Disabled Holidays in Scotland
Eildon Melrose Holiday Cottages are designed to provide disabled friendly holidays where disabled guests can enjoy a wonderful holiday in the Scottish Borders in the south of Scotland. The strength of the complex is that able-bodied and disabled guests can holiday together without differentiation. Book your perfect Scottish holiday today at Eildon Melrose where you can relax in our disabled friendly accommodation set amidst the best of the beautiful Scottish Borders countryside. From the moment you arrive and see our well designed wheelchair friendly accommodation and then move outside to check out the stunning views you will know you are on holiday!
Five of our six disabled friendly holiday homes are graded Category 1 – the best possible Tourist Board grading for wheelchair accessibility. This means that disabled guests can holiday alone independently, with family and friends, or with professional carers living in the cottage to provide the necessary support. We constantly strive to make our facilities better! When the holiday cottages were first built they won several awards for accessibility including best self catering for disabled people in Britain. In 2019 we were a finalist in the European Holiday Home Awards in the Best Accessible Holiday Home category. Our holiday cottages were designed specifically for wheelchair users. All shower rooms and bathrooms have grab rails and let-down rails beside toilets. There is also ample space for side-loading onto toilets.
Our six holiday cottages vary in size and layout but all have been designed with wheelchair accessibility in mind so we hope you will find one that suits your needs. Please have a look at the Accessibility Guides below for full accessibility information on each cottage
HOLIDAY COTTAGES WITH WETROOMS
Three of our cottages have wetroom showers with a choice of different shower chairs (Hamiltons (sleeps 2), Langrig (sleeps 6) and The Croft (sleeps 5))
HOLIDAY COTTAGES WITH HOISTS
We have two holiday cottages with ceiling tracking hoists (Langrig (sleeps 6) – weight limit 130kg, and Single Tree Cottage (sleeps 4) – weight limit 120kg). A portable hoist (weight limit 120kg) can be used in all cottages apart from The Granary (sleeps 4).
*Please note guests are asked to bring their own slings for the hoists (our hoists require looped slings), in addition we are unable to provide any training on the use of our hoists therefore ask that anyone wishing to use the hoists is familiar with their operation.
We have tried to think of everything to make your stay here more comfortable! All cottages apart from The Granary (sleeps 4) have one high back armchair. Rise and recline armchairs are available to hire.
Ground floor beds are manually height adjustable – if you need a specific bed height for easy transfer just tell us when booking.
The Borders General Hospital is less than 1 mile away.
A range of equipment is available to use, hire charges are applicable to some – please click here to see full details of equipment available and hire charges.
We want all of our guests to experience the best of the Scottish Borders. If you need some help planning your holiday or just want to get a feel for the area please have a look at the LOCAL AREA page for some ideas.
Accessibility Guides
ALL GROUND FLOOR AREAS ARE FULLY WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE
Level throughout the ground floors. No ramps or steps.
All doorways at least 780mm wide, most over 800mm.
Low-level switches for ease of use.
Low-level windows so wheelchair users can enjoy the fabulous views.
There is one high-back arm chair in each cottage, rise & recline armchairs available too.
Accessible kitchens with some low level worktops.
Accessible kitchen sinks and hobs.
All accessible bedrooms have the minimum required wheelchair turning space.
Overhead electric ceiling hoists are available in Single Tree Cottage (‘Freeway P-200’ Hoist, weight limit 120kg) and Langrig (‘Spectra’ Hoist, weight limit 130kg), Single Tree Cottage from bedroom to bathroom, Langrig from bedroom to wheel-in shower room.
Most downstairs beds are height adjustable (manual).
We have a range of accessible equipment available to hire
SHOWER CHAIRS AVAILABLE FREE OF CHARGE
Homely Feel
The accommodation has been designed to be homely and to have a “cottage” feel whilst incorporating the necessary equipment for the severely disabled in a non-clinical and unobtrusive way. There are five cottages which have at least one downstairs bedroom and bath or shower room and very special kitchens. In addition there is The Granary, a first floor apartment, which of course is not suitable for the less able but which nonetheless incorporates many of the special features of the cottages.
Easy Access
Access to the cottages and easy manoeuvrability within them is ideal for the disabled. Each cottage has its own single car parking space immediately outside the front door. There are no steps or ramps throughout. All cottages have 34” doorways and wide passages, accessible plugs and switches at wheelchair height and low windows. All taps (faucets) are lever taps and there are plenty of grab rails and kick plates. There are no low cupboard doors or wardrobe doors (we use curtains).
Kitchens
A two level system has been used in all the kitchens, with sinks, cookers and hob units at wheelchair level. Our kitchens are fully equipped with everything you need to prepare delicious home cooked meals and all have high quality Denby crockery. Cottages with bathrooms have ample side loading to the bath. Cottages with ground floor showers have wet room shower rooms – not cabinets. There are plenty of grab rails and drop down bars either side of the toilets and we have a range of shower/toilet chairs and other equipment available for guests to use.
Equipment
We provide a range of disabled equipment. Please click on the Equipment List highlighted in green above for available items and rental charges. Two of the cottages have optional overhead electric ceiling tracking hoists with continuous track to transport from bed to toilet and to bath (Single Tree Cottage – Freeway P-200) or shower (Langrig – Spectra). A mobile hoist is available for use in all five accessible cottages, and three of the cottages have a fixed ceiling trapeze pull. All equipment must be specifically hired and individually confirmed on the Booking Confirmation.
Beds & Towels
We provide all bed linen and towels, and duvets on the beds. All pillows and bedding is made from luxury microfibre so there’s no feathers. Most of our ground floor beds are height adjustable, just let us know what height you require the bed and we’ll ensure it is set up correctly for you.
There is an eco-friendly biomass central heating system and additional electric radiators are also provided in all bedrooms as a back up heating system or for guests who require additional heat. The unlimited use of the biomass central heating is included in the cottage price. No gas is used in any of the cottages. All of the cottages are designated non-smoking. Smoking is permitted outside the cottages and ash trays can be provided on request.
Special Equipment
We also provide other special equipment for disabled guests, as well as cots and high chairs for infants – see Equipment List highlighted in green at top of page.
We have a Visit Scotland (Scottish Tourist Board) listing of 4 stars (2 cottages) and 3 stars (4 cottages) and the highest accessibility grading of Category 1: suitable for wheelchair users travelling independently (5 cottages).
We are dog friendly, with well behaved dogs welcome in all cottages (additional charge of £20 per dog).