Autism-friendly holidays and places to stay

·Oxton, Lauder, Scottish Borders

Luxury self-catering lodges on a farm in the Scottish Borders, and the first holiday company in Scotland to be granted the National Autistic Society's Autism Friendly Award. They publish a downloadable accessibility guide written for autistic guests that maps the site by noise -- including which parts are near the donkey, who brays without warning -- and which parts are quiet. Staff receive autism training, and mobility equipment (shower chairs, toilet frames, ramps) is lent free of charge.

·Burlton, Shrewsbury, Shropshire

Self-catering cottages in rural Shropshire with a swimming pool and spa, and a National Autistic Society Autism Friendly Award holder (2024). Their pre-arrival section carries a sensory guide describing, with photographs, what a guest may see, hear, touch, smell and taste around the cottages and in the pool. Blackout curtains are fitted, private swimming sessions can be booked so the pool is empty, and staff are trained to support autistic guests.

·Brassington, Matlock, Derbyshire

Self-catering log cabins on a working farm on the southern edge of the Peak District. Holds the National Autistic Society's Autism Friendly Award (2023), and won VisitEngland's Gold Accessible and Inclusive Tourism Award in 2024. For autistic children they lend a sensory activity box and a weighted blanket at no charge, offer a pre-arrival familiarisation visit, publish a downloadable sensory story about what the cabins are like, and will talk the stay through by phone before you book.

·Ashill, Devon EX15 3NP

Glamping on a Devon smallholding. It was the first glamping site to achieve the National Autistic Society's Autism Friendly Award, which it held from 2017 to 2022; since then it has moved to the Sunflower hidden-disabilities scheme and gained the ADHD Foundation's Neurodiverse Friendly Award in 2023 -- worth knowing, because the NAS accreditation is not current. Practical provision is unchanged: a "sunflower pack" with pre-arrival social stories and a countdown calendar, social stories about the farm animals, a sensory play room, a Sunflower lanyard, plus locked gates, secure fencing, robust furniture and colour-changing shower heads.

·South Molton, Devon

Eight self-catering cottages across 11 acres of farmland between Exmoor National Park and the North Devon coast, with a purpose-built children's farm, twice-daily animal feeding and morning donkey rides. Awarded the National Autistic Society's Autism Friendly Award in 2018 -- the first self-catering business in North Devon to hold it -- and awarded it again in 2019. Blackout blinds, daily planners, weighted blankets and a daily-schedule pocket chart tailored to the farm are all lent at no extra cost. One cottage is fully wheelchair accessible.

·Bendrigg Lodge, Old Hutton, Kendal, Cumbria LA8 0NR

A residential activity centre between the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales, running all-inclusive accessible breaks of two to seven nights. It states plainly that people of all abilities are welcome including those with autism and neurodivergence. On-site activities include a zip wire, climbing wall, indoor cave, archery, cycling, tube slide, sports hall games, orienteering and bushcraft, plus a sensory swing and sensory room; canoeing and caving run off-site. Family courses require at least one person under 18; there are separate adult courses for 18+.

·Wistlandpound, Kentisbury, Barnstaple, Devon

An all-inclusive accessible activity holiday centre on the edge of Exmoor National Park, by Wistlandpound Reservoir. Adaptive climbing, abseiling, horse riding, canoeing, sailing, cycling and archery with specialist equipment and qualified instructors, plus an on-site swimming pool, jacuzzi and sensory room. Autism-friendly accommodation is neutrally decorated and arranged around a quiet courtyard, all en-suite with level-entry wet rooms, and all the specialist facilities sit together on one site. The centre states that around a third of its roughly 4,000 guests a year are autistic people and their families. Breaks include accommodation, meals, activities and use of the facilities.

·Newbiggin, Bishopdale, Leyburn, North Yorkshire

A luxury self-catering cottage in Bishopdale, in the Yorkshire Dales, converted in 2017 specifically to support guests with mobility, hearing and visual requirements and described by its owners as dementia and autism friendly. It was the first tourist accommodation in the Yorkshire Dales assessed to VisitEngland National Accessibility Scheme standards. Note this is an accessibility-led property rather than an autism-accredited one -- there is no National Autistic Society award here -- so confirm what autism-specific support is available before booking.