Overview

We borrowed a hippocampe wheelchair and had a freezing but wonderful day at the beach.

Transport & Parking

There are designated disabled parking bays next to the Beach wheelchair shed, a short path led us down a gradual slope around the back of the shed to its entrance.

Access

At the time of our visit there was a choice of four manual beach wheelchairs, and an outdoor hydraulic hoist to enable safe transfers in and out of them. There was also a changing bench and mobile hoist for use inside of the shed should people need to get changed. We opted to try one of the Hippocampes and the trained volunteers operated the the hoist itself, whilst we assisted my brother with his sling and positioning. There was space in the shed for my brother’s own wheelchair to be safely stored whilst we were at the beach. There is a small slope to get down to get onto the beach. In our sheer excitement to get there we tried to run down this but soon realised just how difficult it is to push an adult through such deep and soft sand, luckily it did get easier once we got onto the wetter and more compacted sand but we quickly decided that we wouldn’t be trying to go too far not wanting to exhaust ourselves so that we would still be able to get back up the slope (although the volunteers were fantastic and we were offered help with this, so please don’t be put off - I’ve put more details in the staff section of this review). But that didn’t matter, despite the absolutely freezing wind and the fact that my brother is never entirely comfortable or confident in anything other than his own wheelchair the look on his face was everything, he absolutely loved it, as did we all, it was a fantastic moment and a short visit was all that we needed. Huge efforts and a lot of thought has clearly gone into making these experiences as positive and inclusive as possible, we didn’t need them as we had taken our own but they had various cushions and blankets available for people to feel more supported, comfortable and warm as well as having created a BBQ and picnic area that’s accessible for people to use from their own wheelchairs. Since our visit they have added a Powered All Terrain X8 wheelchair which will hopefully offer even more accessibility options and potentially even independent access to some. Neither my husband or I have any mobility difficulties and between the two of us (the hippocampe was fitted with a rope and a handle at the front of it so that one of us could push and the other pull) we did struggle a bit, so I would recommend if you’re planning on using one of the manual chairs to either visit as a group or asking the volunteers for some help if you need it. We’re looking forward to visiting again, if it’s a nice day then we might try a manual one again so that we can get near the water but otherwise I think we’d definitely like to try out the All Terrain. The beach wheelchairs are free to borrow, but donations are always gratefully received for anyone wanting to do so. I’ve noticed that they regularly seem to update their Facebook page with the shed’s opening hours, but it’s advisable to still ring 0300 770 4624 to find out more and book a chair. I only contacted them the evening before and not only were they willing to meet us there they were able to advise us on the best time to arrive around the tide times. Their website is www.dornochbeachwheelchairs.co.uk for more information.

Toilets

As far as I was aware there are no toilets here.

Staff

The volunteers were fantastic, both of them were friendly and were happy to take their time to show us the beach wheelchairs that they had available and always ensuring they spoke to my brother as well as us. They operated the hydraulic hoist for us whilst we assisted my brother with his sling and positioning. They asked us how long we thought we were likely to be so that they could be there to meet us again when we were ready to leave but since we weren’t sure they gave us their mobile number so that we could give them a call for help to get back up the slope. Communication was great the whole way through, they told us when they had other bookings so that we could avoid timing our return at the same time as others needing the hoist and space available to them.

Anything else you wish to tell us?

My brother learned a new sign “beach” and it was all we talked about for the rest of the week. A truly brilliant experience. Thank you to everyone that gives so much of their own time to continue to make these happen. We’ll definitely be back.

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