garden Centre where there are shops, a café and another restaurant.
The Lion Quays Hotel
The Lion Quays, Moreton, Oswestry :- The hotel is situated on the A5/483 approximately three miles north of Oswestry. Set in attractively landscaped grounds adjacent to the Llangollen canal, the hotel has six accessible rooms, four with level access wheel-in showers, one with a ramped wheel-in shower and one with a bath. All contain twin beds and the rooms are spacious enough to allow wheelchair turning. The en-suites with the four level access showers have room to side transfer to the toilet, low level shower controls and a wheeled shower chair. A portable hoist can be hired by prior arrangement. Also on site are two bars, a restaurant and an accessible courtyard garden. Breakfast is served in the conservatory. This could be suitable for accompanied and unaccompanied wheelchair users. more info
Tel : 01691 684300 www.lionquays.co.uk
Lane Farm
There is also Lane Farm, Criggion :- Bed and Breakfast twin room accommodation on a working farm set in lovely countryside on the Shropshire/Welsh border. Attractive room with en-suite wheel-in shower and toilet (with room for side transfer). Breakfast is served in the farmhouse dining room.There is level entrance to property across concreted yard. This could be suitable for a wheelchair user accompanied by a companion.
Tel: 01743 884288 more info
The Red Lion Coaching Inn
Or you could try the Red Lion Coaching Inn, Ellesmere :- two B&B ground floor wheelchair accessible rooms in the courtyard of the Inn. Both have en-suite wheel-in accessible shower rooms with fold down seats. Each has twin beds that can be zipped together to form a double. The furniture can be flexibly arranged to create more space if needed. Breakfast is served in the inn, access to which is up a steep ramp that will require assistance to negotiate. There is parking on site. This could be suitable for accompanied wheelchair users. Contact details :- Tel: 01691 622632
The courtyard garden of the accessible cottage at Mereside B&B
Also in Ellesmere is Mereside B&B which is situated on the A495 diagonally opposite the Mere and within easy wheeling distance of Cremorne Gardens and the town. The accessible cottage is one of three situated in the grounds of the farmhouse and it has a double sofa bed in the open plan living room. It also has a connecting door to the single/twin studio cottage next door which could be suitable for a carer/s or family members and makes it very flexible holiday accommodation.
The farmhouse dining room at Mereside
There is a bricked pathway leading through a gate to the farmhouse dining room where breakfast is served. At present alterations are being made to the en-suite wetroom door to allow wheelchair turning space.
Tel: 01691 622404 or e-mail info@meresidefarm.co.uk
For further information on accessibility please click here.
The Stables
Alternatively there is The Stables, Sutton Farm, West Felton :- this is self catering accommodation that sleeps 8+ . The accommodation is on two levels with separate accessible entrances to each area. The lower area has a room with a double sofa bed, kitchenette and en-suite accessible wheel-in shower and toilet (with room for side transfer). The rest of the accommodation is connected internally by several steps and comprises of ground floor shower room, kitchen and lounge and upstairs bedrooms. Wheelchair users can access these other ground floor rooms by wheeling along the patio and in through a second door. The outside patio has two sets of tables and chairs and fantastic views over the surrounding countryside towards Wales. Up to 2 dogs are welcome but please bear in mind it is a working farm. This could be suitable for accompanied wheelchair users. Contact details Tel: 01691 610230 more info