1 week UK vacation, parents with mobility issues. England? Scotland?

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coalcracker
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1 week UK vacation, parents with mobility issues. England? Scotland?

Post by coalcracker »

I'm in the very early stages of planning a weeklong trip with my 2 siblings and elderly parents along for the ride. The rest of the group has fairly limited travel experience and are looking to me for advice on pretty much everything: itinerary, where to stay, what to do.

I studied abroad in London 20 years ago and have been all around the UK and Ireland, most recently for a week in London in 2019. On past trips, I've traveled with my wife and/or young children, and we know what we like and what works. I haven't traveled much with my parents and siblings, and I'm struggling to come up with a plan that pleases everyone. My parents can walk, but not long distances and certainly not hiking: a meander around the British Museum for an hour or two would work, but not a whole day walking the city. (To be clear, no children are coming on this trip.)

The first two possible itineraries that came to mind were:
1. London and southern England (Cornwall?)
2. Edinburgh and highlands, Skye

Keeping my parents' limitations in mind, I'd love to hear ideas for things to do or places to see. Thanks!
bubbadog
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Re: 1 week UK vacation, parents with mobility issues. England? Scotland?

Post by bubbadog »

One suggestion for while in London is to do the hop on/hop off bus tour.

Your parents can get a good overview of the sights in central London with as much or little walking as they want.

I spent one day on the tour and enjoyed it with my family.

Best of luck on your trip. :sharebeer
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Metsfan91
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Re: 1 week UK vacation, parents with mobility issues. England? Scotland?

Post by Metsfan91 »

coalcracker wrote: Wed May 11, 2022 2:22 pm I'm in the very early stages of planning a weeklong trip with my 2 siblings and elderly parents along for the ride. The rest of the group has fairly limited travel experience and are looking to me for advice on pretty much everything: itinerary, where to stay, what to do.

I studied abroad in London 20 years ago and have been all around the UK and Ireland, most recently for a week in London in 2019. On past trips, I've traveled with my wife and/or young children, and we know what we like and what works. I haven't traveled much with my parents and siblings, and I'm struggling to come up with a plan that pleases everyone. My parents can walk, but not long distances and certainly not hiking: a meander around the British Museum for an hour or two would work, but not a whole day walking the city. (To be clear, no children are coming on this trip.)

The first two possible itineraries that came to mind were:
1. London and southern England (Cornwall?)
2. Edinburgh and highlands, Skye

Keeping my parents' limitations in mind, I'd love to hear ideas for things to do or places to see. Thanks!
Did your parents and siblings visit England/Scotland before? If so, then ask them what they liked or what they want to see this time. If it is their first visit, then you are their tour guide (you know your way around). Show them what you like or what you want to show them. You could list what you want to show them, and then get their feedback. This should help alleviate any disappointment.
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ralph124cf
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Re: 1 week UK vacation, parents with mobility issues. England? Scotland?

Post by ralph124cf »

The UK (and Europe in general) is not particularly friendly to the mobility impaired. A lot of places require a lot of walking and climbing of steps with no ramps or elevators available.

Unless things have changed since I was there last, the Parthenon in Greece would be right out.

Ralph
halfnine
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Re: 1 week UK vacation, parents with mobility issues. England? Scotland?

Post by halfnine »

London and take cabs everywhere. There is plenty enough to do in London for a week even for those with mobility issues. Possibly an organised day trip out and would focus on a company or tour that is geared toward seniors.
Calico
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Re: 1 week UK vacation, parents with mobility issues. England? Scotland?

Post by Calico »

halfnine wrote: Sat May 21, 2022 12:28 am London and take cabs everywhere. There is plenty enough to do in London for a week even for those with mobility issues. Possibly an organised day trip out and would focus on a company or tour that is geared toward seniors.
I was going to mention how great the cabs are in London. My mom has mobility issues and when we went there in 2018 the cabs were great. If she got tired and couldn't walk anymore, I would hail her one. They were so easy to find and I didn't think the price was bad for what we got. Plus, the cabbies we got were awesome tour guides on the side.
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Watty
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Re: 1 week UK vacation, parents with mobility issues. England? Scotland?

Post by Watty »

The Rick Steves books and website are likely a better place to ask and there are forums on his web site.

It looks like he has an older book on travel with limited mobility but is older and probably dated now but he will let you download it for free and it may have useful general information.

https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-l ... ess-europe

One thing I will caution you on is that in London some of the tube(subway) stations have lots of stairs and sometimes long walks and when we were traveling with rolling luggage we had to bump them up and down the stairs. I vaguely recall seeing one elevator while we were doing that, which was out of service. :oops:
Shallowpockets
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Re: 1 week UK vacation, parents with mobility issues. England? Scotland?

Post by Shallowpockets »

I have found that some of the simple mobility problems can be that which are unexpected. You can figure long walks, or cobblestones, or stairs. But, you also must figure things like room size and bathrooms. Many of the bathrooms in Europe are pretty tight and pose a risk. Small diameter, step up or down. Not much room. If girth is a factor one should stay in hotels that are more modern in style.
Remember, one fall by your parents could be a big deal.
Valuethinker
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Re: 1 week UK vacation, parents with mobility issues. England? Scotland?

Post by Valuethinker »

Calico wrote: Sat May 21, 2022 8:39 pm
halfnine wrote: Sat May 21, 2022 12:28 am London and take cabs everywhere. There is plenty enough to do in London for a week even for those with mobility issues. Possibly an organised day trip out and would focus on a company or tour that is geared toward seniors.
I was going to mention how great the cabs are in London. My mom has mobility issues and when we went there in 2018 the cabs were great. If she got tired and couldn't walk anymore, I would hail her one. They were so easy to find and I didn't think the price was bad for what we got. Plus, the cabbies we got were awesome tour guides on the side.
Black cabs (licensed taxis) provide a great service but it is an expensive one.

Minicab companies cannot be hailed on the street, but can come to an address. So for example for airport transfers that is worth doing.
eddot98
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Re: 1 week UK vacation, parents with mobility issues. England? Scotland?

Post by eddot98 »

I’m not sure what you actually mean by elderly, but at our ages - 69 and 68 on our last trip to Europe in late 2019 - jet lag really knocks us off our game for a couple of days. The older we have gotten, the worse it gets. Neither of us can sleep on planes. My point being that one week will be shortened by a few “recovery days”. Although it may not be possible for your trip, we find that a 14 to 16 night trip works much better for us, counting the night in the air. By the third day, we are pretty much on European time.
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Pete12
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Re: 1 week UK vacation, parents with mobility issues. England? Scotland?

Post by Pete12 »

In case you haven’t seen it, there is a guide to step-free London tube stations here: https://content.tfl.gov.uk/step-free-tube-guide-map.pdf
four7s
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Re: 1 week UK vacation, parents with mobility issues. England? Scotland?

Post by four7s »

I would strongly second the advice to take a taxi most if not all the time. The Tube is not easily navigable because of distances from the street to the elevators or escalators to get to your train or transferring from one line to another. My wife and I are in our 70’s and we’re Londonaholics for 25 years. When there we are there we are busy from post breakfast to after evening theater everyday. Even being younger and fit does not make walking the streets of London an easy daily routine. Taxis are the way to get around. And those American fast food outlets are where you can use a restroom while out for the day. Please don’t be intimidated because the London experience is fabulous. Just plan accordingly.
quietseas
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Re: 1 week UK vacation, parents with mobility issues. England? Scotland?

Post by quietseas »

With 3 or 4 people in a cab it comes closer to the cost of taking tube.

What I'd do is avoid trying to do too much. Spend a few hours at a museum, let them go back to hotel to take a nap, then maybe a few more hours in the late afternoon before dinner. Stop and sit for 15 minutes BEFORE they get tired. Plan restroom breaks, snacks, and meals. Give them the option to join or stay in the hotel room.

There are many tour operators who do day trips out of London by bus or van to places like Stonehenge, Cambridge, Oxford. Maybe you'd want to do a private tour for your group depending upon size, budget, and interests.

You could also consider a group tour for several days or a week outside of London if you didn't want to deal with hotel accommodations and transportation yourself.
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JAZZISCOOL
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Re: 1 week UK vacation, parents with mobility issues. England? Scotland?

Post by JAZZISCOOL »

Here's a website that may help you:

Accessible England

https://www.visitengland.com/plan-your- ... le-england
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wabbott
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Re: 1 week UK vacation, parents with mobility issues. England? Scotland?

Post by wabbott »

We were in Devonshire (the county next to Cornwall) in April, visiting Plymouth and Dartmoor National Park. We used this tour guide for a day. He was very knowledgeable about the region, as his family goes back several generations in the area. I believe he does guided tours all over southwest England.

https://www.uniquedevontours.com/
kacang
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Re: 1 week UK vacation, parents with mobility issues. England? Scotland?

Post by kacang »

London is perfect for 1week, especially for newbies. Loads of things to do and see, check out the travel sites/books (borrow from library, eg. Rick Steve's books) and give your family a list of options that align with their interests. Day/half-day trips out of London is also easy, if they have time/energy to do more.

I have mobility issues, and on bad days, can't walk/be on my feet more than 1-2 hours at a time. Our family just returned from a month in Europe, and I had a blast! Key things that made the trip fun for me was taking it slow and being flexible.

1. Slow pace. Plan on doing only one active major thing a day. Eg a 2-hour visit to British Museum would be the only "active" event for the day. Be selective about which exhibits to see, take frequent short breaks before I feel tired/hurt. Follow that up with "non-active" fun things, eg. try tea at different places, people watch at the squares, catch a theatre performance.

2. Centrally located/easily assessible accomodations. I get go back easily for a rest and then head out again after that. We returned to our airbnb for a restorative nap/rest almost every day

3. Flexibility. If I'm tired, having a quiet day by myself is ok. A favourite quiet day activity is taking bus tours, eg. hop-on-hop-off bus around the city, without getting off the bus. Another is people-watching in the squares/park.

#2 and #3 also means the more active people in our group can go off and do their own things, without feeling bogged down by my slow pace. I figure that if I enjoy a trip without hurting myself, there will be more future trips to see/do more. Our expectations were managed and everyone had a great time
Last edited by kacang on Sun May 22, 2022 11:27 am, edited 1 time in total.
halfnine
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Re: 1 week UK vacation, parents with mobility issues. England? Scotland?

Post by halfnine »

Pete12 wrote: Sun May 22, 2022 9:47 am In case you haven’t seen it, there is a guide to step-free London tube stations here: https://content.tfl.gov.uk/step-free-tube-guide-map.pdf
That map seems more suited to those in a wheelchair where gaps, steps and escalators are to be avoided. For the most part someone who is capable of walking a flight or two of stairs is better off walking the stairs then taking the lifts especially if changing from one line to the other. There is often a lot of extra walking mileage getting from lift to lift.
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