During August 2019 we stayed in a wheelchair accessible accommodation at Domaine Des Ormes, France with Eurocamp. (Approx 30 minutes from St Malo and Mont St Michel, and 5 hours south west of Calais) They only have 1 accommodation that is specifically adapted for Wheelchair users
Ramp outside mobile home
The accommodation is situated at the top of the resort and is up quite a steep hill if you are self propelling or have to be pushed, luckily I have my batec device so getting up the hill was not a problem.
Entrance Ramp, not fixed
There is a ramp to get in through the doors, this was not screwed down so moved around a bit and was the only thing that felt like not a lot of thought had been given to it.
The shower room was quite spacious with handrails and a moveable shower seat. All the doors inside slid as opposed to opened inwards or outwards so there was plenty of space. The main bedroom had enough turning space for 1 wheelchair on one side
The main kitchen / living area had a lowered worktop surface so I was able to do the washing up (my wife was delighted!)
The resort itself was very friendly and I was able to partake in some archery
There was lots to do on the resort and they had just opened an undercover water park called the Dome, I was able to get in (had to go through a water trough) and there were level or gradual paths around the structure and plenty of space for me to position my wheelchair.
They also had an outdoor pool area which again I could get into although it was tight getting around between the sun loungers and the actual water itself
All in all the resort was great and I would heartily recommend it, so much so that we have already booked for next year.
As you know if you are a regular reader of my blog I work at Bluestone National Park Resort. We opened a new area of the resort on Friday 19th July 2019 called Serendome (Seren is Welsh for Star), a 7000m2 giant umbrella that covers a multitude of activities (some paid, some free) as well as places to eat, drink and a massive theatre (some 400 seats opening for incredible shows this November).
One of the main attractions is Skywalk (essentially a massive obstacle course some 7 towers and 24 climbing stations with many moving elements including a bicycle!.
They also have skyWalk Mini which is not as far off the ground for the younger children and those not comfortable at height, this course also has a wheelchair accessible course and I had the job of being the first disabled person to test it out.
So there is a special wheelchair that you have to transfer into, you are buckled up into a harness and the wheelchair is harnessed onto you and two harnesses are attached to you and the wheelchair which are used to keep you safe whilst on the course and also whilst on the zip wire.
So what’s it like ? Well the first thing that you have to do is get onto the first platform which involves a ramp to push yourselves up with little runners about every metre to bunny hop over, once you have done this (which is fine if you are an active manual wheelchair user but would be difficult if you are not used to pushing yourself) you are on the first platform and have to go round it (the instructor will detach the harnesses from the first part of the course and re attach to the next, all while ensuring that 1 is always connected so you can’t fall of).
Ramp Up (excuse the Hi Viz, Was still classed a s building site at the time)
Once round the platform you get to the next bit which is a giant seesaw (but admittedly a very tame on).
Seesaw (excuse the Hi Viz, Was still classed a s building site at the time)
Again you go round the platform (whilst being unhooked and rehooked up) to the hardest bit of the course a platform with lots of bits of wood attached at unusual angles that you need to bunny hop over, normally bunny hops are not a problem for me but of course they are not at angles and laid out so that getting one wheel over means the other wheel is trapped. This is a challenging element and the instructor is there is help if (or probably when) you get stuck and can’t seem to progress further.
Bumpy Path (excuse the Hi Viz, Was still classed a s building site at the time)
Once you’ve completed the bumpy element then again you go round a platform and are hooked up to the zip wire. Top tip here is when you land to try and lean forward and not backwards as you don’t want the wheelchair going backwards (no anti tips but you are still connected so can’t come out) and that is it.
Zip Wire (excuse the Hi Viz, Was still classed a s building site at the time)
So, what is my impressions, well I think it will depend on whether you have been a wheelchair user all your life and whether you have done other zip wires / thrill seeking activities before. Before I was in a wheelchair I loved rollercoasters, did zip wires that that were 40ft up and enjoyed being thrilled, this course is relatively tame for me but I still enjoyed the zipwire because not being on the ground and being suspended is still something that shouldn’t be the case in a wheelchair as a matter of course (unless you’re a stunt person and considerably braver than me)
There are of course some limitations, a 125Kg weight limitation (including weight of the Wheelchair and you cannot be pregnant) To see what else is available see video below and link to Srendome page on the Bluestone Website
