October: sometimes there is nothing left in the tank
A conversation with guests has stayed with me this month. They told me that so much of their energy goes into caring that sometimes there is simply nothing left in the tank to fight another battle with access.
One of the reasons they had felt confident booking Our Bench wasn't just our accessible cottages or the specialist equipment we provide. It was the amount of information we share.
They felt that by being open about our facilities, and also sharing what we discover about wheelchair access around the New Forest, we understood some of the challenges they might face.
They didn't have to start every conversation by explaining why something mattered.
That really brought together much of what I have been doing this month.
I ask a lot of questions. Not because I am trying to catch businesses out, but because many of our guests don't have the energy to keep asking them.
Exploring accessible activities in the New Forest
One of the best ways I can help our guests is to go and look for myself.
Recently I spent time with PEDALL at Burley Yard, and this month I turned what I learnt into a detailed guide to accessible cycling with PEDALL in the New Forest.
PEDALL is slightly different because inclusion is at the heart of what they do. They have a fantastic range of adapted cycles, including options for people who need more support and a platform cycle that allows someone to remain in their manual wheelchair.
What I really wanted to understand was the practical stuff: parking, surfaces, toilets, transfers, weight limits and what actually happens when you arrive.
And then there is possibly the best bit – from their Burley base you can head straight onto the New Forest cycle network. It isn't an accessible activity created away from everything else. It is a way of getting people into the New Forest.
I share my experience: Pedall New Forest
New Forest Activities - facilities I didn't know existed.
I also spent an afternoon with New Forest Activities, looking at archery and watersports from the perspective of someone with mobility challenges.
They already welcome people with a wide range of additional needs and are confident about adapting activities. They also knew they needed better accessibility information on their website. They just weren't quite sure where to start.
Then they showed me their beach wheelchair and they explained how they had used it to help someone cross the field to the archery area and to reach the water for a transfer
I didn't know they had one.
How many other people don't know either?
People simply need to be told about it.
It is a perfect example of something I keep discovering. Sometimes a business doesn't need another expensive adaptation. The equipment, knowledge and willingness are already there.
Our New Forest Activities accessibility review now shares what I discovered, including the good bits and the limitations I think someone would want to understand before booking.Then our guest showed us something too
It isn't only other businesses I learn from.
This month one of our guests sent us an amazing video showing how she actually used Little Bench.
She showed the Parnell bed rails she had requested, using her wheelchair in the wet room, the additional equipment that helped during her stay and how our kitchen worked for her. She told us that her husband had a bit of a treat because, while staying here, she could cook and wash up – things that couldn't be facilitated in quite the same way at home.
That might sound very ordinary.
But that is exactly why I loved it.
Accessibility isn't always about doing something extraordinary. Sometimes it is having the right environment and equipment to do the everyday things you want to do.
Watching somebody genuinely use the facilities also teaches us far more than looking at an empty wet room and describing its measurements ever could. You can watch our guest videos here.
Our guests don't just use what we provide. They continue to teach us what matters and give us the opportunity to learn from them.
Talking about inclusive Tourism
I also did something slightly outside my comfort zone this month – I appeared on the Exploring Inclusive Tourism podcast.
We talked about Our Bench, accessible accommodation and something I have become increasingly passionate about: accessibility starts before someone arrives. If somebody cannot find enough information to decide whether they can park, get through the door, use the toilet or participate, they may never arrive for you to discover there was a solution.
You can listen to my Exploring Inclusive Tourism conversation here.
It was slightly surreal hearing myself talking about things that have gradually become such an important part of what I do, but hopefully it will raise more awareness.
Award nominations - but can everyone attend the awards?
October also brought some lovely recognition for Our Bench.
We are finalists for Outstanding Customer Care in the New Forest Brilliance in Business Awards, and we have also been shortlisted in two Hampshire Business Awards.
We are really proud of both, but the awards have also made me think about accessibility from a slightly different perspective. These events aren't about our guests. They are about businesses and the people who run them.
And disabled people run businesses too – something we know from Our Bench's own story
Business events need accessibility information too
TheNew Forest Business Partnership encourage you to contact them about any access requirements, and their event was split over two venues - I know Brockenhurst College but someone who doesn't know it would need to look. The College does provide useful accessibility information within its Local Offer, including wheelchair access and dedicated hoisting, changing, showering and toilet facilities, but you have to find it, and it is not straight forward on their web site.
The celebration after party venue gave me quite a surprise - Careys Manor has a comprehensive accessibility page. It explains accessible parking and routes into the hotel, wheelchair access to the conference rooms and far more information about SenSpa than I had expected.
There is a hoist for the main swimming pool and another for the hydrotherapy pool.I had looked for information about their spa facilities before and found very little. This is information I now want to explore further because it could potentially be useful to Our Bench guests as well as people attending a business event, as we get asked about the nearest hydotherapy pool and now we can say with confidence this is just 6 miles from us.
The facilities may have been there all along. I simply didn't know. Having met the Careys Manor team at various business events and talked about what they offer, it is great to see this information now being shared.
My experience with the Hampshire Business Awards has been less straightforward. I couldn't find enough accessibility information about attending the awards evening, so I asked. I was put in touch with the hotel and received information about booking an accessible bedroom. But I hadn't asked for a bedroom. I wanted to know whether I could attend the event. It reminded me of something I wrote about in my September wheelchair access round-up. A disabled person might visit a hotel for dinner, a wedding, a conference, a networking event or an awards ceremony without ever needing to sleep there. It is so important to answer the question that is actually being asked
With the cost of us attending the evening coming to more than £500, we have decided that money is better invested back into our cottages than spent on a black-tie evening. We are still incredibly proud to be finalists. But I think organisations whose purpose is to bring businesses together should be thinking about all the business owners they want in the room – and, if there is a stage, whether everyone can access it.
Sometimes “not wheelchair accessible” is also useful information
Two of the events I joined this month were walks. Neither claimed to be wheelchair accessible. And that is absolutely fine. Both gave information about the length of the walk and warned about terrain and mud. That information lets somebody make a decision.
One walk formed part of an autumn programme in the New Forest and gave me another chance to talk with local businesses about what the Forest already does well.
The New Forest is relatively flat compared with many destinations. There are miles of tracks, including routes on compacted gravel, accessible walking routes and Changing Places facilities in key locations.
There are opportunities here. We just need to make them easier to discover. And everyone involved has a part in that.
The other walk started at Hockey's Farm, with an amazing breakfast and a fascinating talk - it also gave us the chance to Talk to the owners Johnny and Laura about what our guests love about Hockey's farm and why we recommend it.
Their is a farm shop, café, animals to see and a large accessible toilet, there is compressed gravel in the car park, beach gravel and a step into the conservatory part of the cafe - but the main cafe is accessible to wheelchairs, and both areas have a choice of sturdy seating. An AI search for an access statement eventually uncovered an older blog article saying that they regularly welcome supported-living groups and retirement homes, have worked to make the site mobility friendly, provide space for wheelchairs and keep walkways clear.
They told us they are creating an Access Statement. When we chatted to the owners, Laura and Johnny, they had questions about why it mattered and whether, for example, their car park was ‘good enough’. We explained that an Access Statement doesn't need to say everything is perfect. Simply saying that the car park is compacted gravel gives visitors useful information and allows them to decide whether it works for them
Accessibility information reduces the work
That brings me back to the conversation with our guests.
They didn't need us to make the entire New Forest accessible.
They needed confidence that we understood they might already be doing a huge amount of planning, caring and problem-solving before their holiday even started.
Good accessibility information isn't about promising that somewhere will work for everyone.
It is about giving people enough honest information to decide for themselves. And perhaps that is the biggest thing October has reinforced for me:
Inclusion shouldn't depend on the person with the access need having enough energy left to ask.
I'll keep asking the questions, visiting places and sharing what I learn.
Because if it saves one of our guests having to fight one more unnecessary battle with access, it is worth doing.
More about wheelchair accessible holidays in the New Forest
You can explore more of our Accessible New Forest guides, including wheelchair-friendly walks, accessible days out, parking, Changing Places toilets and first-hand reviews of local attractions and activities. And if you are considering a stay at Our Bench, our detailed Access Statements and equipment information are there to help you decide whether one of our three accessible holiday cottages near Lymington will work for you.
Last Updated: November 2026