“Marhabaan”

“Ni Hao”

“Namaste”

“Bonjour”

“Welcome”

These greetings rang in my head as I walked through the airport of the most cosmopolitan city in the World. Finally, I was in England, the country that covered most of my history lessons in the Seventh Grade. It is hard to believe that this country, which is half the size of California was a “world ruler” roughly a hundred years ago. GDP ranking at fifth, England is a unique, and historical place. The history in England goes back many years and they have showcased it very well in their museums. A developed nation like the US but still different in more ways than one. One of the big challenges for my Dad was to get used to driving a right-handed car on the left side of the road. He needed to be extra cautious while driving and not pay much attention to my constant yapping.  As we drove out of the airport we stopped at a grocery store to fill up our car with necessities (a standard practice before we start any of our road trips). “Fanks,” said the cashier as we checked out. “What was that!!!”, I wondered. Soon I realized that Britishers tend to pronounce ‘th’ as ‘f”. With that little English lesson behind us, we were all set to explore the land of the English. 

Bath

Bath is only a couple of hours’ drive from London Heathrow airport. We decided to go to Bath after our flight just to get clean.  People wonder, why is this place called Bath? We asked the same question. The answer was simple. The city is home to the Roman Bath built-in AD 60. Although there is not much nightlife, it is very lively during the day. We stayed in Bath for one night and decided to make the best of the day. Even today, the Roman Bath is a sight to see. 

    • The Roman Bath at Bath, UK  is completely wheelchair accessible
    • Wheelchairs can be rented at the Roman Bath, but it may run out.  There is a Shop Mobility store that can rent wheelchairs. The store is open until 4.00 PM.
    • The grounds in Roman Bath are uneven at times. One needs to be careful even in a wheelchair.
    • Blue Badge parking is allowed on double yellow lines all over the city with no time limit.

Near Bath

Bristol is very close to Bath and is another old city in England. We visited the Clifton Suspension Bridge which has a beautiful view of the city. The bridge was fully wheelchair accessible and has convenient disabled parking right at the entrance of the bridge

Stonehenge is another must-see in England. It is about an hour’s drive from Bath. We saw the spectacular ring of standing stones from outside, as it was very convenient driving by car. We did not take the official tour.

Conwy

On our way back from the Republic of Ireland, we entered UK from Holyhead, Wales via Ferry from Dublin. As we drove through Northern Wales, we passed through majestic sceneries and quaint waterfront towns. One such town we stopped for lunch was Conwy. Conwy is a castle town and as you drive inside, you will possibly experience one of the most beautiful walled towns in Europe. An absolute gem, that was not in our itinerary but chanced upon (one of the many advantages of traveling by car). The roads in Conwy are cobbled but a wheelchair can move easily. The sidewalks have ramps for accessibility and the stores are wheelchair accessible. Parking may be difficult and can be on a slope. People are friendly and patient. We also stopped at Llandudno and Bangor before our next stop at Oxford.

Oxford

Oxford, the home to the world’s oldest and one of the most prestigious universities, is a typical university town with a lot of life. We stayed for one night and also got to feel the campus vibe when we had to pick up the item from the Amazon Locker that was located inside one of the college campuses. Oxford is a very cosmopolitan university town. Students from different countries visit here in the summer for summer school. It has a variety of cuisines and shopping areas. 

    • This is a very old university, not all the places are completely accessible. Oxford University is moderately wheelchair accessible. In someplace there are big steps to get inside the campus. You can visit https://www.ox.ac.uk/students/welfare/disability?wssl=1 to get more information on accessibility.

Cotswolds

After a few hour’s drive, we reached the beautiful Cotswold area. Cotswold is very easy to cover by car. It is an absolute feast to the eye. We wanted to drive the whole region, but we could only visit a few places. Of these, I would highly recommend Bourton-on-the-Water. Cotswold used to be a town of wool and had become very rich because of that. Soon, during the early 1900s, in the Industrial Age, cotton became easier to obtain and wool was forever substituted. Today we can enjoy the beautiful towns of Cotswold. Bourton-on-the-Water is very touristy, with quaint canals crisscrossing the town.

Parking may be difficult to find on the main streets, so drive around into the inner streets and you will find parking

Grab an ice-cream and stroll through the canals to enjoy the beautiful view.

London (4 day)

Who visits the UK and does not go to London? Not me. London is one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world. It is the melting pot of people all around the world. The city, clearly identified by the red double-decker bus, the Big Ben clock tower, the Black Cabs, the Giant Ferris Wheel called the London Eye, never seems to sleep. We were on our final leg of the tour and I was all excited to get started. Since we had planned to cover London by car ( a decision not normally taken) we had booked our hotel a little outside the city at Excel so that it was easy to get parking in the hotel. It was a beautiful waterfront hotel and very conveniently located. This hotel had a very good parking facility. We also turned out to be lucky on another front. The weather was predicted to be sunny the entire week. 

Accessible Planning and Parking Tips

London is an old city and since we had planned to drive in the city, we planned our itinerary well beforehand. One thing we realized is that London is very good with accessibility challenges. There are many sites from where you get the information about the wheelchair accessible roads, stations, malls, and the historical places.

Here are a few tips that can come handy:

  • Parking on roads with a double yellow line is allowed for unlimited time with a Blue Badge
    • Parking on roads with a single Yellow line is allowed for 3 hours with a Blue Badge. US Blue Badges may not have provision to indicate the time of arrival. Please carry a Post-it to Indicate the time of arrival.
    • Most museums have provisions for Blue Badge Parking. Museums personnel are very cooperative. Please call a day or two in advance and reserve a Blue Badge parking.
    • London Black cabs are very accessible cabs. They have built-in ramps to load a wheelchair.
    • An accessible way to use London Tube – http://content.tfl.gov.uk/avoiding-stairs-tube-guide.pdf

Day 1

After a very hearty English Breakfast, we headed to our first stop, Tower Bridge, one of the most iconic spots of London. As we drove through, we found accessible parking just next to the bridge. Tower Bridge is very wheelchair accessible at all levels. The Elevator can take you to the lower level and upper level. We walked to the middle of the bridge to see the crack where the Bridge opens up to let the ships in. 

Our next stop was the Covent Garden. A very lively place to visit on weekends. There were acrobatic street shows and weekend open markets showcasing a variety of things. Music in the air with street musicians playing at different corners and open-air restaurants. This place is completely wheelchair accessible, but a wheelchair is necessary, as the ground is made of cobblestones and the place is crowded. If you are on crutches, you should be fine.  We had our lunch in an open restaurant listening to a band playing in the corner. 

We then headed to the Tate Modern museum. We had called in early to reserve a parking spot. This is very convenient if you can plan early and possess a blue badge. Tate Modern is for art lovers and is very contemporary.  It consists of paintings from many artists like Monet, Picasso, Van Gogh. Their staff was very helpful. The museum has wheelchair and mobility scooters for visitors who may need it. However, it is recommended to book in advance. The staff who helped us, who also happened to be from our neighboring country, also provided us with a free pass to a paid gallery. As a   stationery lover, I visited their gift shop that had the most unique and odd supplies e.g. An inch square paint set, an interesting eraser, and so much more.

Dinner at a Lebanese restaurant and we called it a day.

Day 2

London has a lot of museums and each catering to different interests. We knew we could not finish all in five days, so we only went to the ones that matched our interests. We went to all that captures our interests. If you are interested in Ancient History then the British Museum will truly touch your heart.

  • The British Museum is completely accessible, a wheelchair may come in handy, but not necessary
  • If you call in earlier, the museum can reserve a handicap parking spot. But this has to be booked one or two days early.
  • You can also find parking on the streets with a double yellow line, which has no time limit with a Blue Badge


Even though we had booked a spot in the museum, we decided to park in the street since we planned to keep our car there and take a cab to the Churchill War Rooms. There is absolutely no parking near Churchill war rooms. It is only a couple of miles from the British Museum. I love reading and learning about the Second World War. I found the Churchill War rooms fascinating. The Churchill War Rooms were the secret hideouts of Winston Churchill during the Second World War. Winston Churchill was the prime minister of Great Britain during the Second World War. Churchill War rooms are fully accessible.

We ended the day with an awesome dinner at Dishoom (Indian restaurant).

Day 3

Today we decided to drive by and make quick stops at the famous landmarks of London.

  • The Buckingham palace along with the change of Guard ceremony
  • The Westminister Abbey
  • The Big Ben
  • The Trafalgar Square

We had initially planned to go to the London Eye ( the giant Ferris Wheel). But because of the long queue, we decided to spend the rest of the evening hanging out in the Jubilee Gardens, just adjacent to the London Eye. The garden is very nice with a lot of street shows in the evening. A full wheelchair accessible garden and park. 

Day 4

As we were staying in Excel, Greenwich was very close to our hotel. We really wanted to see the Meridian Line and visited the Greenwich observatory. There is also a very nice viewpoint from where you park. You get a fantastic view of the city of London. It is a must-see if you are visiting Greenwich. We brought a binocular along with us and had lots of fun looking at the minute giants.

  • The ticket for the museum is twenty pounds, but the Meridian Line extends outwards and that is visible for free.
  • The place where the line is visible for free is not very accessible.

Next, we visited the famous Notting Hill Gate and the Hyde Park. Soon after we headed to the world-famous departmental store, Harrods. It is very difficult to park in the street next to Harrods. On a single Yellow line, one can park for 3 hours with a Blue Badge. Visiting Harrods is an experience.  The rich and awesome products are so intriguing. It is funny to see how such little things cost so much.

The next day, we were up early. Loaded the car with our luggage and then set out to bid goodbye to the hot potatoes and black pudding for one last time…(Musical Notes on emojidex 1.0.34 )