Having a mobility scooter can provide a new lease of life every day, but some vehicles can help you go a little bit further.
On the one hand, it is great to have a scooter that can get you out and about, down your street and into town, getting you to the shops, the park, local café and whatever amenities may be in your area. It can also enable you to reach the local bus stops and railway stations to take you further.
However, there is a point where you may find that there are some constraints on where you can go. A paved street or a tarmac road is one thing, but can you get up steep hills? Or move over rough terrain? If your local area is more rural and hilly, with some rugged ground nearby, an off-road scooter may be just what you need.
This could be true for some people living not far from our base in Macclesfield. What gets you around a town in Cheshire may not be so useful to the east as the land rises from the Cheshire Plain to the Pennines, and you enter the rugged, hilly terrain of the Peak District National Park.
Peak Performance
Britain’s wonderful countryside is there for everyone, not just the able-bodied. There are plenty of places designed so any mobility scooter could get down them, but an off-roader can take you so much further.
For instance, in the Peak District you could happily trundle down the Monsall Trail alongside the walkers and cyclists, taking advantage of the easy terrain of the old railway line to enjoy miles of scenery, fresh air and the fun of going through its tunnels.
However, getting around on some of the surrounding terrain might be rather more challenging. For example, if you make it all the way to Bakewell at the southern end of the train, an all-terrain scooter could help you get up the mound of the town’s Saxon motte and bailey castle.
The same is true in other national parks as well. Take the Lake District. With England’s highest mountains and largest lakes, this is not exactly easy terrain to get around on two wheels unless you have a bit of extra power.
Miles Without Stiles - If You Have The Power
However, you can certainly get around some locations by wheelchair or scooter, as highlighted by the national park’s Miles Without Stiles web page, which provides a list of great places to visit using mobility scooters or wheelchairs.
If you visit the popular town of Keswick, for instance, any class 2 or 3 mobility scooter could get you by the lakeside to enjoy the stunning viewpoint of Friar’s Crag.
Nearby, the old railway line path to Threlkeld was not just fully restored and reopened in 2020 after losing several bridges to Storm Desmond, but now made perfect for those on mobility scooters and wheelchairs as well as for pedestrians.
Some routes may be a little more challenging, however. For example, the Latrigg Mobility route offers a chance to climb one of the Wainwrights, those fabled 214 fells listed by the writer Alfred Wainwright in his seven pictorial guides he produced in the 1950s and 60s.
The path includes a viewpoint close to the summit with a superb view over Keswick, Derwent Water and the mountains beyond, but the route does come with a warning from the national park authority, which states that the route is not recommended for people operating their own wheelchairs.
It adds: ”If using mobility equipment, please be sure that this is capable of climbing the slopes and that you are able to control your descent.”
The Buttermere Test
Another testing route may be the Buttermere Lakeside walk. This is popular with families because it is easy on foot, but one section is described as “for some”, meaning those wanting to take the trickier option will need a more robust vehicle.
There is also the small matter of the lakeside tunnel cut out of the rocky outcrop that would otherwise prevent easy access along the shoreline, which may be a little tricky for some vehicles.
Considerations like this will apply all over the country, wherever there is rough ground, whether in mountainous national parks or even just in places with gentler terrain that still requires some significant off-road capability, such as the chalk downs of southern England or many a riverside path.
Now that summer is upon us, many people will be heading to the countryside to make the most of the weather and enjoy some great fresh air and scenery. With the right kind of scooter, you could join them on many outings, or experience plenty of adventures on wheels by yourself.
