WHEELCHAIRS – Ease of access to the boat
Wheelchair Access – ‘Princess Charlotte’ and ‘Rosie’
With the addition of ‘Princess Charlotte’ an Eco-Solar Electric Catamaran with a flat deck, for private tours and group bookings, Camboats are able to offer wheelchair users direct access to this boat. This access is mainly available from The Plough at Fen Ditton. Some of our other departure points might be able to accommodate wheelchairs – subject to the shore-based access. When booking a private group tour, please make it clear if you have a wheelchair user in your group. This is to ensure we can allocate the correct boat for your booking and advise you of the best start point for the trip.
Both boats can accommodate wheelchairs aboard where the user is semi-mobile and the wheelchair can then be stowed aboard during the trip.
Direct wheelchair access to a boat can also be available for some of our public trips, mainly at weekends (and weekdays Peak Season) from The Plough at Fen Ditton. Please check in advance, as public trips can be subject to change – see the Public Trips pages for the most up-to-date timetable.
Due to the design of narrowboats there are three steps down into the passenger cabin of ‘Rosie’ with good handrails for support.
These are manageable by those semi-mobile, however it does create a barrier for people who are unable to negotiate them. To this end we are looking into adding a scissor lift to ‘Rosie’. The lift will be in the bow section accessible from both sides of the boat.
We have had a few initial quotes and the price is over £10,000 which is why we have not been able to fund the installation ourselves to date. Upgrading ‘Rosie’ will create the perfect access to the river environment. As well as adding the scissor lift, we will be looking to upgrade the toilet facilities to equal access too, so the overall project needs to raise getting on for £15k !
Steps to passenger cabin onboard ‘Rosie’ narrowboat
If you are able to donate to the crowd funding we are setting up, or know of any charities or companies willing to assist in the fund raising please contact us with details.
Email: wheelchair @ camboats.co.uk or call: 07706 734763
We can then send you the information for donations.
