By Erica Crompton
Birds, beaches and the odd barnacle – Bridlington has it all. But it’s also one of the most accessible coastal towns in Britain. With its coastal charm and rare birds, we visited this month to test it out.
We started our day driving through the countryside, which to our delight was all flat, a geographical pleasure for wheelchair users. One of the nice things about East Yorkshire is that it blesses guests with countryside, city life and coastal towns all set in one place.
Our first stop was the Bondville Model Village. We took a second trip around, the first time we did a quiz which we took very seriously. And the second time we just enjoyed the scenes. It’s set on the coast and has a cafe with coffees and cakes. We only realised when we were driving away that the model village is based on real local businesses – shops, caring homes, marinas and train stations!
As we edged a little further north, along the coast, our next stop excited us just as much. We’d watched a Youtube clip on the Bempton Cliffs and plenty of fellow wheelchair users espoused its accessibility.
We weren’t disappointed. We had a tramper hired for the day – a sturdy off-road vehicle – which tackled the terrain of the cliff’s edges well. Bempton Cliffs is a RSPB site, so birds abound! We saw many, including the wonderful Guillemot, but even better, we spotted two little Puffins at the end of our walk along the cliffs. They must have been friends!
Before heading back to our hotel in Hull, through the bright lights of the Bridlington seaside resort, early that afternoon, we each had a salmon and cream cheese bap as a picnic amid the meadows that encompass the cliffs.
