Two people enjoying a coastal path walk

Accessible holidays for guests with sight loss

Sight loss can make a holiday feel more challenging. At Our Bench, we’ve made small, thoughtful adjustments and gathered helpful local information to make your stay feel calmer, clearer, and more comfortable.

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Accessible Holidays for Guests with Sight Loss in the New Forest

At Our Bench, we welcome guests with a wide range of needs. Having a close family member with sight loss who is registered blind, we have gathered useful information and made small but meaningful adjustments to our holiday cottages and local guides to help make your stay easier and more enjoyable.

  • Familiar layout: Each cottage has a clear, consistent layout, and we’re happy to talk through the space before arrival so guests know what to expect.
  • Good lighting throughout: We aim for even, practical lighting in key areas such as kitchens, bathrooms and walkways, helping reduce glare and shadows.
  • Reduced trip hazards: We use contrasting surfaces throughout the cottages to make changes in flooring easier to identify.
  • High-visibility switches: Bedside lamps feature red handprint markers, making them easy to locate and operate without fumbling.
  • Guide dogs welcome: Assistance and guide dogs are welcome in all our holiday cottages. For details, please see our holidays with dogs page.
  • Digital-friendly information: Our guides and information can be shared digitally, making them compatible with screen readers and personal accessibility settings.
  • Large print options: Guest information can be provided in large print on request, either printed in advance or supplied digitally.

Local resources for guests with sight loss

We are fortunate in the New Forest area to have community services and resources that help guests with sight loss feel more included and connected.

Exploring the local area

  • Several local walks are well-surfaced and predictable underfoot. We’re happy to suggest routes that work well for guests with sight loss, depending on confidence and conditions. You may find our walking pages helpful. This Ramblers guide is an amazing resource for walking in nature.
  • Pedall - may give you the opportunity to feel the wind in your hair and go out on an accessible bike ride.
  • If you look at some of our attractions and places to visit - the fact that their wheelchair accessible means that there are less trip hazards, wider spaces and that they are easier to navigate which may give you confidence during your stay! Check out our explore section.

If you have specific questions or would like to talk through what would help you feel comfortable during your stay, we’re always happy to chat before you arrive. You can contact us online or just give is a call.

Finally An amazing App, not just for holidays!

If you do have a sight loss, or are interested in volunteering to make a difference to people with Sight loss - I can't recommend "Be My Eyes" enough - it is an app you can download on your phone - and do a live video call to a stranger who will help you if you are stuck and can't see. We are one of the volunteers who might answer, and so far I have helped a gentleman find a table in a busy restaurant by directing him through his phone, helped someone put press the correct numbers of a keypad, and helped someone see if their pool cleaner had actually got the leaves out the pool. NO names, no location is shared, but you get an instant free visual connection with a volunteer day or night - as there a global community - find our more: Be My Eyes       

If you have specific questions or would like to talk through what would help you feel comfortable during your stay, we’re always happy to chat before you arrive. You can contact us online or just give is a call.

Last updated: March 2026