Accessible holidays in Devon for older and disabled visitors

Plenty of Devon's cottages and hotels describe themselves as accessible, and the word covers a wide range. A cottage with one step at the door may be fine for somebody who walks with a stick and impossible for a wheelchair user, so ask for the details rather than relying on the label.

For many years the National Accessible Scheme run by VisitEngland gave places a rating such as M1, M2 or M3 for mobility. VisitBritain says the scheme closed to new participants and ended on 31 July 2025. You may still see the old logos, but they are no longer renewed. VisitBritain now encourages businesses to publish an accessibility guide instead, describing what the place has. If there is none, the questions below will get you the same information by email.

Some places have also been surveyed by AccessAble, which publishes detailed access guides written by its own surveyors, and Euan's Guide carries reviews written by disabled people and their families. Visit Devon's accessible Devon pages list accommodation with adapted rooms, and Tourism for All, a national charity, gives information on accessible places to stay across the UK.

Think about where in Devon to stay, too. A base near Exeter, Plymouth or Torbay keeps a hospital, a pharmacy and several level days out within a short drive. A cottage deep in the countryside is quieter, but every outing starts with a longer drive. Holidays for an older person with limited mobility in the UK covers how to choose a base more generally, and the guide to holidays with an older relative who needs care covers the planning as a whole. If you are thinking of going further west, accessible holidays in Cornwall covers the county next door.

1. 1

   If you go by train, book Passenger Assist

   At least 2 hours ahead

   National Rail says train companies accept assistance bookings up to 2 hours before the journey, at any time of day, though earlier is better. Staff can meet you, help with ramps and luggage, and see you to your seat and off at the other end.
2. 2

   Check the stations and buy the right railcard

   Before you travel

   The National Rail station pages list step-free access, lifts and toilets for each station. A Disabled Persons Railcard gives a third off for your relative and one adult companion on the same journey, which can include a carer.
3. 3

   If you drive, plan the stops and the parking

   The day before

   Plan a break every couple of hours and know where the accessible toilets are on the route. Take the Blue Badge, and check parking at each place before you set off, because car parks set their own rules.
4. 4

   Know how to see a doctor while you are away

   On arrival

   In England a GP practice can register your relative as a temporary patient for up to 3 months. For anything urgent outside surgery hours, call NHS 111.

See National Rail's Passenger Assist page, the National Rail station pages, the Disabled Persons Railcard and the NHS guidance on registering with a GP surgery. If your relative needs to use the toilet on the way, the National Key Scheme key opens many locked accessible toilets across the country, and the Changing Places map shows toilets with a height-adjustable adult changing bench and a ceiling hoist, which a standard accessible toilet does not have.

Once you arrive, a car gives you the most freedom, because many gardens and country houses are outside the towns. Allow more time than a route planner suggests, as many country lanes are narrow. Visit Plymouth and the English Riviera, the tourist board for Torquay, Paignton and Brixham, publish accessibility pages with local parking, toilets and services, and Visit Exeter covers the city.

The list mixes indoor places for a wet day with gardens, parks and two seafronts, grouped by the part of Devon you might stay in.

Several of these let a carer in free when they come with a disabled visitor, as the cards show. One outing a day, with a rest in the afternoon, leaves your relative less likely to be worn out by the third day. There are more checked places on the county pages: days out in Devon, days out in Plymouth and days out in Torbay.

Details are on Exmouth Town Council's beach wheelchair page and Countryside Mobility's site, which lists its hire locations. Check booking and charges with each directly, because they change with the seasons.

Keep outdoor days short: park close, walk or wheel for as long as it is pleasant, and stop for tea before anyone is tired. Weather on the moor changes quickly, and the coast path is far steeper than the promenade beside it, so keep to the routes that are described as level.

A carer can travel down with your relative and stay for the whole holiday, so the rest of the family can enjoy the week too. The carer is paid one price for the whole trip, which you agree with them before anything is booked. The table compares asking a carer your relative already knows with finding someone new.

If your relative already has a carer they like, ask them first whether they would consider coming away. They know the routine, and your relative will settle faster with a familiar face. If not, describe the trip in the form below. It asks for the dates, the destination, what the carer would do and where your relative lives, so the carer can be someone from near home who travels down with them. Can you take a carer on holiday with you? covers what to agree with the carer, and taking a live-in carer on holiday covers the live-in arrangement.

The carer needs their own bedroom, ideally close to your relative's, and time off each day. Plan when the family will take over, so the carer can rest and your relative is never left without help. If the carer will drive your relative around Devon, agree that in writing as part of the quote too.

PrimeCarers is an introductory service, not a care agency. Carers are self-employed and agree the work with you directly. Before a profile appears, each carer has passed an identity check, a right to work check, an enhanced DBS check (PVG in Scotland, Access NI in Northern Ireland) issued within the last 2 years, and an online interview. Separately from these checks, for visits booked through PrimeCarers we arrange insurance cover for the carer, depending on the policy terms, eligibility and exclusions, so check that it covers the work you agree, including work away from home. We do not check qualifications, training or references, and the reviews and references on a profile are not verified by us, so ask the carer about the experience that matters for your relative. How we vet carers explains the checks.

Under the standard contract, a booking that you cancel is payable in full unless the reason is unplanned hospitalisation, illness or a reason the carer agrees to. If the holiday may change, talk this through with the carer before you book. If it is the family carer who needs the break, holiday cover while you are away explains how a carer can stay with your relative at home instead.