Southcliff Apartments are housed in a large Victorian residence on a pedestrian
walkway overlooking the sea in Cullercoats, North Tyneside. For advice on particular needs please email me on
southcliffapartments@gmail.com or call 0191 638 0072. I would be delighted to give you any information, or assist in any way possible
either before or during your stay.
There are three apartments in the main apartment building, one on the ground floor, one on the first floor and one on the second floor. There is no lift so if you have limited
mobility, the ground floor apartment (Bay View Apartment) is most suitable, although not if you use a wheelchair all the
time: "...the ground floor apartment can be used by people who use wheelchairs on a part time basis, with assistance."
(Gateshead Access Panel 2005). The Bay View apartment is Pet Friendly - and there is a shared main hallway please be aware if you have allergies.
The information below relates to The Bay View Apartment, but if you would like to know more about the other apartments on the 1st and 2nd floor, please just let me know. Please note that in Priory Penthouse and Lookout there are 3 steps down to the kitchen/bathroom area.
Pre-Arrival
To check availability, book online and find maps see our website
www.southcliffapartments.co.uk
Newcastle Central Station is about 12 miles away, 20 mins by car or 25 mins by direct by Metro.
If you require information in large print please let me know.
To protect guests with allergies the apartments are fully non-smoking. However, we do allow pets in the Bay View apartment.
Arrival and Parking
Check-in is between 2.30 and 4.00 but we are happy to
be flexible; simply arrange this with us beforehand. We would be delighted to give you any assistance you need on arrival, again just let us
know beforehand. We live in the area so can be on hand should you require any assistance during your stay.
As the apartments are on a pedestrian walkway there is no parking to the front, but there is parking to the side on Windsor Crescent which
is only about 10 meters to the apartments, (however there is a low wall at the bend of the road so make sure you park where this ends.)
The immediate Area
There are some lovely easy walks right outside your front door. In fact you can just stand or sit outside the garden gate, watching the
changing horizon and the boats passing by. There is a pub and 3 beachfront restaurants just a couple of minutes walk away, as well as a Bills
fish and chip shop (directly across is a bench overlooking the sea where you can eat them in traditional outdoor style!) There is also a seat
in the garden to the front.
The Bay View apartment has a little patio area outside the back door - although there is a step down. The Metro
System (Cullercoats Metro) is just 5 mins walk away and is wheelchair accessible and disabled friendly providing easy, fast and direct access
to Newcastle City Centre you come out actually inside Eldon Square shopping Mall . There is a shop on Whitley Road (5 mins away) that hires out mobility scooters, waling frames and other aids and they are happy to deliver to and collect from the apartments. Please let me know if you would like their details.
Main Entrance
There is a Beamish cobble path to the front entrance and porch. However, the front door
is not straight in front of you, it is to the side of the porch and there is a step, but unfortunately it has not been possible to install
a ramp. There is a step up to the front porch which would benefit from a ramp but the proximity of the garden and window may interfere with
the installation... (Gateshead Access Panel 2005). You can get in with a wheelchair, so long as you have some-one with you to assist.
Internal doors, rooms
There are no internal steps in The Bay View. Doors are large enough for a
wheelchair. Doors are not self closing so are easier to open. Rooms are large with plenty of space between
the furniture, which is solid to lean on for support. We can provide a carver dining chair (with arms) so it is easier to get up from. Let us know
if you would like us to move any furniture or lift any rugs to make your stay more comfortable - the living room has floorboards with rugs over so they could be a bit of a trip hazard. There is space to store a wheelchair either in
the apartment or in the porch. The TV has Teletext and there is good colour contrast between floors and walls. The emergency exit is through the front door or
back door through the kitchen, and there is a step down here. Some lighting is energy efficient, so it can take a couple of seconds to reach full
brightness but we are busy moving to all LED.
Bedrooms
Both bedrooms are spacious. The bed in the double bedroom (king size) is a solid four-poster.
the single beds in the twin room. (The twin room has a washbasin). Bedding is cotton and the pillows and duvets are feather/down and 100% down for the king size bed, (if you would prefer
a non-feather duvet let me know).
Kitchen
Work surfaces are regular height.
Bathroom
There are no specific disabled facilities. The bathroom has a walk in shower with a low level shower tray, and the toilet is regular height. The bathroom is reasonably
spacious so it is fairly easy to manoeuvre around.
Action Plan
We plan to do the following and will amend the statement above once completed:
- When taps need replacing do so with lever handle taps.
- Install easy use locks and handles for Bay View
- Mark in contrast strips steps front door step and backdoor step.
- Install more handrails
Please let me know if you need any further information - I'd be delighted to help in any way I can.