- Disabled friendly self catering accommodation in the beautiful Scottish Borders
- Electric ceiling hoists installed in two of our cottages. Portable hoist also available
- Shower rooms are level access and not shower cubicles
- Kitchen is dual level allowing hob and units to be used from a wheelchair
- Ideally situated for Edinburgh, and for touring the Scottish Borders and Northumberland coastline
About Us
Winner of Holiday Care Service award for the best self-catering accommodation for disabled people in Britain, Eildon Holiday Cottages is situated in the beautiful Scottish Borders. The cottages are converted from Georgian stone farm buildings dating from 1830, originally part of the Duke of Buccleuch's estate. The cottages are owned and managed by Jill Hart, who lives on-site in Dingelton Mains farmhouse together with her husband, Tom, and their family. The farmhouse and cottages are built of Melrose stone, a lovely old-rose colour. The property lies 600 feet up on the northern side of the famous Border landmark, the Eildon Hills, with magnificent views over the Tweed valley to the Lammermuir and Moorfoot Hills beyond. Although quite privately situated at the end of a private road, with no through traffic, the cottages are only half a mile from Melrose, with its excellent shops and restaurants, and world-famous Abbey.
The cottages are ideally placed for touring the beautiful Scottish Borders countryside on traffic-free roads. From Melrose, buses run to Edinburgh and Newcastle, as well as to all local Borders towns and to the rail stations of Berwick and Carlisle. Edinburgh and the coasts of Northumberland and Berwickshire are all within an easy one-hour drive.
Eildon Holiday Cottages were originally designed from the realisation that it was impossible for families with disabled and severely disabled members to find any suitable disabled friendly self-catering holiday accommodation with facilities for all the family to take a holiday together. The strength of the complex is that able-bodied and disabled visitors can holiday together without differentiation. Alternatively, disabled people can holiday with their carers living in the cottage to provide the necessary support.
The disabled friendly cottages have been designed to be homely and to have that "cottage" feel whilst incorporating the necessary equipment for the severely disabled in a non-clinical and unobtrusive way. There are five cottages, all of which have at least one downstairs bedroom and bath or shower room and very special kitchens. In addition there is The Granary, a first floor flat, which of course is not suitable for the less able but which nonetheless incorporates many of the special features of the cottages.
Access to the cottages and manoeuvrability within them is ideal for the disabled. Each cottage has its own single car parking space immediately outside the door. There are no steps or ramps throughout. All cottages have 34 inch doorways and wide passages, accessible plugs and switches at wheelchair height and low windows. All taps (faucets) are lever taps and there are plenty of grab rails and kick plates. There are no cupboard doors.
Awards
We are proud to have won the following awards:- Winner of the Holiday Care Service award for the best self-catering accommodation for disabled people in Britain
- Winner of the Tourism for All award for the best facilities for disabled people in Scotland
- Special mention in National Civic Trust awards
- Central Borders’ Civic Trust Special Award for Excellence
- Scottish Tourist Board 4 star accreditation
- Holiday Care Service Category 1 – suitable for wheelchair users travelling independently
Bedrooms
Two of the cottages have fitted electric ceiling hoists with continuous track to transport from bed to toilet and to bath (Single Tree Cottage) or shower (Langrig). A portable hoist is available for use in the all five accessible cottages, and three of the cottages have a fixed ceiling trapeze pull.
We provide all linen and towels, and duvets on the beds. Many of the beds can be adjusted to differing heights. There is an oil-fired central heating system, but additional electric radiators are also provided in all bedrooms for added comfort. Electricity is separately metered and charged. No gas is used.Living Area
Spacious, open-plan living accommodation.Bathrooms
Each cottage has a bathroom or wheel-in shower room.
There are grab rails in bath and shower rooms and let-down rails beside WCs which have ample space for side-loading.Kitchen
A two level system has been used in all the kitchens, with sinks, cookers and hob units at wheelchair level.
Oven and hob controls are on the front of the units. Gardens
Hill walking and golf are available from the door of the cottages, and the beautiful Tweed river, which runs through Melrose, offers trout and salmon fishing. Melrose's 9 hole course is at the bottom of our private road on the approach to the cottages. From the cottages, there is a footpath down to Melrose which is part of the 100-kilometre St Cuthbert's Way that starts in Melrose and ends at Lindisfarne. Attractions
There is much in the area to interest historians, architects and gardeners. The Borders abounds with many fascinating places of interest, from Floors Castle, the home of the Duke of Roxburgh, to Abbotsford, the former home of the novelist Sir Walter Scott, which is less than 4 miles away. Accessibility Features
- Accessible Parking
- Level or Ramped Access to Entrance
- Accessible Toilet
- Accessible Bathroom(s)
- Wheel-in Shower(s)
- Accessible Bedroom(s)
- Disabled equipment available on-site
- Minimum Door Width 85cms
Location
Eildon Holiday Cottages
Dingleton Mains
Melrose
Roxburghshire
TD6 9HS
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Contact details
T: 01896 823258
F: 01896 823258
W: www.eildon.co.uk/
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