Beach access for wheelchairs in Louth

Louth County Council have now made Clougherhead, Templetown and Port beaches wheelchair accessible by making Hippocampe all-terrain beach wheelchairs available for free use by the public. 

Provided by Colm Colgan of Dundalk based, Bailieboro Supplies, they are available from the lifeguard’s huts, seven days a week from 11:00 to 19:00. 

The Hippocampe all-terrain beach wheelchair will allow wheelchair users to explore the beaches and actually go into the sea, possibly for the first time ever. Up to this, wheelchair users could only get as far as the car park before the wheels of their standard chair sank into the sand.

Designed by a wheelchair user and manufactured in France, the provision of the all-terrain beach wheelchairs is part of a plan to make every beach in Ireland accessible to all users including those in wheelchairs.

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The Hippocampe all-terrain beach wheelchair was first launched in Ireland in 2003. Its low centre of gravity allowed users the freedom to go to places never dreamed possible, while maintenance consisted of rinsing off the saltwater build up once a week. 

Each costal county council in Ireland currently have Hippocampe wheelchairs on their beaches and some even have beach matting, as featured recently on RTE TV News, which allows wheelchair users access beaches in their own wheelchairs as well as making  easier access for strollers and buggies.

Full details on www.hippocampe-ireland.ie