Access for all on the canals

Boating

Unfortunately, canal holidays on a standard narrowboat are often not accessible for people with disabilities. However, canal boats can be adapted for disabled access with features such as lifts, ramps and joystick steering. Many waterways attractions around the country have fully accessible trip boats, including the Falkirk Wheel, Standedge Tunnel and the Anderton Boat Lift. There are also a number of organisations that specialise in providing boat trips and boating holidays for people with disabilities.

Paul Treble is the chairman and a founder member of the charity Disabled Afloat Riverboats Trust (DART), which offers group boating holidays for people with physical disabilities and learning disabilities, as well as their friends, families and carers. Paul says: “The good thing about canal boats is they don’t require strenuous effort. It’s a good way to provide an active holiday without being too tiring, and a chance for people to experience the outdoors. It’s also a great social experience and a chance to make new friends, as the passengers don’t generally know each other before the holiday. Lasting friendships have been formed, not just among passengers but also between passengers and crew.”

However, Paul believes that there is still more to be done to improve access to the canals: “In my opinion, the big problem is less to do with physical access and more to do with skills. Our holidays are skippered, but a lot of other organisations are self-steer, and people don’t know how to acquire the skills. There are also mental barriers to overcome - we offer risk assessments to residential homes and other professionals who might want to take the people they care for on a trip but are worried about things like ‘what if they fall in the water’ and so on. We can play a role in helping overcome people’s worries and fears.”

Sailing is also a great way for people with disabilities to enjoy the UK’s rivers and lakes. Robyn Griffith-Jones, a trustee of the charity RYA Sailability, says: “The great thing about dinghy sailing is that it can be enjoyed by people with any type of disability. I’ve seen the thrill of complete self-reliance as a ‘daytime’ wheelchair user leaves the pontoon and sets the sails. This is even more true in a race, where disabled and able-bodied are able to compete on equal terms.” Sailability has a site on the Regent’s Canal in Hackney, as well as 13 on rivers and 47 on lakes across the UK.

More disabled boating organisations

- The Bruce Trust, Kennet & Avon Canal
- ReachOut, Grand Union Canal
- The Accessible Boating Association, Basingstoke Canal
- Vale of Llangollen Canal Boat Trust, Llangollen Canal
- The Canal Boat Project, River Lee, River Stort, London waterways
- Docklands Canal Boat Trust, River Lee, River Stort
- Stockport Canalboat Trust, Peak Forest Canal, North-West waterways
- Seagull Trust Cruises, Falkirk, Kirkintilloch, Ratho and Inverness

Walking

Walking is another popular way to enjoy the canals and, while not all routes are suitable for people with disabilities, towpaths can often be flatter and more accessible than other footpaths. For people with disabilities who are looking to enjoy the waterway network, the problem can often be finding out in advance whether a route will be suitable. However, this information is becoming more readily available – many local councils provide information about accessible walks in their areas, and there are also dedicated websites where you can search for routes.

Marie Houlden, founder of the Walks with Wheelchairs website, says: “I truly believe that everyone should be able to get out and explore our beautiful countryside and this was the key reason for creating the site - it was apparent that there was simply not the information available. Getting out into the fresh air can be a great way to help with symptoms of illness and I felt it was essential to have a central and free resource that people could draw from.

“The best advice I can offer for walking with a wheelchair is making sure that the walk is suitable for your equipment and your own abilities - some people have standard wheelchairs and obviously a walk which is flat and on tarmac is preferable, while others have a more robust chair which can easily navigate tougher terrains, such as gravel canal tracks. Always ensure the walk has the facilities that you personally need, for example, a toilet with disabled access. Our site will always provide this information and will also say if you need a RADAR key.

“Over the last few years I have been really impressed with the number of individuals and organisations that have been working to improve access on walking routes and to educate the public about these routes. I think there is still a long way to go, but every year we see more and more routes added to the site and we hear of more walks that have now been made accessible.”

Accessible routes

- Kennet & Avon Canal, Devizes, Wiltshire (Provided by Walks with Wheelchairs)
- Royal Military Canal, West Hythe, Kent
- London Docklands, London
- Windermere’s Western Shore, Bowness-on-Windermere, Cumbria
- Around Golitha Falls, St Neot, Cornwall
- An audio trail for the blind and visually impaired is available at Hatton Locks

Fishing

Fishing can be a great sport for people with disabilities, and there are currently around 45,000 Environment Agency registered disabled rod holders, but it all depends on the facilities available at fisheries. Terry Moseley is the founder of the British Disabled Angling Association (BDAA), a charity which works to improve access to the sport. Terry says: “Angling is not just a sport, it’s a very therapeutic activity, and lots of people are trying to get into it – from former Paralympians who are looking for a new sport to soldiers wounded in Iraq or Afghanistan.

“Over the past 10 years, bodies such as the Environment Agency have really started to listen to our research and realise how many people would benefit if there were more facilities. We want fisheries to realise that it is not just about complying with the Disabilities Act – they can make more money by improving accessibility because there’s a real demand for it.”

For more information, visit the BDAA website.

Fisheries listed on Waterscape feature a symbol to indicate disabled access. However, it is advisable to contact the fishery beforehand to check exactly what provisions it has and whether they meet your specific needs. To search for a fishery go to our fishing pages.

Last updated: 07/06/2011