cont...

19th Aug

Due to the extreme bad weather, many of the campsites we hoped to stay at were a bit too wet underfoot so we made a few phone calls to people that Graham knew to see if he could get us some better accommodation for the night I did not know how many people he knew until I found myself, and the team, staying, over the next three weeks, as well as campsites sleeping in a selection of church halls, churches, Boys Brigade halls and a Black Watch Community Centre.

Some of the halls did not have different rooms, so we all bunked in together in one large hall. I was sheltered at one end by various means, as I had to have my personal needs seen to including toileting and washing. This did not mean that a good hot meal would not appear O no. Who ever was duty cook for the night produced meals to feed us all. Jason, one of our team and who plays a guitar, got us all singing after the meal. So has the rain poured down outside, we were warm and dry inside.

Not all our accommodation was in village halls and campsites. We did stay in Premier Lodges, which I am very disappointed to say, did not have suitable accommodation for wheelchair chair users. I think that for any hotel to get rating stars they must have a portion of 1% of their rooms suitable for wheelchair users with a walk in shower.

While I am on my soapbox about accommodation, in this the 21 century, all accommodation should cater for disabled people. Why they do not, to me is just pure discrimination.

We booked into three YHAs along the route. The first one I arrived at at midnight, we found that even though it had a ramp up to the door, there were still two steps we could not negotiate with the power chair. Sleeping in the dudgeons was out that night and we moved onto a hotel that said it had a lift. The lift was so small, to get in, I had to be transferred onto my commode to get up to my room. The next YHA though it had a shower in the room I could not get into it and our last YHA I knew I could not sleep in so a tent was put up for me and Jenny, she had the short straw that night and was on sleeping duty in my tent..