East Yorkshire Countryside Directory for People with Disabilities second edition Whatever your needs, access to and enjoyment of the countryside is rewarding, healthy and great fun. This directory can help you find out what opportunities are available to you in your area. Get yourself outdoors and enjoy all the benefits that come with it… With a foreword by The Hon. Mrs Susan Cunliffe-Lister, HM Lord-Lieutenant of the East Riding of Yorkshire This directory was put together by people with a disability for people with a disability, though the places and information included will be useful to anyone. With a wealth of hidden treasures, East Yorkshire is often referred to as ‘Britain’s best kept secret’. Savour its traditions, stately homes, stunning nature reserves and colourful seaside life. East Yorkshire has many claims to fame; did you know, for example, that Britain’s tallest man came from Market Weighton, and that Hull is home to England’s smallest window? For people interested in wildlife and conservation there is much that can be done from home or a local accessible area. Whatever your chosen form of countryside recreation, whether it’s joining a group, doing voluntary work, or getting yourself out into the countryside on your own, we hope you will get as much out of it as we do. There is still some way to go before we have a properly accessible countryside. By contacting Open Country or another of the organisations listed here, you can help to encourage better access for all in the future. Revised March 2015. First published 2005 © Open Country 2015. All Rights Reserved Using the Directory Throughout the Directory you will see some symbols. These are to help you see what kind of facilities or information is available. Please also contact individual places to ask what they can offer people with disabilities. Key: Accessible parking is available P A wheelchair accessible toilet is available Scooters / wheelchairs are available for loan Large print leaflets are available A Braille guide is available Please see the map below as an indication of the areas mentioned: Contents 1. Walking and Outings 1 Breakfree 2 Clubs and Contacts 3 - 6 Easy Going Walks 7 - 10 Markets 11 - 12 Outings 13 - 20 2. Sports and Outdoor Pursuits 21 Clubs & Contacts 22 - 23 Outdoor Pursuits 24 - 30 Cycling 31 - 36 Fishing 37 - 40 Horse Riding 41 - 42 3. Wildlife & Conservation 43 Clubs and Organisations 44 - 46 Accessible Wildlife Sites 47 - 57 Local Nature Reserves 52 - 54 4. Volunteering 55 General Contacts 56 Volunteering in the Countryside 57 - 59 Countryside Employment 60 5. Useful Information 61 Community Transport 62 Public Transport 63 - 64 RADAR, Blue Badge and Wheelchair Hire 65 Shopmobility 66 Disability Links 66 Publications 67 - 70 Tourist Information Centres 71 Customer Service Centres 72 Websites Worth a Surf… 62 - 63 6. The Countryside Code 75 7. A bit about the authors and funders 76 Walking & Outings 1. Walking and Outings Breakfree 2 Walking Clubs and Contacts 3 - 6 Easy Going Walks 7 - 10 Markets 11 - 12 Outings 13 - 20 Breakfree Open Country have produced four Breakfree packs for Harrogate District, Nidderdale AONB and Wharfedale (web-based). Great for short walks, nature trails, children, cycles and people with disabilities. The packs have clear, colour maps for each place, with all the information you need to help plan your day. Call Open Country on 01423 507227 and we will gladly post them to you. Breakfree: get healthy and discover your local green space! 2 Walking Clubs & Contacts Active Hull Hull Sports Development, Andrew Marvel College, Barham Road, Hull, HU9 4EE Tel: 01482 331643 Email: [email protected] www.activehull.co.uk . Countryside Walks run every month on a Friday and cover between 6 and 8 miles across countryside paths and can be muddy. The walks meet outside Hull Truck at 09:30am and aim to be back in Hull for 2:30pm. The cost is £5 per person to cover the hire of the minibus. Nordic Walking takes place every Tuesday from East Park. Contact Lisa Hutson to book – 07952 483027. All sessions last for one hour and poles are available for hire. Bridlington Old Town Contact: Bridlington Tourist Information Centre Tel: 01482 391634 A leaflet, ‘Bridlington Old Town Trail’ gives details of the town’s living heritage. Countryside Access Team Contact: East Riding of Yorkshire Council Tel: 01482 395201 Email: [email protected] www.eastriding.gov.uk/countrysideaccess Contact the council to comment or complain on rights of way in the county. The team also run a variety of Countryside Events including guided walks, their brochure can be downloaded from: www2.eastriding.gov.uk/leisure/countryside-and-walks Disabled Ramblers www.disabledramblers.co.uk The Disabled Ramblers helps mobility-challenged people get back out into the countryside. Able-bodied helpers are welcome to support members and to help with loading scooters and other jobs. About 30 rambles are run each year across England and Wales – mostly from March to October. They ramble in all weathers and over a variety of terrain. The rambles are graded according to difficulty; some are suitable for shopping buggies and power chairs, whilst others need larger scooters capable of travelling over rough ground. For enquiries use the form on the ‘Contact Us’ page on their website. 3 Walking Clubs & Contacts East Riding Walking for Health Schemes Contact: Jennifer Lonsdale (Healthy Lifestyles Development Officer) Tel: 01482 392527 Email: [email protected] www.walkingforhealth.org.uk The scheme runs a series of free guided walks for all ages and abilities, aimed at anyone who has an interest in walking or wants to slowly introduce exercise into their daily routine. They offer a range of walks starting from 30 minutes to 2 hours. Currently there are 18 sites across the East Riding running the schemes with over 40 led walks per month. You can download a ‘Walking for Health’ brochure here: www2.eastriding.gov.uk/leisure/countryside-and-walks Hornsea Town Walks Tel: 01964 533443 Email: [email protected] www.hornseamuseum.com Hornsea Museum offers guided walks around the town. They are taken by two of their experienced and knowledgeable staff and held on a regular basis throughout summer. Contact the Museum for future dates. Hull and Beverley Guided Walks Contact: Paul Schofield Tel: 01482 878535 Email: [email protected] From April to October a variety of walks led by English Heritage accredited guides are available including, Old Town Walks and Ghost Walks. Open Country, Harrogate Contact: David Shaftoe Tel: 01423 507227 Email: [email protected] Open Country runs four different walking clubs and between them they should be suitable for most people. The Weekend Walking Group members have learning disabilities and mental health issues. They meet twice a month for cross-country rambles of about 7-9 miles. The Easy Going Walks group meets once a month for 2-3 mile walks along fully accessible paths, so the walks are suitable for everyone, including wheelchair users. During the week, we have two chargeable services – Walk on the Wild Side and our Weekday Walking Group. Contact us for further details. 4 Walking Clubs & Contacts The Ramblers 2nd floor, Camelford House, 87-90 Albert Embankment, London, SE1 7TW Tel: 020 7339 8500 Email: [email protected] www.ramblers.org.uk The Ramblers is Britain's walking charity, working to safeguard the footpaths, the countryside and other places people go walking, and to encourage more people to take up walking. They provide information and publications and promote walking for all throughout England, Wales and Scotland. There are several local groups across Yorkshire, each group has its own walks programme with walks ranging from easy to strenuous. You can search for a group near you: www.ramblers.org.uk/go-walking/group- finder.aspx Walking the East Riding www.walkingtheriding.eastriding.gov.uk A website that helps you to enjoy the varied countryside of East Yorkshire. Whether you’re an experienced walker or just fancy a Sunday stroll, you’ll find a route to suit your needs, with accessibility information for each walk. Yorkshire Wolds Way Contact: Malcolm Hodgson, National Trails Officer North York Moors National Park, The Old Vicarage, Bondgate, Helmsley, YO62 5BP. Tel: 01439 772700 Email: [email protected] www.nationaltrail.co.uk/yorkshire-wolds-way 5 Walking Clubs & Contacts This 80 mile long National Trail follows the crescent of the enchanting Yorkshire Wolds. There are no serious hills en route and the surfaces are generally stone or compacted short grass. Some of the walks follow a circular route whilst others are linear. There are 7 ‘Easy Access’ walks which you can download from the website. Permissive access http://cwr.naturalengland.org.uk Increasingly, permissive rights of access are created under the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) farm conservation schemes. On their website you can find details and maps of more than 1,800 walks and rides and areas of open access. Only a small proportion have access for all. Printed copies are held by some councils. These rights of access are often only for a few years, and more are being added. Currently there is only one DEFRA site with ‘Easy Access’ in East Yorkshire – RSPB Bempton Cliffs. See their website for further details. Open Access Tel: 0845 100 3298 (Open Access Contact Centre) Email: [email protected] www.gov.uk/right-of-way-open-access-land/use-your-right-to-roam Under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (CRoW), the public can walk freely on mapped areas of mountain, moor, heath, downland and registered common land without having to stick to paths.