La Fresnaie (for 6)
Thanks to Nigel and Paula for providing such accessible accommodation for disabled guests. As a wheelchair user with a Spinal Cord Injury, it's a rare treat to find lowered work surfaces in holiday accommodation, but it really does take the pressure off my husband, who usually ends up having to do everything when we are away. We borrowed the self propelling shower chair, which really cut down on the amount of equipment we had to load into the car.
We had some great days out thanks to Nigel and Paula's recommendations and information taken from the visitor's book. Bagnoles -de-l'Orne fulfilled all of our wishes on the day: steak tartare, crepes, an accessible parking bay and plenty of shops to keep our teenage daughter occupied. We spent a great afternoon at the lake and beach at la Ferte-Mace where Geoff and Daisy swam and Kayaked, while I sat under shady trees and read my book. Again there was a readily available parking space, a (clean) accessible toilet and the paths were ideal for me to push myself without help. Lassay le Chateaux was beautiful, but very hilly, be prepared to take someone strong, wearing shoes with a good grip if you are planning to make the trip down the steep path to the lake. We loved Domfront, again, it was extremely hilly, but we parked right at the top of the town in a readily available accessible bay (I saw a few available) and explored the medieval town. There is a clearly signed wheelchair accessible entrance to the church, which is well worth a visit, but the ruined castle is a bit more difficult to negotiate for wheelchair users.
We travelled out to Mont Saint Michel one day. Be warned, the mount itself is not the most accessible place for wheelchair users and you won't be able to make it all the way up to the abbey if you can't negotiate steps. The path is super steep and cobbled and you will need a strong pusher (or two), wearing shoes with a strong grip and it would be a good idea to take a wheelchair attachment, such as a freewheel, if you have one. There is a well signed car park for disabled visitors where there is a modern visitors centre with accessible toilet, which I recommend visiting before you make the journey out to the mount. We took the accessible shuttle bus out and then walked back to the car park along a long, level, boarded path.
Bagnoles-de-l'Orne has many wheelchair accessible restaurants and cafes and a clean accessible public toilet in the car park. We enjoyed a very reasonably priced lunch at Bistro la Varenne in Aubrieres les Vallees and had great fun practicing our terrible French in loads of cafes in the local area!
— Barbara Harrop, 07 Sep 2022
