UK trek with mobility limitations
 

Beginning to plan a trip to London, Edinburgh and Dublin in August. Probably 5 days in each place, with day trips perfectly acceptable. Flying into London, out of Dublin. DH uses a walker and stairs are virtually impossible for him. Quite familiar with London but never been to Scotland and it's been years since last Dublin visit. Train from London to Edinburgh, flight from Edinburgh to Dublin. Will be staying in hotels close to city centers, I think. Appreciate any advice about how to contend with reduced mobility in these locations, what to do/not do, see/avoid, etc. Would love some good restaurant suggestions, too!.
Thanks, Fodorites!

Edinburgh is built in a steeply sided valley with high levels of cobbles and steps. Frankly you could not choose a more difficult city. Sad to say but I would go somewhere else (but not Durham which is on a rocky outcrop), perhaps York which is at least on a major river plain.

London and Dublin are also on river plains which gives you a fighting chance.

Glasgow would be a good alternative in Scotland perhaps.
Especially in August when Edinburgh is heaving.

I was going to ask where you plan to stay in Edinburgh and can agree with the others who have described the terrain in parts of that city. Too many Tattoo performances for us as we trooped up and down to get to that venue. But am sure you will not get discouraged and delighted to hear you are going for it. Should make for a fascinating trip report, too. Best wish es to you both

There are some steep places in Glasgow too, but it's not as bad as Edinburgh.

You will need to check that the places you are staying have elevators, which means most regular B&Bs and probably a lot of AirBnBs, won't work. Last trip to the UK my knees went out part way through the trip and I had to cancel some reservations and switch to Premier Inns (which were very good, but zero charm if that's what you want). In London you'll likely want cabs, but for public transport take buses, not the tube.

Even hotels with elevators can present problems. This is from my 2018 UK trip: "Glasgow has two main train stations, located quite close to each other. I arrived at Glasgow Queen Street, which was a short walk from the Park Inn by Radisson. I viewed the ten stone steps (balustrade but no handrail) and six wooden steps (handrail) at the front entrance with some dismay, and followed the sign to the so-called accessible entrance. This proved to be part-way down a noisome alley, floored with broken glass and who-knows-what- else and requiring a wheelchair user to negotiate a curb to reach the door. I later discovered that entering or leaving the hotel even by this door also required dealing with four heavy fire doors."

You also need to check on stairs at places you want to visit. I skipped a couple of places on that trip to avoid stairs, and the Tenement Museum which was my first stop in Glasgow had stairs, as did the Mackintosh House at the Hunterian.

Hi - don't have any specific recommendations, but do suggest you google "accessible travel UK/Scotland/etc" - I have found several excellent resources doing that for our destinations. It's how I learned recently that there is an elevator to the top of the Acropolis which was fantastic.

Here is one site (of many)

https://www.tourismforall.co.uk/

You may have found this already with your US travels - but the one thing I find I have to be zealous about is asking the question "are there stairs" about 5 different ways.

e.g. -

Them "no stairs at all - the room is completely accessible"
Me "are there stairs at the entrance to the hotel"
Them "oh - just a little one" Fail
Me "are there stairs to the breakfast room"
Them "oh - just a few" Fail.
etc

In the latter case I request breakfast be served in the lobby or our room and have always been accommodated. I'm not being critical, just thorough. I know myself I can walk in a location a hundred times and little staircases don't even register - until Richard hits one. He can do stairs but really needs a railing (or me) and it's just easier if I can minimize it.

Oh - be sure to take your handicapped parking pass (assume you have) - we've found ours is honoured in the EU even without technically having reciprocity.

Best Liz

Good idea, but only Dublin in the EU of these visits

Hi Seamus, glad to see you traveling again. As one of the several responders to your post who has "been there, done that" most of what has been written has been spot on and Edinburgh , wonderful city that it is still has its hills. Just a few things that I have found helpful. In my own mobility adventures I have gone from walker with difficulty to walker with ease, to rollaror, to cane of which I have several. I see canes as a fashion accessory as well as a mobility aide. Consider a rollator for your trip. There are models that fold into a narrow package and have built in seats. I still use mine when I know I will need to sit or will have to cross uneven ground. It can be very useful and worth the schlep. There are also canes with built in seating. I receive one as a gift but find it unsatisfactory as either a
cane or a seat.

In Scotland seek out a ceilidh or ceili in Ireland. Both are evenings of folk music and dance and as an observer can be more fun than should be legal. These are not the touristy evenings as in Spain's flamenco shows, but simply local get togethers to celebrate heritage often held to benefit a local charity. The tourist office should have info if any are taking place during your stay.

Heve you tried trekking poles? These have also been useful and there are models that fold small enough to fit in a carryon.

AFIK trekking poles are not allowed in carry on, no matter how small.

Maybe something like this is worth investigating. There are other companies online and I have no experience of them. Probably available in London and Dublin too if you search online. Rent two and have a race :)
https://www.mobilityscooterhireedinburgh.co.uk/

I’ve done a fair amount of European train travel since becoming mobility impaired, and every country I’ve traveled in has had abundant assistance for disabled travelers. The UK has a “Passenger Assist” program — https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/on-th...nd-facilities/ — that provides assistance to rail passengers. It’s been a couple of years since I’ve used it, but if you contact the train company you’re traveling on at least 24 hours in advance you can get lots of help getting yourself and your stuff on and off trains. I would not hesitate to use trains anywhere in Europe.

If you decide to try hiking poles, I found out the hard way that TSA does not allow them in carry-on luggage, even folded up. Makes no sense to me, but I’ve long since abandoned any search for logic where TSA is concerned.

Hotels are clueless about what it means to be accessible. “There’s a lift” tends to translate to simply that: there is a lift somewhere in the building that connects some of the floors. It does not mean there aren’t steps to get into the hotel. It does not mean that once you get to the floor your room is on you won’t suddenly encounter steps between that lovely lift and the section of the building your room is in. I’ve had “accessible” rooms with steps to get into the bathroom. I had an “accessible” room in London in January that had only a bathtub and no grab bars. I’ve learned to call hotels directly and ask lots of questions.

Sage Traveling has lots of info on various European destinations, https://www.sagetraveling.com/edinbu...essible-travel for example.

That is interesting about TSA and trekking poles. I took folding ones in my carry on to UK and Iceland. and back. TSA saw them with.no questions or problems. Same on our domestic trip to UTAH.

I’ve used a mobility scooter for 14 years now. I can still walk very short distances, but anything more than 15 or 20 feet is a no go. I have traveled extensively with my scooter, both with a companion and solo.

I think people don’t consider scooters because they associate them with the kind of scooters that are typically available for hire. Those are, in my opinion, more of an impediment to travel than a help. They’re too big. They weigh too much. And despite claims to the contrary it’s not easy to disassemble one to stick it in a car trunk.

My scooter weighs 28 pounds. When I get to a place where there’s not a curb cut, I get off, pick the scooter up with a little help from my friends, put it up or down as needed, and go on my merry way. In a pinch it can be carried up or down a flight of stairs (the front desk staff at my “accessible” hotel in Kensington did that several times a day, in addition to nearly carrying me up and down). My scooter is 23” wide. That means I can ride it on tiny sidewalks and get it through a standard door. My scooter folds in less than a minute and is no larger than a suitcase. It fits easily into the trunk of a car.

There are a couple of brands of very lightweight scooters. Mine is a TravelScoot. https://www.travelscoot.com/

What it won’t do is climb really steep hills. I was in Lyme Regis today, and I didn’t even attempt to go up the big hills. And Edinburgh was a challenge. We managed the castle because they let taxis take you to the top, but the Royal Mile was too steep for either up or down.

And it’s not always a smooth comfortable ride. An hour or so jouncing along over cobblestones makes one a great fan of concrete and asphalt.

But I love my scooter. I only wish I’d not wasted several years wearing myself out with canes and walkers before I got one.

Haven’t read all of the responses so this may have been said- but Edinburgh is just about my favorite city anywhere, but would NEVER recommend it for anyone with mobility issues. Everything is up hill and if it isn’t uphill, it’s a steep downhill, and if it isn’t up/downhill- it’s cobbled. Just a difficult city to visit for some

Mobility in London
 

Whilst in the UK there are legal requirements for disabled access in public buildings, etc. the reality can be different. Most chain hotels comply and have accessible rooms with suitable bathrooms and ramp access. However I would definitely check before you book.
Some underground stations do have disabled access and these are usually clearly marked on the train routes. As mentioned previously mainline/ intercity railway companies do offer assistance on/off their trains which needs to be pre booked.
Some London bus routes also have disabled access- the driver lowers a ramp and there are designated disabled seats or wheelchair spots, but avoid peak times.

All London buses are accessible. There’s a ramp at the exit door. Not all bus drivers are cooperative, however.

The TFL journey planner lets you specify that you need a step free route. What I can’t seem to make it do is show me routes where there are escalators and/or a small step up into the tube car. There used to be a map with that info, but it’s no longer on the TFL site. I did find it here: Attachment 8081 It’s dated May 2020 and does not include the Elizabeth line, which is completely accessible.

We used the Thames Clippers last week to go to Greenwich and back. The boats and almost all piers are accessible, and it was a much easier trip than the tube would have been and much cheaper than a taxi.

While this may not be an issue it is worth noting that if you have a guide-dog then all taxis have to take it and it is a criminal action to refuse.

https://www.guidedogs.org.uk/about-u...or-taxi-staff/