Middle Dean Holiday Cottages in North Devon have been built and designed to allow guests with disabilities to enjoy a holiday with their friends and family.
The ground floor of both The Old Piggery and Orchard View are all on one level with easy access from outside into the main open plan living area, as well as out to the garden and terrace. There is also a concrete downloading area by the main cottage door and once inside the wood floors throughout help with wheelchair accessibility. Another touch that helps guests in wheelchairs to get around more easily is the correct height door handles.
The downstairs bedroom of both cottages is large and spacious with room around the bed to accommodate a wheelchair if required. If needed, raisers, which can be hired locally (contacts available on request) can be used to raise the double bed, allowing a hoist to be used. Risers can also be used in the lounge for an armchair. In case of a fire the downstairs bedroom is close to the main entrance allowing for easy exit.
The en-suite bathroom attached to the ground floor bedrooms in both cottages is also fully accessible. The bathroom has non-slip tiles, as well as a wheelchair accessible shower with seat and hand rail. The basin is designed to allow a wheelchair user to access it without having anything underneath it and it is fitted to a certain height. The toilet has been similarly designed, as it is higher than normal with handrails fitted around it to allow guests to use it safely. It is also possible to reach the wash-basin from the toilet. Other design features of the bathroom include a height appropriate storage cupboard and heated towel rail. Finally, in the bathroom there is an alarm pull cord reaching to the floor, when pulled this sounds an alarm and triggers a red light in the kitchen of the cottage.
From the lounge area a ramp with a shallow gradient can be used to allow wheelchair users access to the patio area, which is completely level and has lots of space to manoeuvre. The patio leads directly onto a level grass area, which in The Old Piggery has been finished with artificial grass complete with drainage underneath to stop it becoming muddy and unusable; Orchard View has normal grass in its garden.
