Overview

Access to Beacon Fell is via small B roads from the A6 at Bilsborough, just past Garstang if coming from the North, or Preston if coming from the south. Follow the roads right up as there are parking places before you get to the visitor center where the disabled parking is When you arrive at Beacon Fell center and park in the disabled bay, the warden comes out to make sure you are alright, and if you have a scooter, he makes sure it is useable for the terrain. If it isn't he will get you one of the Trampers which are kept at the center and are free to use, I don't know how many they have, we used our newly acquired Monarch Mantis and took it for its first test drive. We took the two-mile walk over pretty rough ground and some very steep paths, and the wife even reached the summit. She has had a cheek ache from smiling so much since we got back and we are so looking forward to going again. The center staff were all very friendly, the cafe was reasonable and clean, and all in all I enjoyed seeing the smile on my wife's face again. She was an avid fell walker before her movement disorder meant that she can't walk more than 10 yards without sitting and resting. As she was used to the fresh air environment to help her with her mental health while fell walking, life has been hard for her over the past 18 months while adapting to her circumstances. I can't praise Beacon Fell enough, it is well worth a visit, none of the pathways are overtaxing to semi able-bodied people like me, I use a staff as a walking aid as I have Couder Equines syndrome (Spinal damage resulting in a drop foot). If I were fitter I think our excursion could have been longer.

Transport & Parking

We drove to the venue, we did pass parking places on the road but we kept going until we found the main visitor center car park. As you pull in there are 5 or 6 disable spaces on the left, and as you park the ranger comes to see if you need help and to check on your scooter to make sure it is suitable for the environment. If he deems it not suitable he will get you one of the centers own Trampers which they keep charged and ready for use.

Access

Everywhere at the center is accessible with shallow ramps for any wheeled vehicle, chairs included. The walks do require off-road capable scooters. The visitor center is all on one level and there are shallow ramps to the toilet block. We acquired a site map from the center before we set off. As we folwed the paths there were plenty of benches for me to rest and get my breath back. The pathways are color graded for difficulty and there were little signposts with colored arrows pointing the way along the paths when at an intersection so you didn't get lost.

Toilets

The toilet block is separate from the visitor center and accessed via shallow ramps. There are fully disabled toilet facilities provided by Lancashire County Council, and space to move around on a chair or scooter.

Staff

All the staff were courteous and pleasant, we were impressed by the keenness of the warden when he saw us getting the scooter out of the car, as he wanted to make sure it was suitable for purpose, and told us that we could use one of the centers' scooters if we so wished.

Anything else you wish to tell us?

Just being able to get out and about and smell the pine trees and the fresh air and to be there with my wife and see the joy on her face as we trundled round made it special to me, the views toward the coast were an added bonus. We were told the fell is man-made and dates back to pre-Roman times, and was used as a warning beacon for those further inland who could not see the coast. We are both looking forward to going again and we have found other walks nearby that are suitable for scooter users, we will add those as we find out what they are like.

Photos