Sometimes when we go away we get trains, buses and taxis to make the journey. I see this as an adventure as we both had to stop driving due to our eyesight deteriorating.
We did the exact thing above to get to a caravan park recently. I’ll write about that soon in another post.
This time, the easiest way was to go with a coach company for a day trip. Easier and cheaper than we could work out to do.
Shout out to Caledonian Travel for these trips. We’ve been loads of places. Far and wide in the UK.
We arrived and it was overcast. We had our vest tops on and started to look at the clothes stalls with an eye on the shirts. We braved it out and it became another lovely warm day.
We took a picnic with us in our new picnic rucksack. Anyone that knows us, knows we are always with a rucksack. It’s easier for Richard as he has one hand using his cane, with me it’s easier than carrying things in heavy bags, which just agrivates my back and causes pain from an operation I had on it when I was younger.
There were buildings with different foodstuffs and products. Although the only thing I bought from here was some Grasmere Gingerbread for my sister. That’s in the Lakes in Cumbria. Very Un Yorkshire ☺️
There was food demonstrations, you could look around a nearly £75,000 static holiday caravan. It was very nice. As it should be for that price 😁
Beautiful tractors and an absolutely massive combine harvester.
Showjumping, horses and carts, judging the animals to win rosettes. Prizes for the cheeses in the foodhall.
There were beer tents, coffee places, ice cream vans, charity stalls, bee and honey huts, lots and lots of stalls.
A massive big wheel which I love, as my Mum, Dad and sister used to take a Fair Organ around steam engine rallies when we were young. If we were lucky, Mr Fairborough who owned one, used to let us go on for free whilst he chatted to my Dad. And other times if they needed to balance it up. They’d shout us over as me and my sister would be cycling around the rally field.
So much of the day reminded me of those times.
Getting around anywhere busy, especially on a field which has partial tarmac and rubble paths when you’re eyesight isn’t brilliant, can take the enjoyment out of the day as you’re concentrating so much whilst trying to look at the attractions.
I keep making sure I’m looking at the floor also, as I tell Richard, who uses a long cane, if there’s steps or kerbs, and also myself as I’ve tumbled off a few.
I was there to see the animals really. It was lovely to see them hosing the cows down and having fans in the animal sheds.
But it did upset me though thinking of all the transportation of the animals in the heat and having to be tethered whilst in the sheds. Just for our enjoyment. I understand they cannot just roam around. Some of those cows are massive!
I just wanted to cuddle them all. We saw cows, horses, sheep, rams, goats, pigs, bees and a sheepdog!
Needless to say, for your own sake doing all this whilst partially sighted can stress you out. So we sat down under a tree and had our lunch. Kept stopping to sit, take it all in and have a drink, then start again.
A lovely day out. Needs a bit of patience and time if you have any sight loss. One thing I’ve had to learn is patience. It’s better than not trying at all and missing out.
Category: Blind Traveller
Special Assistance in Airports
So. Special Assistance at the airport.
From the view of a visually impaired couple. One using a white cane.
We took this last year so we were able to not be so worried having to check ourselves in, trying to deal with small print and the added pressure of people behind us, whilst we find reading difficult and not wanting to hold people up. It’s very nerve-wracking trying to do that when there’s a queue and you can’t rush. So Special Assistance sorts all this for you.
This is how we arranged special Assistance for both countries. Manchester Airport and Rhodes Airport for our holiday to Tilos in Greece.
When you book your flights either online or by phone, you can can request Special Assistance.
They will ask you some brief general questions about what assistance you’ll require. If you need to change or add to Special Assistance after you’ve booked, if you Google the company you’re flying with for the Special Assistance contact details, you can then add or change.
The information asked maybe do you need a wheelchair or a guide. Do you need help through security and checking luggage. Which was the main reason why we wanted assistance.
Do you need help to get onto the plane? Do you need help for the steps to the plane?
So then you’ve given the information to them and they will tell you how long to arrive before your flight. They will also tell you to go to the Special Assistance area in the airport, which is well signposted when you get there or there will be someone around to ask.
When you get to that at the day of your flight. You’ll need to confirm your booking with the reception desk. They will confirm your needs in more detail. Then you wait there until someone comes to assist you through the airport, through security, to your gate number and to the plane door.
Once you’re on the plane, the stewards and stewardesses will take over and probably offer to show you the safety procedure and let you examine the seatbelts and life jackets so you know what to do. They were very good with us offering to explain one to one and showing us all the apparatus prior to the flight.
When you initially get to Special Assistance, just explain that you will need same in your holiday destination airport as well.
VD scenes in Manchester Airport of the Special Assistance area. Luggage and coffee cups. At the bottom of Easy Jet plane. View out of the window. Being guided at Rhodes Airport. Food on the plane and video of plane up in the air.
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Special Assistance with Visually impaired Travellers
A new blog is coming up about the Special Assistance service we used on our holiday to Tilos, Greece recently.
Myself. My other half Richard and his lovely Mum Pauline.
This was my first time using this service and my experience of it.
From Manchester Airport to Rhodes (Diagoras) Airport there, and back.
How to book it. Who can use this service. What this involves. Any hiccups. Ease of service. What to expect.
On one leg of the journey we were left to our own devices by the special Assistance member of staff. As he… “finished at 5pm”. We’ve made a complaint about this to Jet2.
This didn’t spoil the holiday it was just a very small incident among the amazing people that helped us make travelling alot easier. Other people in both countries couldn’t do enough for us and even went out of their way to help. From the staff in Special Assistance, to the cabin crew from both airlines we flew with.
We were 2 visually impaired travellers and one person needed a wheelchair for ease of getting around. 3 of us in total.
I will write about the additional help we received from the very kind and caring people we came across.
One Vision Blog 