Posted in Camping, Germany, Holidays, Trekintic, Waterfalls, Wheelchair things, tagged camping, Germany, Holiday, time lapse, Todtnau waterfall, Trekinetic k2 on 27 September, 2020| Leave a Comment »
But when she was down she was down!
What’s the quickest way down a mountain?
Me and my K2 of course 😁. Getting up a mountain is never easy and especially in a wheelchair, but no other chair helps as much as the Trekinetic K2! Using the brakes allows you to control the descent and do some cool spins too 🤣
This is the Todtnau mountains in the Black Forest in Germany and follows a visit to the Todtnau Falls. Not something an average wheelchair could master!
Posted in Germany, Swiss army wife blog, Trekintic, tagged camping during COVID, COVID chronicles on 20 September, 2020| Leave a Comment »
COVID Chronicles On Tour….
Sunrise in France as we arrived this morning. Stopped for a coffee at an Aire where we can’t interact with the people in the red zone 🤣😷
A nice picnic spot to brew up a cafetière before heading off through Belgium – also in the red!
Posted in Country parks, Forests, Holidays, Rivers, Trekintic, Wales, tagged @lifesanapple, @marvellousmrsp, @swissarmywife, @tootsiestalesuk, Bluestone resort, cabins in Wales, Holiday in Wales, Review of Bluestone resort, Staycation in Wales, trekinetic, wheelchair blogger, Wheelchair review of Bluestone resort on 25 January, 2020| 1 Comment »
I wanted to write a review from the viewpoint of a wheelchair user because unless you are in a wheelchair others cannot fully grasp the sometimes minor and sometimes major challenges we face.
The resort can be booked for 2, 4 or 7 nights and our 4 night stay started on the Monday night. I am so grateful for @marvellousmrsp for giving us the spare room in their lodge because it was such a wonderful experience going away with a few friends to such a gorgeous place. The resort is divided in different areas like little suburbs around the main Bluestone village. I can still manage to push myself much of the time but if I was booking a lodge for myself I would request one with an entrance more level to the road. This wouldn’t be any issue if you had one of these amazing chairs from @trekinetic and they tell me that I can upgrade my Trekinetic K2 if necessary – 🎉
The lodges are spread out so you don’t feel as if you are on top of each other like in most static caravan parks and the forest and trees all over the place make for a truly beautiful site with wonderful views of the lake and the Preseli Mountains.
I had plenty of space to store my wheelchair and walker in the entrance hall without cluttering up the lodge and the carpet in the entrance was designed for cleaning plenty of muddy boots and wheels.
The space was bright, open and airy and we immediately felt at home….
I had the downstairs bedroom which was next to a very spacious bathroom with a wet room shower and a full bath. I was able to wheel myself around without any issues and right up to the basin. Our bathroom didn’t have any grab bars or aids so you would need to enquire if any lodges have them if you needed them.
The kitchen cupboards were all on the low level and open-plan and accessible with everything you need to make meals if you don’t want to eat out. The resort has a great selection of restaurants and small eateries to choose from if you prefer to not cook at all.
As a wheelchair user I was allowed to keep my bus outside the lodge and use it to get around. All other guests are required to remove their cars to the car park for the duration of their stay. Golf buggies are available to hire and are everywhere and looked like so much fun. Remember to consider this when saving for your holiday as the site is in the hills and quite extensive so anyone who struggles to walk any distance would need one – or just want one for the sheer fun of it! There is an on site bus and train that is free to use as well – after all, at the end of a day swimming and playing it is nice to be driven home.
Bicycles with trailers are also invaluable as well as the wheeled and collapsible cart I took with. @tootsiestalesuk loved it so much that she immediately added one to her shopping cart.
The many and varied willow withy artwork around the resort are gorgeous and add to the whole magical forest theme.
I definitely built up a bit of extra muscle and got a fair bit of exercise during our stay. The surroundings are so lovely that you want to get out and explore / which is what this place is all about. There is also a beach and many other activities nearby if you want to explore further afield, but we found that there was so much on site we didn’t need to or want to go anywhere else.
The swimming arena isn’t just for swimming, but has a river, slides, obstacle course and waves. We spent a very happy afternoon poolside and although the main lift was broken on the day we went, there was an alternate lift we could use to gain access to the change rooms and the pool. I was asked if I needed the pool hoist, which I don’t, but it was good to know one is available.
There are plenty of great coffee houses and kiosks around the resort and we made good and frequent use of them for our daily coconut latte fix 😁.
Everywhere we went we were met with the friendliest staff imaginable. They went out of their way to help and provide assistance. One lovely lady even offered to push me up the hill from the Village to our lodge before they realised I didn’t know I could use my car – great customer service is invaluable, and it abounds at Bluestone resort.
A well deserved award for a resort that is beautifully maintained and is thoughtful to the environment. 
If I could sum up our stay in only one photograph, it would be this one which I’ve titled ‘Free Range Kids’, as per @bluestonewales manifesto….
After our four nights stay, we had made new friends, seen wonderful things, been on wheelchair adventures, enjoyed lots of great coffee and generally had a fantastic time.
Would I come here again? Would I recommend it?
Absolutely, definitely, 100%!
Posted in Forests, Holidays, Rivers, Trekintic, Wales, tagged Bluestone resorts, bundu bashing, coffee, Holiday, holidays in wales, k-2, latte, log cabins, off road wheelchair, Pembrokeshire, rambling, three wheel wheelchair, trekinetic, Trekinetic k2 on 23 January, 2020| Leave a Comment »
We woke to the most glorious, crisp winter day. Having arrived at around 5pm the evening before it was our first opportunity for a bit of exploration….and to find a coffee shop – coffee is extremely high on my priority list and we needed to see if by some remote chance a coconut milk latte was possible in the Welsh wilderness.
Our walk down from the cabin was stunning and we had plenty of opportunities to get some great pictures. 
Who doesn’t need a picture of themselves taking a selfie of themselves… 
The head….
And the tail of the Welsh dragon…
We arrived in the village and had a quick wander around….
I found it….Ty Coffi….the village has a coffee shop (jumps for joy)…
The best bit? They served a very fine latte with coconut milk so our week here is going to be just fine. Lovely place and even lovelier people serving us. We got our ‘free with your first drink’ reusable cups which we will most definitely make use of each day with a 10% reusable cup discount – better and better.
Next we headed further downhill through the forest trail to see the festive lights. They did not disappoint – even in the daytime. Here are a few of our favourite pictures….
My trusty steed never disappoints and got me down and back up the green route – the easy option, but not for anyone of faint heart and weak pushing arms!
A lovely lady gave me a push over one of the uphills and between my pushing the wheels and Maryam pushing from behind with her walker, we managed the slow ascent eventually collapsing onto a bench at the lake. What’s the saying about the blind leading the blind?
A short bus trip back up the hill was definitely required because no way was I able to wheel myself that distance and elevation. Free bus or train trips run every half an hour and it was no time at all before we arrived back in Preseli View ready for a cuppa and a rest.
Posted in Forests, Holidays, Rivers, Trekintic, Wales, Wheelchair things, tagged 3 wheel wheelchair, Bluestone resorts, bundu bashing, Holiday, k-2, off road wheelchair, Pembrokeshire, Preseli mountains, trekinetic, Trekinetic k2 on 23 January, 2020| Leave a Comment »
Take 4 ladies of varying nationalities, each with their own unique cultures and origins,
2 children,
2 cars,
1 wheelchair,
1 walking frame,
3 walking sticks,
and a smattering of health and disability issues.
Put them together in a log cabin in the wilds of Pembrokeshire, Wales and you are bound to have an interesting holiday!
Day 1 and after a drive from Lancashire for one car and another from Milton Keynes we were so happy to be greeted by the friendliest staff at the reception gates.
In no time we were checked in and directed to our cabin at 43 Preseli View.
We’re in a lovely four bedroom cabin with 3 big bathrooms, open plan living, dining and kitchen and a nice big entrance that acts as a mud room where we can store all the shoes, coats and mobility equipment.
After unloading all our stuff Using our trolley to help with the load and fewer trips, I headed off to find out how I could move my car off site and then get back to the cabin. When I was told that because I’m disabled and have a blue badge I could keep and use my car on the site I was overjoyed because you should see the hill we are staying on!
The choice of bedrooms was between a twin downstairs and 3 bedrooms upstairs so that was an easy one because the South African wheelchair lady and the Iranian knee replacement lady both don’t do stairs, AND there is a lovely big bathroom next door; one that I can get my wheelchair or my walker into.
An early night was definitely in order and the impeccably clean white linen was calling very loudly by this point.
Posted in Forests, Holidays, Mountains, Swimming, Trekinetic, Trekintic, Wales, Wheelchair things, tagged 3 wheel wheelchair, Bluestone resort, bundu bashing, Holiday, k-2, log cabin in Wales, log cabins, off road, off road wheelchair, Pembrokeshire, trekinetic, Trekinetic k2, trekinetic wheelchair, Wales, wheelchair on 21 January, 2020| Leave a Comment »
A good story needs a good opening lines doesn’t it? So,….
An Englishwoman, an Irishwoman, an Iranianwoman and a South African woman descend on a resort in Wales.
What could possibly happen? Keep coming back over the next few days and you may find a few stories to entertain and inform.
Posted in Days Out, Lancashire, Thought for the day, Trekinetic, Trekintic, tagged coffee shops, days out in lancashire, duck pond, latte, trekinetic, wheelchair accessible coffee shops on 11 November, 2016| 1 Comment »
As a wheelchair user I am always on the lookout for good places to visit and enjoy a coffee. This is even more important when I have one or more of my grandchildren with me, so today’s recommendation for an early winter spot of sunshine, coffee and ducks is Charnock Farm in Charnock Richard. Here you will find a little log cabin where they serve coffee, food and treats.
On a rare sunny day in winter it was such a pleasure to sit outside with the family and feed ducks and enjoy the view over the duck pond while sipping a latte.
Access if via a paved area to the cabin and as long as it isn’t too muddy you can stroll around the pond on a gravel path.
Behind the cabin is a small barn where the children can pet a few farm animals too.
One of their favourite activities is sitting in the old tractor pretending to plough a field – or fly to outer space, or New York in Ethan’s case!
Posted in At home, Days Out, Food, Shopping, Thought for the day, Trekintic, Wheelchair things, tagged Blogging, coffee shop, coffeehouse, good coffee shops, k-2, offroad wheelchair, places to eat, postcode, Postcode coffee shop, postcode coffeehouse, recycling, three wheel wheelchair, trekinetic, trekinetic.com, unique coffee shop in wigan, upcycling, wigan coffee shop, WN35AB on 10 November, 2016| Leave a Comment »
Postcode is the newest place to relax and enjoy a great cup of coffee and a selection of food and drink. This place is very special to us because we spent a lot of time helping to build it. A few dedicated volunteers built all the furniture and interiors and it has so much charm; much of which comes from the reuse of old items into something new. Upcycling is definitely the name of the game here because most of the furniture is built from used scaffold planks and pallets. The soft furnishing is donated jeans and shirts stitched together to create a very unique fabric for the benches.
The lovely old piano bar is now on its 3rd life….firstly as a piano, secondly as a keyboard stand/shelf for our band and thirdly, and currently, as a lovely spot to sit with a friend and enjoy the atmosphere.
The barrel table is one of my favourites because it was created using an old beer barrel out of our cellar….one of three left behind when we purchased the old pub to turn into our home. Another two-seater table is an old pub table given a new lease of life with a chunky board tabletop. The seats are from the pub too, but they are now much tidier with upcycled jeans as seat pads.
Everywhere you look is something of interest, from the huge barn doors to the flying delivery bike. This is truly a unique space created with love and care to serve our community.
One of the nicest things for me personally is that it is big, wide and open. You can stretch your ‘legs’, roll around without bumping into things and get to the food service area and till with more than ample space to spare. Parking is really good and access via the ramp into the large doors makes this a definite favourite. Toilets are clean and tidy with wide passageways to gain easy access.
My favourite part of my trip today was meeting a lovely family. Mom, Gran and daughter (in a wheelchair) came across to talk to me about my Trekinetic K-2 wheelchair. I was more than happy to give them a demonstration and show them all the benefits of owning a K-2. After a lovely chat I pointed them in the direction of Trekinetic and Mike Spindle and suggested they place an order as quickly as possible because the freedom, confidence and multitude of other benefits are priceless. I hope that I meet them again soon over a cup of coffee.
#postcodecoffeehouse @postcodecoffeehouse @tcclife
Posted in Days Out, Mountains, The National Trust, Trekintic, Wheelchair things, tagged disabled toilets, lakesdistillery.com, The Lake District, The Lakes Distillery on 3 November, 2016| Leave a Comment »
Only those of you forced to use disabled toilets will really understand and appreciate the importance of a good, clean disabled toilet. Often we are faced with something more like a dumping ground for overflow cleaning equipment and other junk, a really smelly baby changing facility or simply so filthy you worry about catching something horrific and lingering.
Every good and great disabled toilet needs to be applauded and today it is the beautiful, clean and generally lovely ablutions provided at The Lakes Distillery in The Lake District in Cumbria. This is a very new Distillery and the only one in England. I can absolutely highly recommend this as a trip out – not just for the loo’s!
5* for cleanliness, design (you can actually turn your wheelchair around) and smell.
Thank you 😊
Posted in Days Out, Trekinetic, Trekintic, tagged boat trip, Lake Cruises, The Lake District, The Swan Hotel, Windermere Lake Cruises on 2 November, 2016| 1 Comment »
We’ve lived an hour from Lake Windermere for 16 years and visited a multitude of times but never before gone on a lake cruise. We’ve been across the lake on the ferry, but that isn’t quite the same.
We were gifted a stay at The Swan Hotel in Newby Bridge and when we arrived today it was gloriously sunny for November and it seemed a rather good use of our leisure time because we may not get many more sunny days before winter sets in.
We sailed from Lakeside up to Bowness on a large steamer which was very easy for wheelchair access. Hubby and I absolutely love spending time on the water and the weather and scenery did not disappoint. Parking was easy and not too expensive for up to 10 hours.
Access into the steamer was on flat ground and then across a sturdy gangplank with good access and seating inside or a bit of space on the same deck if you’re brave enough to venture outdoors. It may have been sunny, but it is always so much cooler on the water and especially at the front of the boat.
After 40 minutes we arrived at Bowness where we had to disembark and change boats for our return trip to Lakeside. Getting back was not accessible if you cannot walk or transfer because it was the last boat of the day and much smaller. Getting aboard was fine, but we were warned that at Lakeside we wouldn’t be able to roll off. The crew were very helpful and even offered us a free taxi for our return but we said we were sure to manage because I can walk a few steps when necessary.
On our arrival the gangplank was only suitable for walking across as it was very narrow, and then three steps. Hubby hoisted my K-2 over and up the stairs and in no time I was seated.
Please check before you book to make sure your trip both ways has suitable wheelchair access if you cannot walk or transfer at all. Despite this, it was definitely worth the trip and I can recommend it.
Another great day out with ‘youmeandk2’.
Posted in Germany, Holidays, Trekintic, Wheelchair things, tagged 3 wheel wheelchair, camping, camping holiday, camping in a wheelchair, Germany, Holiday, off road wheelchair, trekinetic, Trekinetic k2, trekinetic wheelchair on 11 October, 2015| Leave a Comment »
When left to its own devices, the Trekinetic K2 loves to be out in the wild camping. Here we see how well prepared and organised it’s campsite is. Enjoying a bit of German sunshine without human interference….
…..those precious moments when you’re not being pushed around!
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Bundu bashing and other wheelchair adventures... 