Suitable Reserves for wheelchair photographers

[Philipo]

As the guy responsible for organising "Wildlife Photography days out in the UK for the Disabled Photographers Society Disabled Photographers' Society I am constantly on the look out for suitable reserves for our members in wheelchairs to have a day out.

If anyone has some good suggestions please send me a PM or reply to this thread...

Many thanks

Philipo

[JeffH]

Hi Philipo and welcome to WAB

The National Trust's Wicken Fen reserve at Wicken, near Ely, Cambs has a boardwalk suitable for wheelchairs and from which two of the reserve's hides are accessible - one hide overlooks a pond and the other looks out over the sedge beds.

There's a thread currently running here on WAB about Wicken - see here -
Wicken Fen
and here's a link to the Fen's own website -
Wicken Fen National Nature Reserve, Cambridgeshire, UK

Not too far from Ipswich either - hope that helps

Jeff
(Schedule 1 Licence holder for Kingfishers, Barn Owls and Avocets)

PS. the WWT's reserve at Welney, Norfolk would also be very suitable

[Ukwildlifeo]

RSPB Rainham Marshes, Essex is pretty good. its mostly flat, boardwalk around 50% of it and tarmac or compacted gravel round the rest. And the new raised hide has a lift in for wheelchairs.

Pretty good reserve generally too, especially in summer (water voles, marsh frogs, dragonflies on top the birds)

[Philipo]

Originally Posted by JeffH

Hi Philipo and welcome to WAB

The National Trust's Wicken Fen reserve at Wicken, near Ely, Cambs has a boardwalk suitable for wheelchairs and from which two of the reserve's hides are accessible - one hide overlooks a pond and the other looks out over the sedge beds.

There's a thread currently running here on WAB about Wicken - see here -
Wicken Fen
and here's a link to the Fen's own website -
Wicken Fen National Nature Reserve, Cambridgeshire, UK

Not too far from Ipswich either - hope that helps

Jeff
(Schedule 1 Licence holder for Kingfishers, Barn Owls and Avocets)

PS. the WWT's reserve at Welney, Norfolk would also be very suitable

Many thanks for replying Jeff, a group of disabled photographers attended Wicken Fen a few weeks ago and they really enjoyed the easy access, I often go over to the fen as I find the dipping pond area good for dragonflies, we even saw a grass snake in the water.....

As an ex Norfolk chap I can vouch for Welney it's a great place....

Phil

[Philipo]

Originally Posted by Ukwildlifeo

RSPB Rainham Marshes, Essex is pretty good. its mostly flat, boardwalk around 50% of it and tarmac or compacted gravel round the rest. And the new raised hide has a lift in for wheelchairs.

Pretty good reserve generally too, especially in summer (water voles, marsh frogs, dragonflies on top the birds)

Thanks for this, as we have several members in Essex, I will check this out and see if I can arrange a day out there....

Phil

[Jonners]

Lackford Lakes near Bury St Edmunds has 4 hides with wheelchair access and also I believe has a mobility buggy available too that can visit these four hides. It's a Suffolk Wildlife Trust site.

[Tiger]

The London Wetlands has very good access with lots of nice, smooth paths, even with a lift in the 2-storey hide!

Not strictly a reserve, but Kew Gardens has good access to outdoor areas, with many paths. The grassed areas may be an issue due to mud, but should be passable with a wheelchair in summer as they are kept well mowed. Even on busy days, you can find a quiet place and see garden birds at Kew. The main greenhouses are accessible by wheelchair, but access to the upper walkway is via a very tall staircase only! The lift for the treetop walkway has been out of order for most of this summer. Not that you really get to see much from up there anyway as it's quite busy. However, parking is limited and hugely expensive, and it's a little walk from the nearest train/tube stations. I'm not sure if this one is a reccommendation or not!

[Tiger]

Have just stumbled across this, don't know if it may be useful:

Walks With Wheelchairs - routes suitable for wheelchair users throughout the UK

[shenk1]

Rspb Old Moor near Barnsley has good wheelchair access and a number of mobility scooters on site.Always a good day out particularly this time of year.

[Harold Smith]

I have just spent two days at Rutland Water Nature Reserve bird watching. It is the first time I have been and an excellent time I had. As a retired H&S Consultant and Disability Access Auditor I was impressed with the facilities provided for the disabled. There are 27 hides and 18 of them are designed for use by disabled people. The paths are well made and suitable for perambulatory disabled and wheelchair and mobility scooter users. The visitor centre also has a scooter available that can be booked in advance.

I hope this is useful to you.

Harold.