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There’s nothing quite like Guiding friendships, they stretch across the years and miles. Ann and I met a group of eight Canadian Guide leaders in 2008 when we went to Our Cabana, the Girlguiding World Centre in Mexico. We’ve been friends ever since. We’ve met up with some of them on three occasions in the UK, but this was our first visit to see them on their home turf. Sadly, they lost Ruby a few years ago, but the other seven are still as full of fun as they were 17 years ago. After a ‘bring and share’ meal at June’s home, accompanied by much reminiscence and frivolity, we joined them for pumpkin crafts at their Trefoil Guild meeting. Summer and Racheal were welcomed with open arms, and much interest in their gap year adventures. We were pleased with our creations, but there wasn’t space to pack them in our luggage, so our Airbnb gained some additional Thanksgiving decorations.

Elliot Tree Farm is one of the many maple syrup producers in the area. They also have a small museum about maple syrup production, and you can go on a tour of the farm. We had checked that the tour was wheelchair accessible and booked. It was quite nice to find another family on the tour who also had a wheelchair user as part of their group. While we waited to set off, we chatted about other adventures we had each had. I was particularly interested to hear that they had been to Japan, as this is somewhere I would like to go in the future. Our tour guide, Brayden, was a high school student who walked fast and talked fast! It was interesting to hear about the different trees and how the sap is tapped from just beneath the bark in the late winter/early spring. Each tree produces around 75 litres of sap which makes less than 40 litres of maple syrup. As the season only lasts about six weeks the rest of the year is dedicated to growing Christmas trees and general farm maintenance. It was interesting to learn that when the trees are planted, winter rye is also planted at the same time to protect the seedling trees from wind and cold until they are strong enough to cope alone. After walking around the farm, we were treated to a taste of three different strengths of maple syrup with waffle and ice cream in the small museum. Racheal enjoyed tasting the maple syrup too! From here we went onto Elora a small town with lots of older buildings. We had a pleasant lunch sitting outside in the sunshine before exploring the town. There were many independent shops and self service market stores selling local produce and crafts.

We had an early start to get from Terminal 4 to Terminal 2 for 9am. It doesn’t sound far, but with all our luggage a 15 minute walk from the hotel, a lift to the underground station, waiting for the train, the short ride followed by more lifts and a 20 minute walk from the next underground station into the terminal, we felt we had done 50,000 steps by the time we got to check in! Checking in was straightforward. Racheal had been given allowance for an extra suitcase in the hold which was filled with continence pads but well under the 23kg weight limit. Her other suitcase just scraped in at 22.9kg! We didn’t feel we needed to have an assistant help us through the airport, so we agreed to meet someone at the gate prior to boarding. Security is always a slightly anxious point when flying with Racheal due to the amount of equipment and all the bottles of liquid we have to carry. This time it was so easy! Terminal 2 at Heathrow has a new system. Electrical items and liquids no longer have to be removed from bags which made things easier. They did want to look at a few bottles of medicine, but that only took a few minutes and the staff were so jolly and friendly, it didn’t feel at all stressful. They even located the spare axles for Racheal’s wheelchair, which I had spent the previous evening searching for. X-ray machines are handy for finding metal objects! Despite arriving at the airport 3 hours before the flight there is never time to browse in shops or even get a drink when travelling with Racheal. Her personal care and preparing for the flight takes up any spare time there might be. We had just finished preparing all Racheal’s medicines when we were called. At the aircraft door, I folded the handles and foot plate of her Treki chair ready for it to go in the hold. Unfortunately, the assistance people weren’t allowed to use her lifting sling to transfer her to the aisle chair which is used to move her through the plane to her seat, they had to use their own which was really too big for her. They then lifted her again from the aisle chair to her seat, and left us to get settled. A bonus if travelling with Racheal is that we get in first, so there is plenty of space in the overhead lockers for all her extra carry on luggage. In fact we took up less space than a lot of other people because most of our bags fitted neatly under the seat. The flight was 8 hours long, but the inflight entertainment passed the time reasonably well. Summer and I sat either side of Racheal who enjoyed a Disney film and listening to music through her headphones. We were able to attend to Racheal’s personal care by lying her across our seats and covering her with a towel for privacy. This we did three times and no one around us even seemed to notice. I had a carefully worked out plan for Racheal’s meals and medicines to take account of the time difference. We don’t use the pump for her fluids on the plane because it makes her uncomfortable so she had smaller amounts of water, more often. She also had smaller meals, and an extra one after we arrived so there wasn’t such a long gap between tea on English time and breakfast on Canadian time the next day. When we arrived in Toronto we were greeted by friendly assistance man who used Racheal’s sling to lift her onto the aisle chair and then transfer her to her wheelchair which was unscathed by the aircraft door. Always a big sigh of relief to see a present and undamaged wheelchair on arrival! Usually assistance agents come through the airport with us to help with retrieval of luggage, but these two disappeared. I imagine they thought we would be ok as there were three of us with Racheal, and we were. We had dutifully filled in our arrival information on the app on our phones for fast track into Canada, only to find there was a technical problem so a short form had to be completed before we could get on our way. Luggage collected and toilets used, we messaged the ‘car man’, Fahim, to bring our wheelchair adapted hire car to meet us. It took a while to get sorted out with the car, because the first time he came a security guard moved him on for stopping in the wrong place so he had to join a queue to round the pick up area again. By the time he got back to us it had started to rain. The set up with this car is very different to what we are used to as the ramp is on the side instead of the back, it’s automatic and the steering wheel is on the wrong side!!. Getting Racheal’s wheelchair in went smoothly and she was soon secure and the luggage stowed in the large boot. Driving in Canada for the first time in 30 years was a challenge to say the least! They drive on the opposite side of the road which I don’t find too much of a problem, but many of their road signs are very different, lanes on highways disappear or appear without warning, and some rules of the road take a bit of getting used to. Like turning right on red lights and oncoming vehicles turning at the same time as you into a road. Also speed limits seem to be for decoration only and vehicles regularly pass on either side on freeways. All this combined with the fact we had no sat nav except my phone which wasn’t speaking to me made for a hair raising, white knuckle journey. Ann held the phone and tried to give me directions, but it wasn’t easy. Due to the volume of traffic and a couple of unintended detours, the trip took twice as long as expected. We finally arrived to a lovely welcome from 3 of our Canadian friends, Margaret, Mary and Carmel, and the owner of the bungalow which would be home for the next 9 nights. Our friends had brought shopping, home made cookies and muffins, and the medical supplies which had been delivered ahead. By this time it would have been gone midnight at home but was still early evening in Canada. By the time Racheal had had her last feed at 10pm (3am UK time), we were relieved to climb into bed and get some sleep.

Thirty years ago Ann and I visited Niagara Falls in the pouring rain. In fact it was raining so hard you couldn’t see where the rain stopped and the falls started! This time we were determined to see it on a dry day. We had arranged to meet Mama Althea, Racheal’s first foster carer, and her friend Chan for lunch en route from our Airbnb. Racheal had responded really positively when she heard Althea’s voice on the phone the night before but the restaurant was very noisy and not Racheal’s favourite environment. She was very serious all through lunch, but happy again when we got outside into the sunshine. We hadn’t seen Althea for six years, so it was lovely to catch up with her. According to the sat nav it should have been a 90 minute drive to Niagara Falls from our lunch rendezvous. It took double that, so it was 5.30 when we finally pulled into the very expensive car park. However the sun was shining and it was dry, which was the main thing. After Racheal had had her tea, we set off to listen to the incredible sound of 6 million cubic feet of water per minute falling 188ft from top to bottom of Horseshoe Falls, the Canadian section of the falls. You can get very close to the top of the waterfall on an accessible walkway, but to get even closer we chose to do the ‘Journey Behind the Falls’. A lift took us down to tunnels where where you can look out through the wall of water and then onto a viewing platform just to the side of the base of the falls. Waterproof ponchos are provided, but they are not sufficient to keep anyone dry. Racheal sensibly wore her own! By this time it had gone dark and the water was reflecting the changing coloured lights shining on it from above. Back up in the open we went for a final look before retreating to the restaurant for a hot drink. And then the drive home, which was much easier with less traffic on the roads.

The first day was spent recovering from the journey, sorting out nebuliser issues with the help of friends (more about things to consider when travelling abroad in another post) and a local walk for Summer and Racheal. Day two we were ready to explore, so after a stop at Kitchener station to book our tickets to Montreal for the next leg of this adventure, we struck out into Mennonite country. Our first stop was the St Jacobs market which is situated a few miles from the village. A busy place with lots of fresh produce and local crafts, most notably quilts. Many of the stall holders were wearing traditional Mennonite dress and carried their wares by horse and wagon. Alongside the market was a small museum, The Mennonite Story, which held a mock up of a chapel and information about their history and culture. There were also lots of Thanksgiving decorations as Canada has Thanksgiving the second Monday of October, earlier than neighbouring USA. From the market, we moved on to explore the village. It was a quaint little place with many old buildings, but not particularly accessible!

An apt choice for her bedtime story the night before our next adventure! We set off this morning to catch the train to Heathrow, chauffeured to the station by our neighbour. First a local train, then the intercity changing to the, fully accessible, Elizabeth Line for the final leg of the journey. We had booked passenger assistance, but this didn’t work particularly well. We were met off the first train by someone pushing a wheelchair, which we didn’t need. He did show us to the next train, but after that there was no one for the other connections. We discovered later that this was because the first person hadn’t marked the assistance complete on the computer, so subsequent stops were not expecting us. As Ann was with us this time, we were able to manage by just asking staff for directions to lifts and accessible routes. We were each carrying two rucksacks, had three suitcases and a bag to coordinate, as well as Racheal’s chair to push. Quite a feat! Racheal enjoyed the train journey. It’s my favourite way to travel too. From Heathrow we were able to use a covered walkway, after making use of the Changing Places Toilet, to our hotel for the night. We usually stay at Premier Inns because they provide a free carer’s room. It’s a bonus when the rooms have an interconnecting door as our rooms here do. We also have a view of the runway which is quite fun. Reasonably early night ready for the next part of our journey tomorrow.

We left Saddell heading for our final Scottish destination of our six week tour, Oban, following the A83 up the west coast of Kintyre to Tarbert and then on up the east coast to Lochgilphead. Here we found a pleasant café for lunch and stretched our legs wandering round the small town, before continuing our journey. We looked for somewhere to change Racheal but they didn’t appear to be anywhere suitable nearby. However, as we drove out of the town, we noticed a leisure centre and pulled over. To our delight, there was a fully equipped changing places toilet with hoist and changing table, everything we needed. So with everybody fed and comfortable, we continued our journey. As we had plenty of time, I decided to follow the Crinan Canal for a few miles before turning northwards again, crossing a small, rather rickety looking bridge. The land became uncharacteristically flat and the road very straight, which was certainly a change. Eventually, we rejoined the main road and arrived at the youth hostel in Oban just in time for check-in. Oban youth hostel had an accessible room with wet room, which Racheal and I shared. Summer slept in the original hostel in a dormitory room. The kitchen in the main hostel left a lot to be desired, but the accessible room was in the modern block which had a better kitchen albeit a little smaller. Our room and the common room in the main hostel had fantastic views out over the bay from which we could see beautiful sunsets. We only had one day to explore Oban, and as this would be followed by two long days of driving, we decided just to walk into the town which was not very far. Next door but one to the hostel was the Roman Catholic Cathedral so this was the first place we explored. The rest of the time we really spent looking at the shops and sitting watching the CalMac ferries going backwards and forwards to the small islands. So it was time to head home. We had a fantastic time in Scotland, not only enjoying the stunning views, the sensory experiences for Racheal, the culture, the peace and tranquility, but also cementing friendships particularly for Racheal and Summer. We’ve learnt to work together, to live together, to overcome differences and difficulties, we’ve laughed and joked together and built the foundation for future trips. Which is just as well as we will only be home for two weeks before we set off for Canada. The next leg of our Wheely Amazing Gap Year! Oban at night, taken by Summer.

When we left Mull, We drove from Oban for a couple of hours down the Kintyre Peninsula to Saddell. We had booked a Landmark Trust property on the Saddell estate. The Landmark Trust is a charity which rescues historic buildings and renovates them to let out as holiday homes. Staying at Saddell Lodge was a bit of a treat, and in many ways a step up from our humble yurt. However, we did feel a little cut off from the outside world as, not only was there no Wi-Fi, there was also no mobile phone signal! It was actually quite refreshing to have a simple life away from the constant demands of modern technology. And anyway, we could catch up with all the emails and messages when we went into nearby Campbelltown. As the weather was nice, we spent some time exploring the estate where you can also stay in a castle, a Ferryman’s cottage, a cottage on the beach or a large house that sleeps 13 people. None of the others would’ve been suitable for Racheal, but we were quite happy in our little cottage. All the properties on the estate can use a bothy on the beach to go to for picnics if they wish. We didn’t take our picnic, but we did take a drink and a packet of biscuits when we went out for a walk. it really was a beautiful place. During our days on Kintyre, we visited the smokehouse at Skipness, the garden centre at Glennbarr, and the ruined Saddell Abbey. On the last day, we decided that we really should go to a whiskey distillery having been in Scotland for nearly 6 weeks. It turned out to be an excellent sensory experience for Racheal as our guide, Claire, found as many things as she could for Racheal to feel, smell and even taste. To keep the cost down for our gap year experience, we are mostly self catering. These cows were fascinated as they stood and watched through the kitchen window while we prepared our meals!

Having followed the main road on Mull, a single track road with passing places, for 50 minutes we turned off down a winding lane then turning onto a rough track. We arrived at the gate to the field where our accommodation for the next four nights could be found. The gate was a bit of a challenge as it was broken at the hinge end and rather heavy, but Summer managed to get it open and closed again behind the car. The field was very wet, but fortunately the ground was firm as we negotiated our way to the yurt in the far corner. It had been raining quite hard during our journey, but the rain had stopped in time for us to unload the car and settle in. From the outside the yurt look like a parcel bundled together with string, but inside it was cosy and warm with a very comfortable double bed, two fold out chair/single beds, a camp kitchen, table and chairs, rugs on the floor, a wardrobe and most importantly, a wood burner. The only light was from a Perspex disc in the roof and rechargeable torches. Outside were two sheds one housing the compostable toilet, the other a gas powered shower. We were looking forward to our glamping experience, despite the pouring rain that had started up again outside. The first day we thought we would go to Tobermory, but we didn’t set off until late morning and were further delayed by cows in the road, so when I saw a sign post to the Old Post Office Tearooms I thought it would be a good lunch stop. What I hadn’t noticed in small letters at the bottom of the sign was ’ 8 miles’! The road was narrow twisting, over tiny humpback bridges and up and down some steep hills, but when we got there, it was well worth the journey. It was only a very small café and we were lucky to get the last table. Due to the length of time it had taken to get there and back, we decided to abandon our trip to Tobermory and just go to Craignure to fill up with fuel and stop at a launderette machine on the way back to the yurt to catch up with some much needed washing. Summer and Racheal then caught up with Racheal‘s logbook before enjoying some relaxation, Summer knitting her socks and Racheal with her string lights that we brought with us. The second day we did make it to Tobermory, a nearly 2 hour journey due to a road being closed. There aren’t many alternatives on the small island. We stopped for a picnic at a beautiful spot on the way but had to sit in the car as the ground was so wet. In Tobermory, we walked around the bay popping in and out of shops and visiting the small, local museum, dodging the rain when necessary. Ardtun, the village where we were staying, was only 20 minutes from the Iona ferry. We had saved this trip for our last day on the island, but unfortunately high winds were forecast for the afternoon. We set off to get the 10 o’clock ferry as foot passengers so that we could at least have a couple of hours exploring Iona. It was a shame that we had to come back again on the 12 o’clock ferry, but at least we got to see the abbey and the small village. It was particularly special to be there on a Sunday morning thinking about those who have worshipped God in this place for hundreds of years. On the way to the Craignure to catch the ferry back to Oban, we just had time to detour to have a peek at Duart Castle. We really enjoyed our our time on Mull, even the wind and the thunderstorms were fun! Maybe we will return one day.

We decided to spend our only full day at Glen Nevis taking the train from Fort William to Mallaig. This is one of the prettiest train rides in the country, passing over the famous Glenfinnan viaduct. Unfortunately , the Jacobite steam train is not wheelchair accessible, but the regular, Great Western Railway service travels the same tracks at a fraction of the price. It made a change from driving and I enjoyed being able to look at the view rather than the road. Racheal always enjoys a train journey and we were able to describe the scenery to her. The lovely conductors also pointed a few things out on the route, and were very attentive to Racheal’s accessibility needs. In Mallaig we visited the small museum then bumped into a German girl we had met at the youth hostel. She was travelling alone, hostelling for the first time, so we invited her to join us for coffee at a café. We all sat together for the return journey on the train and then gave her a lift back to the youth hostel. As we got back it started to rain again. Racheal has enjoyed helping us cook in many of the places we’ve stayed, but Glen Nevis youth hostel kitchen was not really accessible so Racheal and I sat in the dining room while Summer prepared a meal. Because of the rain, we didn’t load anything into the car that evening. We usually put what we can in the car the night before we leave so that we can get away promptly in the morning. So the next day when we left to drive to Oban, we had everything to put in the car, and it was still raining. It did stop in time for us to stand on the bridge over the River Nevis and listen to the water rushing beneath. Racheal definitely enjoys the sound of fast moving water and, as Summer said - we got Racheal as far up Ben Nevis as we could! With the rain stopped, we had a pleasant drive to Oban where we had lunch in Tesco, and stocked up on provisions. However, by the time we left it was pouring with rain again and we couldn’t wait for it to pass over as we had a ferry to catch to Mull. We got to the ferry terminal with only a couple of minutes to spare before check-in closed. There had been some misunderstanding about our access requirements, the staff on the ferry thinking we needed extra space at the side of the car rather than the rear. This meant we had to move the car and squash between two other vehicles in order to get the rear access and I couldn’t get out of the car! Eventually, after a bit of shuffling, I managed to get just enough space to open my door and squeeze out. Meanwhile, Summer had managed to take the trolley out of the back of the car, get Racheal out and put the trolley back secured for the crossing. It was all quite an adventure. There was lots to see on the ferry crossing as there is almost always land in sight as it weaves between mainland Scotland, Kererra, Lismore and Mull. The hour’s drive from Craignure to our yurt in Ardtun took us through beautiful sunshine and heavy showers. The views were stunning despite the weather. This was an A road which comprised mostly of single track road with passing places, something we’ve seen a lot of in Scotland. We found our yurt along an uneven track, through a gate and across a field with three sheep in it. We managed to get everything unloaded in the dry just before another heavy downpour.

With the car once more loaded, we set off to Glen Nevis youth hostel, at the foot of Ben Nevis, near Fort William. This turned out to be a day with a few disappointments. The first section of the journey we had done before but still enjoyed the views, particularly the fairy tale castle at Dunrobin. Having passed through Inverness twice already, we took the road to the west of the city, through Dingwall and Beauly to Drumnadrochit. Here we had hoped to have a picnic lunch at Urquart Castle and explore the ruins. This was our first disappointment. At the gate stood a man holding a clipboard. ‘Have you booked?’ he asks. ‘Er, no.’ After a brief exchange when he explained we would have to book on line for entry an hour later, we sadly decided we would have to continue our journey without seeing the castle. The drive down the side of Loch Ness was also disappointing because we couldn’t see it through the trees, making sightings of Nessie impossible! There were no parking places big enough get out of the car for our lunch until we got to the village of Invermoriston, which is set back from the water. Moving on again, just as it started to rain, we continued to Fort Augustus. Here, at last, we could get a good view of the famous lake, enjoy a coffee between the river and the Caledonian canal and visit some craft and gift shops. Surprisingly, we also ticked ‘watch glass blowing’ off Racheal’s ‘Back to Basics Bucket List’. The road from Fort Augustus to Fort William took us along the west shore of Loch Oich and the east of Loch Lochy, the latter was particularly pretty - and we could see it! We arrived at Glen Nevis youth hostel and another disappointment which was to make life much more difficult for the next two nights. I have spent over a year researching places to stay, contacting each one directly often by phone. I always check that there will be a bed we can hoist Racheal onto, not bunk beds as there isn’t enough head room and with space below the bed for the wheels of the hoist. If a place can’t meet these essential requirements, I don’t book. So to be told by the young man, who was pleased to tell me that he was the person I’d spoken to a year ago, that all the accessible rooms have bunk beds did not make me very happy at all! I asked if there was an alternative room with a double or twin beds, but no. The only solution was to put a mattress on the floor and use her Promove sling to physically move her to and from positions we could then hoist her in and out of her chair. When I checked the hostel’s accessibility statement, it clearly says there are twin or bunk accessible rooms available, and shows photos, but this, apparently, was incorrect. An email to Hostelling Scotland will follow in due course! And then it rained while I was unloading the car!

We had three nights, therefore two full days, at Helmsdale. Having spent the first day mostly in the car, we didn’t want to drive so far on the second day, so we set off south towards Dornoch. On the way we stopped off for a walk along the sea front at Golspie, and to use the Changing Places Toilet, before having a picnic in the car at the Nature Reserve on the southern shore of Loch Fleet. There were plenty of birds to see, and a seal or two kept us entertained. Dornoch is a pleasant town where we spent a happy afternoon in the small museum, the tiny cathedral and the shops. Racheal chose a book of Scottish folk tales which we have slowly been making our way through since. Back at the hostel, there was time to relax outside in the sunshine before starting on the evening meal and time consuming preparations of medicines, feeds and other medical stuff which take up much of our time when we’re not out exploring!