Overview

We stayed at Hope Cross for 4 nights, I booked the cottage for a short break for my Dad, who has had a stroke and is now in a wheelchair, my Mum and I. This was our first break away post injury so it was with some trepidation, however Ann and Gordon were really helpful and caring from the first contact and provided advice on hiring a profiling bed locally to use for the duration of our trip, they handled delivery and collection and set the bed up with bedding etc. (Note: they are setting up the bedroom with a profiling bed as standard going forward but it hadn't arrived when we booked to stay). The cottage itself is well laid out with a lovely wet room and excellent shower chair/commode, low access sink etc. The lounge is spacious and the second bedroom equally of a high standard. The decked veranda area is a particular highlight in the nice weather where you can chat to the neighbouring farm animals with a cup of tea! It is easy to access from the lounge in the wheelchair. The lounge does have a riser recliner, however we couldn't use it for my dad due to the stand aid not fitting underneath it, if you don't need this particular type of transfer though the chair is very comfortable. We made use of the washer/dryer facilities across the road too which was handy. This cottage is up in the peaks so expect issues with phone and TV signal from time to time in bad weather. The access road is a steep incline until it levels out so not suitable for walking to the village with a manual wheelchair but it's only a 5 minute drive to the local shop. We visited Chatsworth House (20 min drive) during our stay, which is beautiful but beware the very small lift in the house and steep garden paths (difficult with a Rea Azelea chair). All in all, a lovely escape for 4 nights and would stay again. Ann and Gordon are really passionate about making their hillside retreat accessible and that shows in the detail of the cottage.

Transport & Parking

Parking space for the cottage is right outside the door, the car park is level tarmac and is shared with other guests. The road to the cottage is used by farm traffic but there are passing places available.

Access

The cottage is all on one level, there is an external ramp to the decked veranda area but you can also access this straight from the lounge. Access to the front door is level with the car park and all internal rooms are level access. We didn't require particular visual or hearing assistance/aids.

Toilets

The accessible shower/wet room is excellent. The shower chair/commode is a self-propelled aquatec ocean XL. There is an accessible toilet and wash basin and grab rails if required.

Staff

Ann and Gordon were really helpful, both before we arrived and during our stay, they are very knowledgeable about the local area and are keen to support disabled users to access their holiday cottages.

Photos