Earlier in the month I wrote about dealing with anxiety around unplanned trips as Preparing for anything with a chronic illness can be tricky. Even more so when it's camping.
I'm lucky I'm not going camping in the woods, I'm going to a campsite with level ground and disabled toilet and shower facilities. I needed somewhere with an electric hook up so I would have power to charge my chair. Obviously if you don't need electricity your experiences may be different.
Here's how I prepared;
My tent is amazing, its actually like a Tardis. It is huge inside! easy to put up and I can wheel straight in and stand up inside if I need to. It goes up in about 10-20 Mins with 2 people doing it (my husband and I ) even though I'm helping from my chair.
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We got this up and had two cushioned reclining chairs, a table and a cooler inside the living area. We had power running into the tent with sockets in the middle so I could charge my chair and use my heated blanket.
My husband splashed out on a raised air bed for me so I can get up from it, the bed has an inbuilt electric pump for super fast inflation and it deflates itself! magic! once the tent is up the very next thing to go up for me has always got to be my bed, so if I crash I have somewhere to lie down for a rest. This was really comfy to sleep on but with my husband getting up and down like a yoyo it did deflate slightly as the days went on, we just got the plug out and pumped it back up a bit.
We took a double duvet and pillows instead of sleeping bags as I'm quite claustrophobic and cant stand anything wrapped around me! My heated throw blanket is also a heated cape and helped when things got cold.
I took my meds in my dosset boxes so they were easy to find and chuck in my bag if we were going out for the day. I also made sure I had extra tablets for pain relief, insomnia, IBS and nausea as the last thing you want is to run out or suddenly need some half way through your trip and have to wander around looking for the nearest pharmacy. I made sure I took anything I might need with me as I refused to have my holiday spoilt but something that could be relieved by medication. If your meds are high risk (codeine, tramadol, morphine, zoplicone etc) keep it on you in your bag. Also don't forget basics like Paracetamol, ibuprofen, antihistamines, bite relief cream and sun cream / after sun, antacids etc..
Before we went I researched where we were going, what was nearby and what id like to visit. I looked at where places where, did they have disabled parking, were they accessible, opening times and admission prices / costs. I knew we were a 30 min drive from Norwich which is excellent for shopping so I knew I wanted to go on a shopping trip. I also knew we were literally next door to Banham zoo and that I would want to visit but may need two days as during the day it was quite warm and tiring. I researched the shops I wanted to visit so I spent less time wondering around aimlessly and more time in shops I was actually interested in, knowing where they were also helped us to navigate a city we've never been to before without getting too lost!
Another piece of advice I can offer is to start preparing early, This is so you can take your time and pace yourself. Write a list out of everything you need, don't forget a spare outfit in case you get soaked, decide to have a head to toe mud bath or the weather drastically changes. Start sorting out what you need at least a week before you go, if you already have a tent get it out and put it up so you can check it for damp or damage and air it out, the same with any other camping equipment. This gives you at least a week to find another one or repair anything that's damaged. If you have pets check your designated pet sitter is still available and happy to take care of your babies. Make sure you stock up on pet supplies too.
Luckily nothing went wrong and I didn't need my plan B, but its always a good idea to have one. Have an emergency fund set aside so you can spend the night in a B&B or hotel If your tent gets blown or washed away. Also the weather is never guaranteed, have some entertainment for rainy days, board games, books, card games, if your adults with a dodgy sense of humour there's always games like cards against humanity and exploding kittens. :) The weather stayed nice for us and it only drizzled for about an hour on one of the mornings. Luckily I had a waterproof coat and it soon stopped.
I camp on campsites so I have the right balance (for me) between nature and home comforts. I didn't take my laptop. It was me, my husband and a phone that was it. We were away from our usual routines, work and environment and could relax together and enjoy each others company. That's the point of a holiday for me, getting away from everything and spending quality time together. I don't have to be staying in the Hilton for that and we both love nature. It was so quiet and peaceful on our campsite it felt like we were in a whole different world.
So How did I get on?
My husband was amazing and did most of the work! However the cold didn't like me very much, despite my heated blanket the cold at night caused me some issues and the last resort pain meds came out in full force.
Despite that I had a good time and came across very few obstacles. The disabled bathroom on the campsite was adequate but had a step into a shower and a grab rail that came down across the door which meant you couldn't use it to get over the step and onto the shower seat but once you were in you could put it down to stabilise yourself. I also couldn't fit my chair next to the toilet to transfer so I had to pull myself up, turn round and then lower myself down but I managed. I went shopping in Norwich which was hit and miss with accessibility, some tiny shops were more accessible than large well established ones, but I find that problem nearly everywhere in England.
We also spent quite a bit of time in Banham zoo which was quite accessible for those with mobility problems.
Check back next week for photos and an accessibility review of Banham zoo.
As always thanks for reading,
Laura :)
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