2500 miles – some of them in a wheelchair!
Thursday, August 26th, 2010
Mobilise member Greg Hayball from Dorset tells Mobilise about his travels through France and Spain in his new Ford Focus Zetec.
Having visited France and Spain on numerous occasions I decided to avoid the chills of the bleak UK winter and head across the continent for a few days on a mini motoring holiday.
I’d recently taken delivery of a new Ford Focus Zetec with sports trim and all the extras I could afford. This was an upgrade from my previous Focus, from my Motability dealer in Weymouth, and the Zetec goes like a rocket. It has good handling, steering and suspension, and the 17.5” alloy wheels hang on to the road as if their lives, and mine, depend upon it. I feel as though I’m almost glued in to the driver’s sports style seat, and the ‘rally style’ automatic, tiptronic gearbox is easy to use. The car has adaptive headlights; those that follow the direction that you turn the steering wheel, which really do let the driver see round corners. Definitely a great choice!
My carer and travelling companion, Linda, and I planned a short driving holiday; three overnight stays from Cherbourg port through France into Spain, and three stops on the return journey. Linda doesn’t drive so the task was mine, and seeing as we were in no hurry to reach any of our destinations we were able to take our time and enjoy the scenery – and test out my new Zetec!
Au revoir to England
We left for Cherbourg from Poole harbour one chilly morning, mid-December last year. I’d requested an on-board wheelchair when booking our ferry crossing, so that we didn’t have to unload the car to get my own chair out, and we had no problems obtaining the wheelchair once aboard. We settled with a coffee and a baguette each to us in the continental mood, and enjoyed the journey across to France.
I’ve found from experience that leaving my Blue Badge on display as you leave the Cherbourg docks means that you tend to be treated a little more civilly, and stand a good chance of getting a “bonjour” and smile!
Our trip started by driving south, via Caen for an over-night stay at the Ibis hotel in Falaise; the scene of a great battle at the ‘Falaise Gap’ during World War II. I’ve stayed there before within the last 12 months, as the hotel caters well for disabled guests, and the staff actually remembered me. There are no steps leading to the entrance of the hotel and I was able to move around my room in my wheelchair quite comfortably, even in the bathroom. After a hot meal and the obligatory couple of beers, my bed called.
Smooth roads and excellent facilities
Linda speaks fluent French and phoned ahead the following morning to book accommodation for our arrival in Limoges in the Limousin region – 400 miles away. Driving along the newly upgraded A28 toll road was a dream! Smooth surfaces, no manholes, no drains, no cats-eyes and, surprisingly, very little traffic. We stopped off at one of the motorway services to refuel the car, and ourselves, and noted that even the facilities here were very accessible (perhaps some of the best I’ve ever seen). Also, disabled parking spaces are never used by anyone who isn’t a Blue Badge holder, ever. There are heavy fines for ‘abusers’ and the motorway police perform regular checks.
I didn’t have much chance to enjoy the scenery, travelling ‘at speed’, but France is very much like the UK – pleasant rolling scenery in all directions but maybe not so hilly.
The Ibis in Limoges was as the one in Falaise – very disabled friendly. Again, we had no problems with our accommodation – or with the steakhouse next door where we dined that evening!
Boy racers in Spain?
Driving from Limoges to Granollers, Spain, just off the A7 toll, inland from Barcelona, took four or five hours as we travelled further south via Toulouse and Perpignan. It was very noisy when we arrived at the next Ibis hotel, mid-afternoon. ‘Boy racers on their motor-bikes’, I thought, ‘just what we need’. However, the hotel bar was adorned with Moto GP photos, signatures and racing memorabilia, and I discovered that we were only 300 yards from the Catalunya race circuit. Apparently the Moto GP motor-cycles were being tested for the new season.
Our lodgings, along the Carre de Can Cabanyes, was a fairly new building which was indicative by design and facilities; I could have driven my car into the bathroom let alone my wheelchair! The huge wet-room had grab-handles and supports on every wall, and the wash basin was at wheelchair-friendly height with easy to use taps. Perfect!
Our final southerly destination on day four was Peniscola on the Costa del Azahar, midway between Barcelona and Valencia. You could distinctly notice the change in scenery from the moment we entered into Spain. Everything was much drier, with a brown tinge and there was a definite rise in temperature as we headed further south.
I remember visiting the same spot more than 30 years ago with my then wife, when it was just a seaside town. It’s now five times as big and very much a holiday resort, but still just as beautiful. Upon arrival at the four-star ‘Hotel Peniscola Plaza Suites’ Linda and I were assured that should we encounter any problems during our stay the staff would try to rectify it straight away, but thankfully we didn’t have any complaints! Arriving just in time for a siesta we had plenty of help getting settled. The ramps throughout the hotel, with automatic doors and lifts to all floors, made getting around that much easier.
I was delighted to be informed of the underground secure garage. Normally it would cost €6.00 a night but at this particular hotel it was free for disabled drivers. Allocated accessible spaces were near the lift and we were able to use the garage for the length of our stay.
We discovered three themed restaurants (Italian, Mediterranean and American) within the complex along with, of course, the usual Spanish and over the few days we were there, we tried them all. At Spanish mealtimes every meal (usually a buffet) was covered in olive oil and served ‘tepid’, the way the locals like it. All I can say is God bless the microwave!
The bar and restaurant staff were brilliant and couldn’t have been more helpful, and we were ‘allotted’ the same table every mealtime near the ‘facilities’ and doorway. Over a few beers with some local resident Brits we met in the bar, we were very pleasantly surprised to find out that nearly all Spanish hotels now have fully accessible facilities in place for disabled guests, which is now Spanish law.
Shopping in the local supermarkets, staff were pleased to see us and always helpful. Not only did we discover some bargains but I also found that I had no problem getting around. The aisles were all wide and unobstructed, unlike many English supermarkets.
Time to start heading home
So, after a very relaxing time in the sun, and it was sunny and warm nearly every day, we readied ourselves for the journey home. First stop on the way north was the Ibis at Berriac, a suburb of the medieval walled city of Carcassonne. After an over-night stay there, we headed further north to the Ibis at Poitiers in the heart of France, another pleasant night. Our final stop saw us return to the Ibis at Falaise. Being a few miles south of Caen, we were well situated for a last minute shop in the huge ‘Super U’ hypermarket before our ferry departure from Ouistreham (for Portsmouth) on the Normandy coast.
Our total cost for travelling the toll road route, there and back, was just short of £200 – but saved us a tremendous amount of time, in both directions. The fuel economy of the Focus was great, considering the amount of motorway we’d covered. The average was 35.8 miles per gallon, over 2,500 miles – something I can’t complain about!
Had we driven non-stop from Cherbourg to Peniscola, the drive would have taken about 15-18 hours – but we probably wouldn’t have been able to take in the views, or stop for casual lunches where we watched the world go by. If I hadn’t used the toll roads, the trip south could have taken as long as 24-30 hours.
I would definitely recommend Europe not only for a Christmas break, but for a driving holiday too, and this was a trip that we will definitely take again in the future.
More information:
The Ibis group of hotels has accommodation throughout Europe, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and North and South America. It is advisable to book ahead if you need a room with disabled facilities.
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Tags: accommodation, travel, wheelchair
Thanks Greg,
That was perfect timing as I am planning to drive my Mercedes Sprinter, from my wheelchair, to Austria, and am thinking about stopping at Ibis hotels en route.
Chris.