Travel Blog: Trip to the Pennines

Hi all 🙂

It has been a couple of weeks since I have posted. Last week was half term for my kids’ school and we took the opportunity to take them away for a week, just a couple of hours away, to Teesdale, in the Pennines. It’s absolutely gorgeous; think rolling hills, sheep on the roads and a quiet way of life.

As someone with Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis with mobility difficulties, I have to admit that I was a bit worried about how I would cope; although it is an area of outstanding natural beauty, it obviously isn’t that great for those of us who can’t walk very well (as the natural world often isn’t)!

Accommodation

We stayed at a family member’s cottage which had the most beautiful views of the Pennines outside the back, with a conservatory to sit in to enjoy it. Although the house wasn’t adapted for those with disabilities, there were handrails in the bath and also the bath was lower than I am used to; it made it MUCH easier for me to get in and out of  – something to consider in my own home perhaps.  The weather was pretty rubbish for the whole time that we were there – rainy and windy – but that was a good excuse to put the wood burner on and play games with the kids when we weren’t out of the house. We were also able to make our own food, which means that I was able to stick to my plant-based diet when at the cottage.

Sights

Luckily, because family members own the property, we hope to take our time exploring the local sights, perhaps visiting again in the summer.  This time around we visited the Bowes Museum (which we have been to before and loved). We also went to a craft fair at Raby Castle, took the kids swimming and to a trampoline park and went on many drives, stopping to let the kids run about and for my husband, a photographer, to fly his drone and take photos.  My husband and the kids went to High Force (a walk to a waterfall), did a long walk up and down a big hill and also explored a local reservoir.

Accessibility

Perhaps not surprisingly, I struggled. If I start with the places we went to:

Bowes Museum – brilliant accessibility.  They have lifts to each floor, benches and even stools you can carry around and sit down on as needed.  There was plenty of room for my Luggie scooter to manoeuvre around the exhibition and, as a bonus, they had a Lego exhibition on so the kids were extra happy. There is Blue-Badge parking and an accessible entrance (though I did have to ring a bell and it took them a few minutes to come).

High Force – I didn’t make it to High Force. Although the ground was gravel, it was too thick for my scooter to pass safely through. I actually attempted the same route a couple of years ago on my crutches and got halfway to the falls before having to admit defeat and not going any further. Going again this time and not even attempting it with my crutches made me realise just how much my mobility has declined in recent years. Anyway, my husband and the kids had a great time and, if I were to go again, I think that I would ask my husband to push me in my wheelchair or rent one of those super sturdy scooters so that I can at least try to get close! Unfortunately, at £6000 a pop, buying one is out of the question.

Photo by Aidan Clarkson Photography

Raby Castle – we just went to the courtyard and to the tea shop, so I used my crutches. Again, they pointed us to the accessible parking area, which helped. I’d like to look around the gardens next time – apparently, you can hire a wheelchair there to do so – but the castle itself is not wheelchair accessible. The accessible toilets were quite a walk from the tearoom. I might have been better to use my scooter, but I do think the cobbles will have made steering/staying upright tricky.

Planet Leisure – this is where we took the kids one rainy afternoon to burn off some steam on the trampolines. In theory, the concept is great; roller skating, 10 pin bowling and laser tag all under one roof. In reality, for those of us with mobility challenges, the fact that there was no lift was extremely frustrating. (So was the unapologetic, not-particularly-bothered attitude of the staff, to be honest.) I managed to drag myself up the stairs (typically, the trampolining room was up two flights of stairs) but that was me done in for the 2 hours the kids were there.  Next time, I will try and convince them to do the roller disco; it is on the ground floor!

The rest of the trip was spent, as I said, driving through the hills and stopping for car picnics. Due to the uneven terrain and the hills, I tended to sit in the car and read my book at this point, sometimes acting as a taxi driver to drop my family off at one point then picking them up at another. I have to admit feeling pretty rubbish; it wasn’t that long ago that I would have been walking and exploring with them. But I am lucky to have my husband to show them the joys of being outdoors.  And seeing the kids’ exuberant faces after running up a hill, completely forgetting about screens, was absolutely worth my misery at being stuck in the car.

Food

As I mentioned, because we were self-catering, we managed to eat mostly our own food, having a good breakfast before going out and then taking a picnic lunch in the car. Many of you will know that I follow the Overcoming MS diet and I try to stick to it when out – or at least avoid meat, dairy and coconut – and I found that was able to do that on holiday (usually). Raby Castle tearooms had a hummus and roasted veg sandwich I could have, the Bowes Museum had a hummus dipping platter that was delicious and Cross Lanes Organic Farm had a warm falafel salad with.. you guessed it, hummus. All were lovely, I’m glad I like hummus!

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So, all in all, a lovely week away, albeit damp and inaccessible! Next time around, I think that I will:

1. Bring my wheelchair instead of my flimsy scooter
2. Investigate the possibility of renting an all-terrain scooter
3. Stay in the house a bit more so that I can rest whilst the others go out (sitting in a car shouldn’t be tiring, but it is!)
4. Investigate local eateries and try and find places that don’t only have hummus options for plant-based eaters

Hopefully, if we go again in the summer I will be a bit more organised. Do you plan on going anywhere this summer? Any disabled travelling tips?!

Till next time