Woodland walks are a popular day out, but forest tracks can be uneven, steep or muddy for a standard mobility scooter. Forestry England, which describes itself as managing the nation’s forests, publishes guidance on easy access trails, all-terrain scooter hire and accessible facilities. This guide summarises what its pages say, using two forest examples, Wendover Woods in Buckinghamshire and Dalby Forest in North Yorkshire. It applies to Forestry England sites in England only. Details such as prices, hours and booking arrangements are set by each forest, so the local page should always be checked. This is general information, not a booking guarantee.
Easy access trails
Forestry England says its easy access trails have easy terrain and no physical barriers, such as stiles, which makes them suitable for pushchairs, wheelchairs and other mobility aids. Its trail page describes them as suitable for wheelchairs, all-terrain mobility scooters and pushchairs, and offers a map search for a trail near a postcode. Trails listed include the Discovery Trail at Rendlesham Forest, the Glade trail at Beechenhurst, the Mallards Pike Path, the Pinetum trail at Bedgebury and the Play trail at Wendover Woods.
The phrase "easy access" describes the trail rather than the whole visit. A scooter user still needs to check the car park surface, the distance from parking to the trail start and the toilets. Forestry England says each forest’s page has a facilities and access section, and that the details of accessible parking, toilets and hire are shown on it.
All-terrain scooter hire
Forestry England says all-terrain mobility scooters, such as Trampers, are easy to use and can tackle a range of surfaces and gradients in wet or dry weather, and that a visitor does not have to be registered disabled to hire one. It says forests offer hire through the Countryside Mobility or Outdoor Mobility schemes, with prices starting at £2.50 per hour, and that some forests have their own vehicles available free or for a small fee. Its accessibility page adds that each forest has its own booking process, so the local site team or forest page should be checked.
Two examples show how much local rules can differ:
- Wendover Woods: two mobility scooters are offered free of charge to visitors with limited mobility. The page asks for bookings 72 hours in advance, says scooters are available between 10:00 and 14:00, and says bookings may be cancelled in severe weather. Hirers must be over 16, complete an agreement form and are shown how to operate the scooter and given terms of use. The page suggests the Play trail and the Hill Fort Trail, both described as level-graded, supplies maps and says both scooters carry radios to staff.
- Dalby Forest: free all-terrain mobility vehicles are available for short or long term limited mobility, hired for half a day or a full day, with booking recommended before a visit. Hirers must be over 16. The page says the Ellerburn trail is a level-graded route suitable for mobility scooters, accessible bikes and walking, while the Housedale Rigg trail has varying terrain and is more suitable for the all-terrain vehicles.
Dalby’s page pairs its more varied trail with the forest’s all-terrain vehicles. The pages summarised here describe hired vehicles, so a visitor bringing a Class 2 or Class 3 scooter should ask the site team before travelling. For the National Trust equivalent, see the site’s guide to borrowing a Tramper at National Trust places.
Facilities for a longer visit
Forestry England’s accessibility page describes several features that suit a scooter user staying for hours:
- Accessible parking: wider bays, usually less than 50 metres from the visitor facilities, signed for disabled visitors. Users should display a blue badge but are still required to pay for parking where a charge applies, and disabled parking for non-members is not free.
- Accessible toilets: individual toilets with space for wheelchair transfer, often opened with a RADAR key, all with an emergency assistance alarm.
- Changing Places: larger rooms with a hoist, adult changing table and privacy screen. A separate Forestry England article says they will be available at 14 forests by the end of 2026.
- Accessible seating: benches designed to allow transfer from a wheelchair or mobility scooter, and picnic tables with a long overhang at both ends.
A Blue Badge does not by itself cover a forest car park charge, so the parking page should be checked in advance. The site’s guide to Blue Badge parking and mobility scooters explains what the badge does and does not cover.
Sensory walks
Forestry England says it has teamed up with the national charity Sense to create and map Sensory Walk routes, each of which is an accessible walk with key sensory points highlighted along the way. They can be found through its accessibility page.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to be registered disabled to hire an all-terrain scooter? No. Forestry England says a visitor does not have to be registered disabled.
Is there a minimum age? The Wendover Woods and Dalby Forest pages both say hirers must be over 16.
Is hire free? It depends on the forest. Wendover Woods and Dalby Forest say hire is free, while the national page says prices at other forests start at £2.50 per hour.
The bottom line
Forestry England’s easy access trails have no stiles or other physical barriers, and many forests in England hire or lend all-terrain scooters, sometimes free of charge. Book ahead, check the forest’s own page for age limits, hours and prices, and confirm parking and toilet arrangements before setting out.
Sources
- Forestry England, "Easy access trails" (forestryengland.uk)
- Forestry England, "All-terrain mobility scooters" (forestryengland.uk)
- Forestry England, "Accessibility information" (forestryengland.uk)
- Forestry England, "Mobility Scooters" (Wendover Woods) (forestryengland.uk)
- Forestry England, "All-terrain mobility scooters at Dalby Forest" (forestryengland.uk)
- Forestry England, "Making the nation’s forests more accessible" (forestryengland.uk)