*Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Visit Scotland
Whilst staying in Fife we got to stay in two different
locations; Homelands Trust in Lundin Links and The Rings in Cupar. Both were
accessible self-catering places but they were very different.
Our first four nights were spent in the Cardy lodge at
Homelands Trust. Driving up to Homelands was an experience; both my boyfriend
and I shocked at how impressive it looked and couldn’t believe that is where we
were staying. We arrived at about 6pm and our keys were in a coded lockbox at
the side of our lodge which we had prior been given the code to.
Cardy is basically a two storey house that sleeps six; one
double/twin room upstairs, a twin bedroom downstairs and a pull-out double sofa
bed in the living room. The kitchen, living and dining area was all open-plan
with very modern fixtures and fittings with wooden floor throughout. I loved
the layout and design of the kitchen, it was very much my style; sleek, clean
and contemporary. It was also stocked with absolutely every piece of
kitchenware you can think of. As I am an ambulatory wheelchair user, and use
crutches I had no problems with the height of the counters but if you’re a full-time
wheelchair user, be aware that you may not be able to access some of the higher
up units.
The living area was really comfortable with a cosy sofa,
armchair and recliner that I spent my evenings in. This led onto patio doors
with a south facing garden overlooking the most beautiful view of the Lundin
golf course and coastline. Just off the living room with sliding doors there
was the twin room which had a standard single bed and an Invacare Medley Ergo
electric bed with Invacare Softform Premier Active 2 airflow mattress plus
Guldmann H-frame ceiling tracking hoist. The beds were really comfy and had
beautiful views of the surrounding landscape.
Upstairs there is a double/twin bedroom with a Velux Cabrio
balcony with incredible views. There’s also a bathroom with toilet and a shower
over the bath.
The Cardy lodge was a dream to stay in; it was so spacious with lots of turning room for wheelchair users and set in a beautiful location. There was disabled parking right outside the door and a garden specifically for dogs to use as a toilet. We loved our stay and would definitely return.
On Friday we left Homelands and headed on a fifteen minute
journey to The Rings in Cupar for our final two nights in Fife. Upon entering
the driveway, I was enamoured with the uniqueness of the cottage and how
seamlessly it meshed with the beautiful rolling hills and surrounding fields.
We were greeted by the wonderful Moira who showed us to the
Ruby studio apartment we would be staying in but also gave us a tour of the
rest of the cottage. The Rings is something like I had never seen before, it’s
totally flexible so you can book as many or as few rooms as you need. Up to
sixteen people can be accommodated and the wall between the two main living
areas can be moved to make one large open plan space. Each person/couple has
their own room with an en-suite bathroom and doors can be locked for privacy,
or not so family/friends can enter whenever they want. Some rooms also have
adjoining doors. The house can also be sub-divided to allow smaller groups. You
can see from the image below how The Rings can be split up. The whole place is
wheelchair accessible and on one level. Furthermore the decor caters for those
with sensory and visual impairments and it is sound proofed so you will not be
disturbed.
There are two studio apartments at The Rings and ours was
Ruby, a south-facing room with stunning views. It had its own entrance and mini
kitchen with cooker, hob oven, kettle and toaster. The entrance opened onto
decking which was all the way around the property ensuring a smooth surface for
wheelchairs and we could come and go as we pleased without disturbing anyone
else staying at The Rings.
There are two studio apartments at The Rings and ours was
Ruby, a south-facing room with stunning views. It had its own entrance and mini
kitchen with cooker, hob oven, kettle and toaster. The entrance opened onto
decking which was all the way around the property ensuring a smooth surface for
wheelchairs and we could come and go as we pleased without disturbing anyone
else staying at The Rings.
I loved how the apartment was laid out, with hooks on the
walls so not to take up space with a wardrobe, and inbuilt shelving that wasn’t
protruding but giving more storage. There was also a wall-mounted table that
folded away but gave a wheelchair user a desk area if they needed. There were
so many little added touches that you could tell had really been thought about
to make things easier for disabled people.
We were meant to come home on Sunday but Moira asked us to stay an extra night as her guest and we jumped (okay, I didn’t literally jump because I’d probably injure myself) at the opportunity. It was so incredibly kind of her and it gave me the rest day that I needed before travelling back the next day. It also allowed Teddy to play in the large, enclosed garden on the property, which you can read more about in my post about Dog Friendly Fife.
We’d love to return to The Rings, it was so peaceful and relaxing. I highly recommend you check it out.
For accessible accommodation, Fife is definitely doing it
right and it’s always great to have options. If you’re planning to visit, you
should definitely stay at either Homelands or The Rings, I highly recommend.
*Disclaimer: This post is sponsored but all views are my honest, unbiased
opinion.
Both places look so pretty and accommodating, also sounds like you really enjoyed yourself and thats what matters most xx
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing this, I’d been googling accessible accommodation in Scotland & wasn’t really getting anywhere until I found your blog posts. These both look brilliant & perfect for me too, I love your photographs too, really helpful & they show both places really well. Absolutely excellent thank you! ZoĆ« xxx (www.mammafulzo.com)
ReplyDeleteI grew up in Cupar, so these places are my home - it seems so odd to see someone on holiday there, but it does look so so nice!
ReplyDeleteErin || MakeErinOver
Hi Erin, we would love to welcome you to The Rings if you are thinking of coming back for a visit, not sure when you stayed in the area, we have been here 30yrs...lots of things happening in the area, we have Open Studios the May holiday weekend and due to a cancellation have availability.
ReplyDeleteLooks so so good Sarah! I'm glad you enjoyed your stay! I really love the fact that it doesn't look clinical, just a nice clean & modern place to stay! I'd definitely look these guys up for an accessible break! The Rings sounds so LoTR hahaha
ReplyDelete(also yaaaas for sponsored posts!)
Niamh | http://www.niamhgabrielle.co.uk/
Really interesting to see the accommodation from an accessibility point of view! I live a bit further North in Aberdeen and we’re looking to travel within Scotland more with our kids this year. Although I don’t need to worry about accessibility as such I’ll definitely bear both of these in mind
ReplyDelete