I’m a Celebrity…..Get Me To Wales!
We will admit to being a little over-excited about the return of ‘I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!’ but who can blame super-fans for being excited when the ‘I’m a Celebrity’ castle location is just a short drive away!
After lots of local rumours during the summer in 2020 that ‘I’m a Celebrity’ would be filmed at 200-year-old Gwrych Castle Estate near Abergele in North Wales, we hopped over for our first visit in August 2020, just before it was closing until the New Year. (You can read more about accessibility later in this post). The history and story of Gwrych Castle is absolutely fascinating, head over to the website and social media platforms to find out more (links below) and read about how the Gwrych Castle Preservation Trust are working tirelessly to restore the castle to it’s former glory.
If you can’t wait to follow in Ant and Dec’s footsteps and visit the I’m a Celebrity location when it re-opens to the public in 2022, take a look at these 5 accessible escapes within driving distance of the Gwrych Castle Estate. You can choose from hotel suites, glamping barns, caravans or seaside escapes. Gwrych Castle is located in the perfect spot between the beaches and mountains of North Wales and the fabulous sights of the Roman city of Chester, so you won’t be short of accessible adventures and excitement.
https://accessibleholidayescapes.co.uk/escapes/accessible-glamping-barns/
Snowdonia Glamping Holidays in the stunning Snowdonia National Park have 2 accessible boutique glamping barns, each with a large central woodburning stove separating the lounge from the comfortable superking bed, and children’s bunk beds tucked away behind a wooden wall. The luxury boutique bathrooms have a large freestanding bath with hand-held shower head, 2 washbasins (with 1 at a lowered wheelchair accessible height), a walk-in/wheel-in rainfall shower, and turning space for a wheelchair. The outdoor kitchen has a glass roof, firepit and beanbags with stunning views.
https://accessibleholidayescapes.co.uk/escapes/gwesty-seren-hotel/
Gwesty Seren Hotel is a luxury 10 bedroom hotel with in the beautiful Snowdonia National Park with stunning views, specially designed to provide a high quality holiday experience for guests with physical and learning disabilities to enjoy with family or carers. Gwesty Seren has accessible features including profiling beds, mobile hoists, wet-rooms, riser/recliner chairs, widened corridors, lifts, and spacious accommodation. Twin rooms, double rooms, interconnecting rooms and family suites are all available; and home-cooked food is freshly prepared in the kitchen and served in the fully accessible restaurant and bar area.
https://accessibleholidayescapes.co.uk/escapes/tyddyn-mon/
Ty Hendy on Anglesey is a new build wheelchair-accessible farmhouse, specially designed to offer luxury accessible holidays for up to 16 people (with 8 bedrooms), or 2 self-contained apartments for smaller parties (with 4 bedrooms). Both floors at Ty Hendy have open-plan kitchen/dining areas and living rooms, with the upper floor boasting a stunning living area with floor-ceiling windows (this floor is accessed via a rear entrance). Ty Hendy has a specially adapted bedroom and bathroom with mobile hoist. The farmhouse is set within tranquil gardens and countryside, with private parking.
Ty Hendy is situated on Tyddyn Mon, a 35 acre farm just a 10-minute walk away from the award winning Lligwy Beach. There are fabulous on-site attractions including a pottery and pancake house, soft play, children’s adventure playground, go-karts and meet the animals.
(Follow the link below to read about our day filming at Ty Hendy with ITV Wales News!)
https://accessibleholidayescapes.co.uk/3-minutes-and-10-seconds-of-fame/
https://accessibleholidayescapes.co.uk/escapes/north-wales-accessible-holidays-for-the-blind/
This beautiful caravan at Lido Beach Caravan Park in Prestatyn has been carefully adapted by the charity North Wales Accessible Holidays for the Blind and Visually Impaired (please note applicants for holidays in the accessible caravans must be registered blind or partially sighted). There are numerous adaptations and equipment that have been thoughtfully planned and provided such as a talking microwave, liquid level indicator, talking clocks, tactile dots and much more.
The caravan is based on a popular caravan park in North Wales with access to a sandy Blue Flag beach, and has a ramped verandah, spacious lounge with free-standing sofas (1 sofa bed), modern fully-equipped kitchen/dining area, double en-suite master bedroom, twin bedroom, and additional shower-room.
https://accessibleholidayescapes.co.uk/escapes/beachmount-bungalow/
Beachmount Bungalow is a newly renovated property located in a quiet location just 50 yards from the seafront in the popular seaside resort of Rhos-on-Sea. The bungalow has ramp access, level access and interior, and bathroom with walk-in bath, integral seat, overhead shower, and grab rails. It is a short level walk to the centre of this lovely village and seafront.
So how about accessibility at Gwrych Castle?
When we visited in August 2020 only limited sections of the castle itself were open to the public, but as progress is made on the restoration and it re-opens to the public in 2021 it will be lovely to see if more areas of the castle will become available to visit. No areas of the main castle are currently open to the public. When we visited we were able to drive to the blue badge parking area almost at the top of the castle (where we spotted a crane beginning work – see photo!), walk up a sloped narrow road, and along the top level taking in the sea views. Although it is mainly level there are some bumps and potholes, and it is a sloped road leading up from the parking area.
Just 2 of us visited the pretty gardens while the other 2 sheltered from the August wind and rain, and rested tired little legs. The gardens are mainly accessed via a steep grassed slope and narrow stone steps, but the access guide indicates that there is access to the garden by wheelchair, motorised wheelchair and if arranged with on-site staff, by vehicle – we will definitely be looking into this next time. At the moment only portable toilets are available, but an accessible toilet is available in the town of Abergele.
North Wales continues to be one of the top UK destinations for staycations, offering mountains, beaches, coastal paths, heritage sights, family attractions, and of course world-famous castles. It looks like another beautiful Welsh castle has now firmly placed itself on the map, and is likely to become another popular choice for tourists visiting North Wales in 2022….