If you’re looking for a wheelchair accessible holiday cottage in Scotland with a ceiling track hoist, height-adjustable profiling bed, and wetroom, then Clober Farm could be the perfect choice for you.
Clober Farm kindly offered us a two-night stay here in return for my honest review. I’m now excited to share my thoughts and tell you all about this accessible accommodation.
Clober Farm – Wheelchair Accessible Holiday Cottage
Clober Farm, previously a farmhouse, has been transformed into a three bedroom apartment in Milngavie, East Dunbartonshire. It provides a peaceful and relaxing place to stay, with a variety of amenities and features that cater specifically to the needs of disabled guests.
Clober Farm is owned and managed by the charity Spinal Injuries Scotland and was officially opened by their honorary president, HRH The Princess Royal, in 2012.
Nestled in a picturesque countryside setting, Clober Farm is a hidden gem located in the heart of the famous West Highland Way. It is only seven miles away from Glasgow city centre and close to Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park. This makes Clober Farm an ideal base for exploring Scotland.
Accessible Private Parking
We parked our wheelchair accessible vehicle in the private driveway directly in front of the main door of Clober Farm. The slabbed and monoblocked driveway can accommodate two vehicles and provides easy wheelchair access.
Entrance Hall
There is step-free access from the parking area into the house through the front door, which has an automatic door entry system.
The main front door brings you into the entrance hallway where there is a storage unit with a TV, DVD player, a selection of DVDs, and an iPod docking station. There is also a utility room with a washing machine, dishwasher, iron, ironing board, and clothes airer.
The entrance hall leads to the open-plan lounge, dining, and kitchen area to the left and the bedrooms and bathrooms to the right.
The hall lighting was good throughout, and the low-level sensor lights were useful at night when making our way to bed once the main lights were turned off. This would also be helpful for families or carers who may need to provide support during the night without disturbing anyone else by turning on the brighter lights. But also handy if you fancy a midnight snack.
Open Plan Lounge, Dining & Kitchen Area
The lounge, dining, and kitchen areas are in a large circular extension with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the beautiful private garden.
Although it’s open-plan, it does feel cosy due to the circular shape, especially in the evenings with the mood lighting.
Lounge
There is a two-seater sofa and two armchairs in the lounge for relaxing with family, reading a book, or watching TV.
But of course, when there is a beautiful garden to enjoy, you may want to spend your time enjoying it rather than being indoors. It’s easy to access the garden through the automatic patio doors in the lounge, but more on the garden later.
Another accessible feature in the lounge is the automatic blinds and windows, which can be opened and closed at the touch of a button. If only I had this feature in my home.
Moving around inside Clober Farm in my powerchair was easy due to the tiled flooring in the lounge/kitchen area, which had underfloor heating, and laminate flooring throughout the rest of the apartment. Manual wheelchair users should also find it easy to navigate, as there are no carpets.
Kitchen and Dining Area
The kitchen had everything we needed, including a microwave, oven, and toaster. There was also a kettle, cutlery, dinnerware, pots and pans, and cleaning products.
Plus the following accessibility features:
- Low-level fridge, oven and shelves
- Height adjustable worktop with induction hob and sink
We bought groceries from a local supermarket and cooked our meals during our stay. I enjoyed being able to sit in the lounge or at the dining table and chat with Allan while he cooked dinner.
There are plenty of supermarkets to choose from, including Waitrose, Aldi, Lidl, Morrisons, and Tesco. All are within a five minute drive from Clober Farm, so they are very handy for getting the food shop for your stay or picking up some essentials. Plus, there is a convenience store a short two minute walk away.
However, there are local restaurants if you fancy going out for a meal. And if you fancy a nice treat, try The Honeybee Bakery. We sampled some of their delicious baked goods that were kindly waiting for us on our arrival at Clober Farm.
The Bedrooms at Clober Farm
At Clober Farm, there are three bedrooms that can accommodate a total of six people. The rooms are roomy and well-lit, with thoughtfully arranged furniture that makes it easy to move around.
Master Bedroom
First up is the master bedroom, which features a height-adjustable profiling bed with an Invacare pressure relief air mattress. The height can be adjusted from 630mm to 1000mm.
There is also a single bed with elephant feet that raises the height to 28 inches.
A Liko 200 ceiling track hoist runs above both beds, but there is also a portable hoist available if you prefer or as a backup hoist in emergencies.
Access to the spacious master bedroom is via a wide door with an automatic door entry system, which provides independent access for wheelchair users.
The master bedroom also features a wall-mounted TV, a wardrobe, and two large windows overlooking the private driveway and gardens.
Double bedroom
Next door to the master bedroom is the double room with only one side of the bed easily accessible to my power wheelchair.
The bed height was 19 inches from the floor to the top of the mattress, with clearance underneath the bed to accommodate a portable hoist.
I have no doubt that you’ll have a nice sleep if you choose to stay in this room because the mattress felt a lot like memory foam and was super comfy.
Twin Bedroom / Carer Room
Last but not least, the carer room with twin beds is located at the other end of the hallway. Both beds are slightly different in height, one measuring 19 inches with space underneath for a hoist and the other measuring 25 inches but with no space underneath. The beds can easily be moved around to suit.
Accessible Bathrooms at Clober Farm
Ensuite wetroom
The master ensuite wetroom has a roll-in shower, a washbasin, and a toilet with space on the right-hand side for transfers. The height of the toilet from the floor to the seat is 16 inches.
Both fixed and hinged grab rails are positioned next to the shower and toilet. An emergency cord was next to the toilet.
There are two different types of shower chairs available; a self-propelled shower commode chair and an attendant shower chair with high back and neck support.
Family bathroom
There is a bath with an overhead shower in the family bathroom. The bath has a piece cut away at the bottom with space underneath, which some people may think is for a portable hoist to slide through, but that is not what it’s intended for.
Additionally, this bathroom has a washbasin, and the placement of the toilet enables transfers to the left side. There is an emergency pull cord next to the toilet, and the height of the toilet from the floor to the seat is 16 inches.
Accessible Private Garden
In addition to having a wheelchair-accessible interior, Clober Farm also boasts a stunning, landscaped, accessible garden. It was the perfect place to sit and relax, which is exactly what we did.
Wheelchair users can easily navigate the garden’s curved, monoblocked path, which is surrounded by fully-grown trees, bushes, and raised beds of varying heights. Several fruit trees, including apples and pears, are growing in the raised beds. We couldn’t resist picking a few apples ourselves and eating them.
Book a Holiday at Clober Farm
Spinal Injuries Scotland members can book a stay at Clober Farm directly on their website. Currently, non-members are advised to call the office (0800 0132 305) for the latest non-member prices and to book. Availability can also be checked on the website.
Final Thoughts on Clober Farm
Overall, we had a wonderful stay, and if you’re looking for wheelchair accessible holiday accommodation in Scotland, I highly recommend Clober Farm. Particularly if you need accommodation with a wetroom, height-adjustable profiling bed, and ceiling track hoist. All of that is available at Clober Farm. We were close enough to Glasgow’s city centre as well as the Trossachs National Park if we felt like taking an adventure. We had everything we needed for a relaxed getaway. I’m already looking forward to staying again.
Have you stayed at Clober Farm? If not, would you like to stay there?
Where Next: You Might Also Enjoy
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One Response
Hi Emma, bit behind catching up on your review of Clober Farm wheelchair accessible holiday cottage!! Looks really good, I know from trawling through numerous websites that this type of accessible holiday accommodation with the amount of equipment provided is rare.
As we have just had an accessible wet room completed for me I appreciate the cost involved to achieve such a high standard of equipment as they have supplied.