Can you help me find a 1-week self-catering holiday for two, next to an accessible beach in September - South Coast/Gower? Shooting for the moon?

[SeasideSuzie]

I've been disabled --mainly bedbound- for 9 years & I really, really want to see the sea!

I'm a bit better this year & dreaming of sitting in bed/on balcony/patio looking out at the sea. I might crash with the travel, but hopefully I could even get onto a beach. I have a wheelchair for very bad days, but obviously access might be an issue with so many cliffs/steps.

I've been researching when I have energy. It's sooo booked up everywhere & I'm shocked at the prices. Preferably no caravan holidays, bad experiences

Maybe hotels could work at a stretch? Last minute bookings? We're flexible.

Any ideas please lovely MN'ers?

Have you looked at Weymouth? Mostly flat and everything is very central and easy to reach.

www.love-weymouth.co.uk/free-use-of-beach-wheelchair-on-weymouth-sands/ just found this info.

We've just been to the perfect place, wisemans Bridge, it's the cove next to saundersfoot nr Tenby. We stayed at heritage Park which is a 15min walk to the beach, but is very wheelchair friendly. The path is an old tramway zo no cars and perfectly flat. They also had wheelchair accessible lodges too.
For really bad days, the beach is a 2min drive with free parking.

I live on the Gower. Most of the beaches aren't very accessible. Saunders foot/Tenby is much better

That's a good point, thank you. The beach is massive too. 🙂

Great that they've got the beach wheelchairs too!

Thanks Luna. The old tramway path sounds perfect.

I'm unlikely to travel that far, but I'll be keeping all the helpful info from here for any future plans.

Staying on/close to a beach is wonderful although I've never managed it in Wales. How about this cottage? Or maybe this one if you can wait until October?

Oooh I'm very envious!

Ironically, it's the wildness & poor access to beaches that first made me fall in love with Gower. 😄

Still, I won't be well enough to visit many, so just seeing one or two from the car will have to do. If I actually make it!

Oxwich Bay Hotel might work, especially if you could get a sea view room. There is a nice garden overlooking the beach.

There are some chalets near Caswell Bay..(Summerhill?), which are near but not overlooking the beach. Usually on airbnb.

We stayed at Gower Holiday Village, many years ago, more inland and quite basic, but a good base if you have a car and would be able to travel.

Not as far west, but Aberavon is very flat and there is a best western hotel on the seafront.

Alternatively. maybe Weston-super-Mare or Burnham on sea?

I hope you can find something.

Please don't go to Weston Super Mare over the Gower.

Love the suggestion of Oxwich Bay hotel though.

Thank you @TaffyandTeenyTaffy 🙂 Lots of options to look at

The 'Main Plan' is to see the sea!

IIRC, I didn't see the sea very often at Weston Super Mare or Burnham. It always seemed to be right out!

Yes, Oxwich Bay is right by the sea which is great. Shame it has pretty awful reviews on Trip Advisor.

Thanks everyone, it has been super useful to get ideas. Not sure if I'll be well enough to go anywhere this year, but just the possibility of it has been uplifting. 😎

Just found a FB group called Accessible, adapted or disabled holiday lets, places to visit and days out UK.
It’s not a very catchy name but I reckon you’d get some first hand experiences and recommendations if you ask on there.
Good luck @SeasideSuzie , I hope you’re well enough to turn this into a reality before too long xx

Op, if you get there early enough you can park on the beach in Oxwich which is in gower. I think home from home have accessible holiday lets too.

Also on caswel Bay beach in swansea they have beach buggys for wheelchair users to use!

Not the south coast, but we are in North Norfolk at the moment and it is glorious. Sea Palling lets you get to the beach very easily and a wheelchair could be pushed along the sea wall to the really quiet bit of the beach- no stairs or cliffs, a very clean beach and quiet. Swimming with the seals bobbing around was incredible and there are other accessible beaches or places you could sit in the car or a cafe and watch the sea

I don't know on places to stay, but Caswell Bay has beach wheelchairs available to borrow for free, technically owned by the council but let out by Surfability (Surfability CIC UK if you need to google). Once you've filled in the initial forms you can borrow one pretty much whenever

@SeSeasideSuzie

Check the disabled access with the Oxwich Bay Hotel. We had a sea view room and whilst lovely, the hotel is a rabbit warren and I remember thinking the stairs were lethal getting to our room. I don't remember seeing a lift but of course there could be one.

We went out of season and the restaurant and bar was not in operation so we ate at a beautiful Michelin star restaurant on the beach which cost us £300 including wine for 2. You have to book months in advance. We were held to ransom because there was no self catering facilities. Also the gardens at the front didn't have a view of the sea; theres a wall in the way. If I'm honest I wouldn't recommend for all of the above and the hotel itself looked tired.

@Muchtoomuchtodo So thoughtful. Thank you very much 🙂Yes I do hope so!

Thanks @dreamygirl25 I've read that the car park barrier has been lowered to 6 feet now, so the van + wheelchair + me won't fit 😁 Never mind. I might not get as far as Oxwich anyway.

Oh gosh seeing the seals would be amazing! I've bookmarked this for future plans. Thank you @CMOTDibbler

That's good to know, thank you @bicyclesaredeathtraps I'm so pleased that more beaches are offering these.

Oxwich Bay Hotel is right next to the beach at the Oxiwch end of the bay. Quite a few of the beaches on Gower are quite inaccessible if you have disabilities, but I remember thinking that hotel looked nice. No idea how much it costs thought.

Oh sorry, I can see you said self catering - I'm not sure the hotel does that.

Thank you @weekendninja You've confirmed what other people have been saying in their previous reviews. And no, there is no lift.

What time of year did you go? Was it freeeezing?

That restaurant looks lovely & the menus! Mmmm .Of course it's fully booked up for September now & I won't be able to make it in October onwards.

Next time!