Well I did it!!

I was up bright and early yesterday morning to set off on my adventure off into uncharted territory, well Cardiff anyway!! As I was saying the other day I was a little apprehensive to say the least having not used the train for what must be about 15 years or so as an able bodied person let alone in a wheelchair/scooter. I arrived on the deserted platform 10 mins or so before the train was due and found just one other person waiting. Well they must have all been waiting in their cars or something as about 2 mins before the train was due you couldn’t see the platform it was so full. A really nice man came up and started chatting to me asking if I had been on with the scooter before and after telling him no he said “don’t worry son, it’s really easy. When the train arrives I’ll go tell the driver and he will come out with a ramp and you can get on and park it up in your own special area in the carriage”. What a nice man I thought. Well he kept his word because no sooner had the train arrived but the ticket collector was standing there ramp in hand. He put it down and on I went. All the other passengers moved to make room for me to get the scooter in position, or maybe they had just seen my driving before, ha ha. After asking where I was getting off he went and rang Central Station to get them to have the ramp to hand when we arrive. Off he went and left me busy nattering away to a few people around me who were all nice and chatty considering it was an ungodly hour of the morning for me as I’m usually still asleep now. When he came back to sort out a ticket for me he was having a right time of it getting the right discount which incidentally is a whopping 50% off if you remain seated in your wheelchair etc. He found it eventually after lots of playing around just in time to arrive in Cardiff. As planned the man with the ramp was there ready for me. After helping me off he showed me where the lift was to get downstairs and I was off into town to met up with sis and a bit of retail therapy and of course a bite to eat in the shape of a bacon buttie obviously. For research purposes you understand. Bearing in mind up till now I have had the best treatment possible by all the staff at Arriva trains, but it sort of stopped when we went into Maddisons in St David’s Centre Cardiff sadly. Oh, they were great at taking your money, well actually my little sis’s money, but when the Bacon and Mushroom Sarnie’s turned up it was not a pretty sight at all. Between us we had no more than one small mushroom, that’s 2 slices each, and 1 ½ rashers of Bacon. Well if that wasn’t bad enough it was absolutely stone cold. Well after complaining I sent mine back demanding at least a warm one. Well it duly arrived a few minutes later 2 nice big rashers of Bacon and Heaps and Heaps of Mushrooms and it was nice and hot, much to my sister’s annoyance as she had gone ahead and ate her’s ha ha!!! At least the coffee was nice I guess. I tell you what I found driving around on the scooter in Cardiff is the state of the pavements are horrific and downright dangerous in places. Every crossing they have put the obligatory ramps but there is still a step of around 2 inches to get up or down making it very difficult to negotiate. The other thing which in some ways is a bit more serious and that’s the number of shops etc that are absolutely not accessible by wheelchair at all due to steps etc. How are they getting away with it still since the introduction of the revamped Disability Regulations?? It’s disgraceful and I have told the local council amongst others today of exactly that fact today. If Mr Smith is anything to go by though I won’t get any replies.

Okay it was back on the train now to continue on my way to Coryton to George Thomas Hospice for my Relaxation Session. Yet again this went as smooth as clockwork. Ramps ready staff really helpful etc etc the only thing missing was physically having the Red Carpet to drive on but I sure as hell had the service. I had a bit of a nightmare when getting out of the Station at Coryton because of the state of the old paving etc but that was not within the realms of Arriva Trains and was soon overcome. I arrived just a little early for my session but was going to have a cuppa while I waited. Well I’ll be buggered!! The session had been cancelled HA HA HA!!! After all that I stumbled at the last hurdle. They had attempted to ring the day before apparently to let me know but I had changed my phone the other day so they had the wrong number. So back to the station to start off on my way back home after ringing Judith to let her know the good news that I will need picking up a bit earlier. The return trip was actually even better, if that’s possible. I guess it felt a bit better just because of the fact of staying in the station in Cardiff for the connection to get me back home to Llantwit Major. The last ticket collector actually sat down and had a natter pretty much most of the way back as the train was quiet. Another very very nice man!!!

So back at home and in 2 minds as to how to feel the day went really. On the one hand the service from Arriva Trains and meeting up with my little Sis and the eventual hot Bacon Sarnie was all great but the overall state of trying to negotiate my way around the obstacle course that is Cardiff Town Centre was to say the least a huge let down. After the fact that they are seen to be a very progressive, forward thinking council this was completely unacceptable. I think though it was a great adventure all in and I know that it won’t be another 15 years before I use the train again, in fact I was thinking on the journey back of all the places I could go even locally and at 50% discount would probably work out cheaper than putting fuel in my Gas Guzzler and also safer if I was to use Tesco’s or Morrison’s filling stations.

I will try in a while to post a few piccy’s of the journey, but I need a bit of a rest at the moment and you probably do too after reading this mammoth post yet again!!!

See Ya!!

p.s “Arrive In Style, Arrive By Train” my new motto.