We have just come back from a family holiday in a cottage a few miles outside of Aberystwyth and it was lovely.
Going anywhere with a wheelchair means a lot of planning ahead, and holidays with a wheelchair need even more planning than usual.
Whether you are planning a trip to Aberystwyth or West Wales with a wheelchair or if you are looking for some future holiday ideas, I hope this post about our experience of visiting there helps.
Aberystwyth is a seaside town on the coast of West Wales, and it’s just a lovely area in general. The pace is just slower somehow, and I don’t know about you but a slower, less rushed pace is exactly what we need on holiday!
This blog post will be covering Aberystwyth town itself, but also places we went in the area outside of Aberystwyth.
Where we stayed
We stayed in ‘Paith Holiday Cottages’ in Capel Seion. We stayed in ‘Ty Lloi’.
The cottages were converted barns etc and there was a handful there all together.
It was about a ten minute drive out of Aberystwyth. It was quite a nice distance because it felt like we were out of the ‘busyness’ of the town, but it was also close enough that we were there in no time at all.
The cottage we stayed in, ‘Ty Lloi’, wasn’t an official wheelchair accessible cottage, it was described as having ‘increased accessibility’.
Inside the actual cottage was step-free, there was plenty of room for our wheelchair, and there was only one room that we couldn’t access, which was the second double bedroom because the wardrobe was stopping the door opening fully – but otherwise it was fine.
The en-suite in the main bedroom was also too small to access, but it was a tiny room, so small that the sink had to be outside of the room – but it wasn’t an issue as we could access the other bathroom.
The accommodation isn’t described as being an accessible cottage so these things are expected and it wasn’t an issue. It was a bonus for Jac as he didn’t have Anest barging into his room every 5 minutes!
There was a ramp going from the courtyard where we parked to the cottage.
The door thresholds are just normal door frames, the front door was a little tricky getting over with the power chair but we could do it okay (our wheelchair is about to do slightly higher kerbs so it may not be the case for all wheelchairs – make sure you check yours!).
The back patio door to the private enclosed garden, seating and hot-tub area, had a higher threshold and we couldn’t do that with the wheelchair.
We messaged the owners to see if they had any planks of wood or anything lying around that we could borrow to make a makeshift one, and they were extremely helpful and actually made us a ramp out of a sheet of mdf and some planks of wood which worked perfectly.
It was really nice of them and we were very grateful for it.
Normally when we go on holiday, I would borrow the ramp we use at my parents/sisters house but I foolishly didn’t take it this time but it all worked out in the end!
It was a nice place to stay as a base, and the hot tube worked well for the evenings or if it was raining.
We would recommend it as somewhere to stay with a wheelchair, although take a ramp with you – or if you have a manual chair or a chair that has no problem with going over a high door threshold then you would be completely fine.
Getting around the area
We only live a couple of hours from Aberystwyth, and we travelled there by car.
There are main roads, but there are also a lot of narrow country roads in the area, we had no problems with getting our WAV anywhere.
There is a train station in the centre of Aberystwyth – we didn’t use it, but if you were looking to travel there by train there is that option.
There are a few car parks around Aberystwyth and there are spaces, and disabled spaces along the road through the town.
We never had any trouble parking.
The only issue we did have in the area was the speed bumps going into the car park on the far end of the pier kept hitting the bottom of our car – it’s very low because it’s a wheelchair accessible vehicle (WAV), but going really slow and at an angle solved that.
Just something that might catch you out if you also have a WAV!
Finding drop kerbs wasn’t an issue either.
We had a car with us, I’m not entirely sure what it would be like visiting the area without a car. There is a train station, but I think you would need to use a taxi to get around otherwise you would be a bit limited in the places you can go to as a lot of them are ‘in the middle of nowhere’ type places.
However, I don’t actually have any experience of this so it is worth doing your own research if you are visiting without a car.
Accessible toilets in the area
There are quite a few different places that you can go to toilet in Aberystwyth and some disabled toilets as well.
There are two changing places as well – there is one in the Council offices building, and another in the train station.
We didn’t actually need to use these while we were there as we kept going back and forth to the cottage in between doing things, but it was good to know they were there if we did need them.
There are a few supermarkets in Aberystwyth and they are always a good bet for a disabled toilets (they are usually a bit cleaner than the public ones too) – although they don’t have a changing places in them.
There are also changing places in Lampeter which is a town about 45 minutes from Aberysytwyth.
Accessible days out and activities in aberystwyth
These are the things that we did on our holiday to give you a bit of inspiration if you do decide to visit Aberystwyth.
Walk along the seafront promenade in Aberystwyth
The walk along the sea front in Aberstwyth is a really nice wheelchair friendly walk.
It’s about a mile and a half long, and it’s very pretty.
The views are lovely, you can see the mountains in North wales in the distance, and when you look back towards Abersywyth the town is really pretty with all the houses in their seaside colours.
The path is all accessible, there are plenty of drop kerbs to cross the road into town if you want to.
There are a handful of coffee huts along the seafront and you can stop at the pier if you want to go to the arcade or go to the bar or chip shop, and further along you are walking past the castle ruins as well.
It’s worth a walk, and you definitely get that holiday feeling from walking along it!
At one end is the cliff railway and the other end is the marina and there is a nice pier to walk on (which is where we went crabbing).
Visiting the castle in Aberystwyth
The castle is just a ruin of a castle, but it’s nice to have a wander around.
The castle is an Edwardian fortress, and was built in the 13th century for the First Welsh war. There are signs around the castle if history is your thing to learn more about it.
The castle is up a small hill, but the paths are mainly accessible, and there are toilets (including disabled toilets) by the castle.
Some of the paths are a little steep, and a few have steps, so you may have to pick and choose which paths are the best for you if you are in a wheelchair, but there are paved paths suitable for wheelchairs.
There are some benches on the top and it is nice to stop and have a look at the view from the top.
Birch Grove
Woodland walk (cycle route 81)
I never think of cycle routes as places to go for walk, I think because we have done the one by our house so many times that it’s a bit boring.
It is a good idea though for wheelchair accessible walks as on the whole they tend to be tarred smooth paths.
It was a really nice walk through a woodland, the shade was very welcome in the heat wave we were having whilst there!
We normally would have walked longer than we did, but it was so hot we ended up turning round after about twenty minutes but we would definitely go back there for a longer walk or to try a different section another time.
Walk at the Elan Valley
We stopped here twice on our holiday, once on the way and on the way home.
On the way it was a seriously hot day of heatwave so we didn’t stop long, just for a look and to eat out picnic, but it was lovely.
On the way home the weather was a bit cooler, so we did stop at the visitor centre to get a coffee and use the toilets (there is a disabled toilet – it is quite small if you are taking a wheelchair in, but not a changing places) before going on a walk.
The path was all smooth and tarred, it is designed for all (walking, cycling and horses) and we had no issues with the wheelchair.
You can also hire bikes there for the day or half day if you wanted to.
We only did a small walk but the actual walk in 10k so you could definitely make a day of it if you took a picnic etc.
Bwlch Nant yr Arian
This is the second time that we have visited the red kite feeding centre, and it’s definitely somewhere we would go again.
There is a walk around the lake, the Barcud trail, that is about 3/4 of a mile long, it took us about an hour by the time we stopped to look at different things around the way.
There is a hide as well, the wheelchair sign didn’t point that way, I think it was just pointing out the main path we went to see if it was wheelchair friendly and that path is completely fine as well.
The visitor centre is now closed which is a shame, but there are toilets there and a disabled toilet (although no changing places unfortunately!) and there was a van selling coffees and ice-cream.
We took a picnic with us, there are plenty of benches around the place.
The red kites were fed at 2pm in the middle of the lake and it’s quite impressive.
If you are in the area I’d recommend going.
Arcade on the Pier
Anest loves the arcade, she used to be a huge fan of the 2p machines, but she has moved on now to the grabbing machines, which always cost a fortune.
I think it’s mainly the controller that Anest enjoys. As she is visually impaired she can’t really see well enough to be able to do them properly, but the arcade has about 3 different machines that are ‘prize every time’ so you just pay for a go and keep going until you win something.
So we like this arcade as it gives us a few options.
It is just a normal arcade with the typical things you expect to find there, there were a couple of ‘funny’ mirrors that everyone enjoyed and the kids enjoyed the novelty of a candy floss maker.
Accessibility wise it’s fine to get in and go around the arcade, you can also go out the back to the outside seating area on the pier with no problem at all accessibility wise.
Aberaeron town
It was so hot the day that we went to Aberaeron that we didn’t stay too long, and they were doing all work reinforcing the sea defences on the front so we were a bit more limited in what we could do there.
It’s a pretty little town, and it’s worth a visit just for how pretty it is.
We just had a look around the main town, there’s a few shops (a lot of them do have steps), some pubs and places to eat.
Other than we couldn’t go into some shops, getting around the town was fine – there were plenty of drop kerbs and there was disabled parking in the car park.
We got an ice-cream and sat in the garden area in the middle of town to eat them in the shade, if the building work hadn’t been going on we would have done down to sit on the benches overlooking the sea.
It is nice, it’s worth stopping at if you are in the area because it is pretty.
Devil’s Bridge
There are two main walks at Devil’s bridge, one is an actual few miles walk and then the other is walking down to the punch bowl by the bridge.
We did the punch bowl option.
Devil’s falls isn’t wheelchair friendly, there are a lot of small steep steps going down to the water, and it wouldn’t be suitable for anyone not steady on their feet.
It’s definitely a wear sensible shoes and be careful going down kind of walk.
We went on a day that it was a bit rainy and it did make the water a bit more impressive but it did make us more wary about slipping on the steps, thankfully we didn’t feel it was slippery at all, but I imagine it could be if it has rained a lot!
We took it in turns taking Jac and Mali down to the bottom (it’s a 15 minute walk).
At the top is an accessible viewing area for people in wheelchairs/prams etc. You have to ask at the gates for the walk for a key to be let in.
You can’t really see that much of the water and the punchbowl because of the plants etc, perhaps in winter you can see more, but you do get a good view of the bridge.
There is also a cafe there that is accessible.
Crabbing in Abersytwyth
Every summer we say we will take the kids to try crabbing and we never actually get around to it, but we did do it this holiday.
It was also my first time, and I enjoyed watching the kids having a go more than expected!
At the far end of the promenade in Abersywtyth is a little pier that goes out over the sea by the marina with some benches on, and it was a really nice spot to do some crabbing.
It was quiet that end as well which is always a bonus for our not-liking-crowds family!
Ynys Las
We went to Ynys Las to try and find the petrified forest (more about that in the paragraph below), we didn’t stay there long as it was quite late in the day when we arrived as we had planned it all around the low tide times to see the trees.
There was a board walk over the sand dunes, it doesn’t really go very far but a novelty to go through the sand dunes and Anest enjoyed looking out for snakes (which thankfully we didn’t see!)
The view was nice from the beach, and there is some disabled parking spots off the beach but there wasn’t really much there other than the board walk or going on to the actual beach.
There was a toilet block there – there was a disabled toilet but everything was closed because of how late we got there (about 6pm ish).
I don’t think we would go back there, but it was nice to just visit somewhere new.
The petrified forest (Borth)
Going to see the petrified forest was very high on Jac’s holiday list, so after a lot of googling I did eventually work out roughly where the trees were (after a completely wrong first attempt!).
The trees are about 5000 years old, from the bronze age, and have started appearing after a lot of big storms.
It was quite cool going to see them, and I am glad we stopped to have a look.
You can kind of see them from the path, but can’t really make out what they are very well. It’s not really accessible to get to them without going on to the beach, and the access on to the beach is right at the other end of Borth.
For anyone else trying to find them, they are at the far end of Borth than in Ynys las. We parked towards the end of all the houses before you get to the golf club (when driving towards Ynys Las) and it’s at the end of the promenade path. You have to walk across the beach in a diagonal to get to them (not wheelchair access this end of the beach).
Walk along the sea front in Borth
While James and the kids were looking at the trees, me and Anest went for a walk along the promenade in Borth.
It’s not a long walk and you then re-join the pavement to walk through the town (which we didn’t do) but it was quite a nice little walk to do to see the sea and see the petrified forest in the distance.
National library of Wales
I don’t think we saw everything in the library, but we had a quick look around and it’s a very impressive building.
There were lifts to access different floors of the building, and there was a disabled toilet (but no changing places).
Other Accessible days out
There were a few places we didn’t get around to going to, and hopefully in the future we will be able to go there and I can update this page with what they were like!
- Cliff Railway in Aberystwyth (We actually did this a few years ago, and we were hoping to do it again because it is worth a visit and is accessible)
- Vale of Rheidol Steam train
- Cors Caron (In Tregaron)
- Cors Y Llyn nature reserve (near Builth)
- Cnwch Wood trail (Elan Valley)
Other accessible places further afield
If you google accessible days out near Aberystwyth, a lot of places towards Cardigan or further down the West coast come up.
Places like Folly Farm (one of our favourite places to go!) or the Botanic Gardens in Wales.
We didn’t go there because they are actually closer to get to from our house as a day out, but if you are staying in Abersytwyth and don’t live near these places then they are worth the travel to visit.
Especially Folly Farm.
The Botanic gardens and Folly farm both have changing places on site as well which makes a day out even easier.
Further North
We did debate driving a bit futher North up the coast towards Maccynnlleth and Barmouth etc, but the weather turned and we decided not to – but there are quite a few accessible walks etc in that direction too if you wanted to explore somewhere new.
Again, if you google accessible places near Aberystwyth quite a few places further north come up.
Accessing the beach in Aberysytwyth
There is a ramp going down on to the beach in Aberystwyth, however the beach is mainly pebbles so it will be difficult to navigate with a wheelchair.
We didn’t go to the beach this holiday with Anest as we are still in the post-surgery recovery stage and it would have been uncomfortable for her to sit on a towel or a mat for a long period of time.
Google said that we could get beach wheelchairs on Marina terrace in Aberystwyth, we didn’t see any anywhere obvious so I don’t think they are there – we also didn’t ask anyone so maybe they are there but well hidden.
New Quay did come up as a suggested wheelchair friendly beach, we didn’t go there this time, and previous times we have been there we managed no matter how accessible things were are Anest was smaller. I will have to update if we visit again.
There was a ramp to access the beach in Borth as well, but no wheelchair hire.
Overall accessibility in Aberystwyth area
Aberystwyth was a bit hit and miss with accessibility.
On the whole the town was fine, there were plenty of drop kerbs, there are changing places and a few different disabled toilets and most of the shops we could get into – some did have steps.
Days out wise, there isn’t many wheelchair friendly days out – there are some but if you wanted a very jam-packed holiday you would have to venture further afield.
Would we go back?
Definitely. Aberystwyth is definitely one of my favourite places. You’ve got the seaside and the countryside and the slower pace of it all just suits us.
It is somewhere that is only a couple of hours from our home and we do go there quite often, so perhaps in the future a weekend or a shorter Monday – Friday holiday would personally suit us better because it is so close.
There is definitely enough to fill up a week though, especially if you don’t mind travelling further afield.
Final thoughts
Aberystwyth is a lovely place to go for a holiday, especially if you are after a more relaxed, slower paced holiday.
The area is really pretty and it’s definitely worth a visit.
Let me know if there is anything specific you would like to know about or if you know of any other accessible days out in the area.
Have you been to Aberystwyth before?
Beth x
