Carrie-Ann Lightley

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Carrie-Ann Lightley

Award winning disabled blogger, writer, speaker and content creator. Passionate about accessible travel, with 20 years experience in the industry.

09/09/2026

You know what? Me too. 🙋‍♀️

Travelling as a disabled person isn’t always easy, but in my experience it IS always worth it.

Follow me for more accessible travel ideas, tips and adventures. 🩷

Video description: Carrie-Ann uses a Tramper mobility scooter on a countryside path. Text on screen reads: Not gonna lie, you look like someone who could use some more accessible adventures, accessible trips, accessible days out.

07/09/2026

I’ve been thinking about the word “inspirational”, especially in the way it gets used around disabled people.

Disabled people don’t exist to inspire simply by living our lives, but I do care deeply about the impact that sharing mine can have. If something I’ve written or shared has encouraged you to travel somewhere new, take a chance, understand disability differently, advocate for yourself or make a change in your own life, that means far more to me than the word itself ever could.

So I’d genuinely love to know: has something I’ve shared ever inspired you to do something? Tell me in the comments. 🩷

04/09/2026

ad Where can you go for disabled creativity, scientific discovery, hot tub hoists and Highland cows? 🐮

Scotland’s Tay Country. Starting at Solas Retreat, an accessible escape pod at
near Dundee.

Because it’s a pod, space is tight in here, but it has this huge balcony with that amazing hot tub hoist which I absolutely loved.

There’s a double bedroom and a pull-down bed in the living room space, and there’s a ceiling track
hoist that runs through the entire unit.

Accessible bathroom with wet room shower, and the wider site is hilly but it’s gorgeous, with a lovely restaurant.

After a great night’s sleep, we headed to Dundee for the Design and Disability Exhibition and let me tell you, I felt like I belonged here.

What an incredible celebration of the creativity of disabled people. Really moving. 🎨

Next we headed to to learn all about the human body, and I will say I think this attraction is probably more aimed at children, but it does have a fantastic changing places toilet
for anyone to use.

near Forfar was dreamy. I was greeted by dogs, assisted into the accessible
trailer, and out into the fields to get up close and personal with the animals. Starting with Highland
cows. We also met alpacas, sheep, and goats, and it was such a magical day. ✨

Lastly, we had a drive through Forfar where my grandad was from.

Save this for your next accessible trip to Scotland. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Video description: Carrie-Ann explores Scotland’s Tay Country in her manual wheelchair. The video
shows her staying at Solas Retreat at Forbes of Kingennie, using the hot tub hoist and looking around
the accessible pod, before visiting the V&A Dundee’s Design and Disability exhibition and Dundee
Science Centre. She then joins an accessible trailer tour at Newton Farm near Forfar, meeting
Highland cows, alpacas, sheep and goats, before finishing with a drive through Forfar.

03/09/2026

Ad Really lovely to see my story featured by Passenger Assistance 🩷

I’ve been travelling by train independently for years, and while every journey comes with its own considerations, that independence gives me a huge sense of freedom.

In the piece, I share what a good rail journey looks like for me, why I use Passenger Assistance for many of my trips, and the importance of disabled passengers having choice in how they travel - Turn Up and Go is a legal right.

Thanks to the Passenger Assistance team for sharing my experience. You can read the full story via their post below 👇

(Passenger Assistance paid me for my time taking part in the interview featured in their post).

02/09/2026

This one brings back such lovely memories. 🚢

Last year I sailed on P&O Cruises’ Arvia, exploring the ship and its ports from a wheelchair user’s perspective. I wrote about the experience for Travel Without Limits magazine, and I’m so pleased that the full feature is now available to read online.

From my accessible cabin and life on board to shore excursions, port access and a few of the challenges along the way, I’ve shared what the experience was really like and the details I’d want to know before booking.

A huge thank you to Travel Without Limits for giving me the space to tell the story, P&O Cruises Press Office for hosting us, and Limitless Travel for making the trip possible. 🩷

You can now read the full article via the link in the comments ⬇️

And yes, looking through these photos has made me want to get back on a ship immediately. 😍

31/08/2026

✨ A lovely bit of news to start the week! I’m a finalist in the Travel Accessibility Champion category at the 2026 Travel For Every Body Awards.

Proud to be shortlisted! I’m also in some brilliant company, so a huge congratulations to all the other finalists. 💜

Fingers crossed for October! 🤞

28/08/2026

Every so often, I save a message that stops me in my tracks. These are a few of them. 💗

People booking their first trip abroad in years. Someone feeling confident enough to travel again after becoming disabled. Families discovering what to look for when planning a holiday. Readers finding places, resources and possibilities they didn’t know existed.

This is the part of my work that matters most to me.

I love travelling, writing, creating content and getting to call this my job, but the community around it all is my ultimate driving force. Knowing that sharing what I learn might make someone else feel more informed, more confident or simply more able to imagine themselves taking that trip means more than any byline, award or number on a screen ever could.

Accessible travel can still require far too much research, planning and persistence. If something I share makes that process a little easier, or gives someone the confidence to say “maybe I can do this”, then I’ve done what I set out to do.

And to everyone who has ever sent me a message like these, commented, shared your own experience or passed something I’ve written on to somebody who needed it: thank you. You’re a huge part of why I keep doing this. 🫶🏼✨

24/08/2026

Rome taught me a lot about accessible travel ♿️

Some of the places I expected to be difficult were surprisingly straightforward in my wheelchair. Others looked accessible on paper, but crowds, cobbles or awkward routes made the experience much harder.

The Colosseum was easier than I expected. The Roman Forum was the toughest. The Vatican Museums showed me that an accessible route can still feel uncomfortable when you’re moving against the flow of hundreds of people.

And some of the biggest lessons came from the smallest things: a kerb, a smoother patch of cobbles, knowing where the right entrance is, or simply having good information before you arrive 🗺️

I’ve shared 10 things I learned exploring Rome as a wheelchair user, including the places I’d return to and the access details I wish I’d known beforehand.

Save this if Rome is on your list 🇮🇹✨

Have you visited Rome as a disabled traveller? What did you find easier or harder than expected?

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https://www.carrieannlightley.com/

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