Rough Guide sill thin on ideas

Rough Guide sill thin on ideas

As someone who loves to explore new places, and has taken Rough Guides many a time on my travels, I was keen to get my wandering hands on the newly published second edition of The Rough Guide to Accessible Britain.

Knowing only too well of the annoyance of going on a day trip only to find a multitude of steps, or that I’d missed out on a disability discount because I’d not pre-booked, I was pleased to find the guide provides thorough factual information on all the destinations and attractions featured. Each listing has contact details, a web address where available, information about discounts, parking and other provisions for disabled people.

The trouble is, well, there just aren’t that many places featured. Anyone reading the guide could be forgiven for thinking that the majority of British tourism is out of bounds for us.

What about all the National Trust and English Heritage properties? Seaside resorts and National Parks? The list of omissions is long. The lack of an index at the back of the book also makes it hard to look up an attraction you know the name but not the location of, particularly if, like me, you are prone to being geographically-challenged!

Each chapter contains a wide region – for example ‘Yorkshire and the North East’ covers the whole of Northumberland, Tyne & Wear, County Durham, North, West and South Yorkshire plus the East Riding of Yorkshire. In the whole of this chapter only 16 places to go are listed. Having been born and brought up in this region I can think of many, many more – most of which are listed in the regular Rough Guide to Britain. Details of accessible restaurants, B&Bs and hotels would have been useful too. All in all, the guide isn’t quite up to the Rough Guide’s usual high production standards.

Having said that, the guide is a good start and is well worth a look when planning your next weekend break. At the back of the book there’s a list of useful contacts for travel advice, information on accessible transport, and British tourism.

Finishing the book I was surprised that although the Rough Guide’s focus is on accessibility, I couldn’t find any information on whether the guide is available in large print or audio format. Something for the publishers to bear in mind when they compile the third edition perhaps.

Penny Batchelor

• The cover price is £6.99; the guide is free for Blue Badge holders. Visit www.accessibleguide.co.uk for your copy.