Autism friendly

Autism friendly holiday cottages in Yorkshire

Broadgate Farm Holiday Cottages, nestled in the East Riding of Yorkshire, on the edge of the Yorkshire Wolds, 5 star Gold holiday properties, set amongst some of the UK’s most beautiful scenery.

And it is our passionate belief that our accommodation, along with the surrounding area, should be made as accessible to everyone as possible.

Autism friendly accommodation

When it comes to looking for accommodation suitable for someone with autism or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), we like to think we go that extra mile to ensure that everyone in your party is made to feel welcome.

Holiday cottage rental suitable for someone with autism

Whilst there is no formal accreditation available to indicate that a holiday cottage is autism friendly, our understanding of autism and previous experience of guests who have autism means that we have a first-hand appreciation of some of the adjustments we can make that can help improve a stay.

Take a virtual tour of our cottages before you book

Thanks to impressive camera work, you can take a virtual tour of our cottages (such as this virtual tour of Stables) before you book, so that you can double check they meet your requirements well in advance.

And once you have booked, we know that some people with autism really value revisiting these tours as a way of feeling familiarised with the property and completely prepared for the change in location.

Minimal noise and disturbance

Our gardens and grounds are kept beautifully maintained on a regular basis. However, we appreciate that some guests with autism prefer to have as little sensory stimulation as possible and that this includes unnecessary and unscheduled noise such as lawn mowers.

We can therefore happily rearrange to mow the lawns at a mutually convenient time, for instance, when you are out for the day.

Pared back décor

If it would help to pare back the décor within your cottage in advance of your stay, we can accommodate this.

It may be that you are worried about possible breakages if you have small children with autism. So we would be more than happy to remove all unnecessary, decorative ornaments.

Or one of your party may be a ‘sensory avoider’ and it may be that a bright patterned rug is simply the wrong colour and texture. Don’t worry. We’ll move it. All our cottages have layered lighting so you can choose a lighting level that will suit.

Downstairs bedrooms and bathrooms

Several of our cottages offer downstairs bedrooms and bathrooms, some with a wet room, with additional mobility aids such as portable toilet frames, shower stools and raised toilet seat freely available on request.

Safe, enclosed gardens

Each Broadgate Farm Holiday Cottage has its own enclosed outside space – perfect for taking in the sunshine and fresh air without worrying that someone in your party might wander off.

Whilst not all our garden gates are lockable, the latches are high enough to keep toddlers and small children safe. And if you need more security adding, just give us a shout in advance.

Free Wi-Fi

All our cottages feature free Wi-Fi, which means that everyone in your party can connect their favourite device to the internet the moment they arrive.

Perfect for helping the transition to a new environment.

Pet friendly accommodation

Some guests with autism have a dog, as a treasured pet and sometimes as an assistance dog.

Broadgate Farm Holiday Cottages welcomes up to two pets per booking. We have yet to meet a dog that doesn’t warmly approve of our underfloor heating!

Visit our farm animals

As a working farm, we have some farm animals that visitors to our holiday cottages can enjoy interacting with. These include our freely roaming chickens as well as sheep and pigs. Come at the end of March or into April and you will be among the first to see new born lambs.

All our cottages are equipped with binoculars and a book about the local wildlife reserves – so there’s plenty to keep everyone occupied!

Change to door locks

Recently the fire regulations relating to holiday cottages have changed and we now have to provide keyless exit from the cottage, we have had to change all the door locks so that from the inside of the building all guests can exit with just the turn of a thumb lock. We realise that this may not be ideal for some who have a family member with autism but we have to comply with the Fire Regulations. Some guests have considered bringing a pressure alarm mat.

Need help finding a Yorkshire holiday cottage suitable for someone with autism?

If you or someone in your party has autism and any additional needs that you would like us to take into consideration, then please do not hesitate to contact Elaine at Broadgate Farm Holiday Cottages.