Places to visit on an accessible break in Buckinghamshire

Chiltern Open Air Museum specialises in local buildings from the Iron Age to the mid-20th century, including a teeny tin church and a prefab. It’s a great way to soak up history while enjoying the great outdoors. The accessible trail meant I could see many of the reconstructed historic buildings at this well-planned site with ramps and accessible loos.

All spaces at Griffiths Brothers Distillery, housed in a 1930s aircraft factory, are fully accessible. So you can try beautifully crafted cold-distilled gins or a dram – or two – of rum and learn about how two brothers started this family business deep in the Chiltern Hills.

The Nags Head, a 15th-century red-brick coaching inn near Great Missenden, steals your heart from the outside. Step inside the cosy oak-beamed space with its crackling log fires and you’ll fall in love all over again. Every dish on the menu is tempting, but the beer-battered haddock with chips and peas is a winner. There’s disabled parking with a ramped entrance.

Everyone’s favourite children’s author lived in Buckinghamshire for most of his life. The Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre was established near his home in Great Missenden, so that his legacy could live on. Learn all about Dahl and his weird and wonderful characters – see if you can spot a BFG along the way! There’s a dropped kerb, level access and an accessible toilet.

Relax and recharge in splendour at The Compleat Angler, a characterful Marlow hotel on the River Thames. As if the plush, flower-filled rooms weren't tempting enough, there’s also Sindhu restaurant, helmed by double-Michelin-starred chef Atul Kochhar.  Crowd-pleasing dishes such as spiced monkfish and raw mango curry just keep on wowing. All public areas are wheelchair accessible; there’s also accessible accommodation in one ground-floor bedroom with wider doorways, a lowered sink, toilet and bath.

Stroll around the grounds of Hearing Dogs for Deaf People’s Southern Training Centre while learning about the charity and its important work, training hundreds of puppies a year to help deaf and hard of hearing people. The Grange Restaurant is an accessible, inviting place to drop by for breakfast waffles, Cornish fish pie for lunch or afternoon tea.

Spend an afternoon at Rumsey’s in the cute-as-a-button market town of Wendover, where you can learn how to make your own chocolates using sustainable cocoa. This family-owned, wheelchair-accessible sweet spot also serves churros and – of course – chocolates, so you can feast once you’ve learned. Their truffles are outstanding.

I hope you’ve left space for lunch at The Chiltern Brewery, housed in a converted barn with level access, just outside Wendover. Stock up on well-presented cans of crisp Chiltern lager or oatmeal stout. Next, enjoy lunch at the nearby historic King’s Head – also part of the brewery – on locally sourced roasts and ale-infused dishes such as steak and ale pie. There’s level access and accessible lifts and toilets, with uneven ground in places.

Right next door to the world-renowned spinal hospital, Stoke Mandeville, the National Paralympic Heritage Trust Centre is possibly the world’s smallest museum. That said, it’s packed to the brim with information about the Games and the man them, Professor Sir Ludwig Guttmann. This wheelchair-accessible activity is a must-do in Buckinghamshire. behind Don’t leave without holding the Paralympic Torch.

This French Renaissance-style château was built over a century ago by Baron Rothschild to give Louis XIV a run for his money. Waddesdon Manor's turrets and spires jut against the Bucks skyline; art by Gainsborough and Dutch masters hangs among the richly decorated interiors. Then there are the gardens, set with parterres and spouting fountains. Stop at the light and airy Stables Café for al fresco coffee and cake. You’ll find accessible loos and parking amid the grandeur.