http://www.camc.com September 2019 Caravan and Motorhome Club Magazine 69
just 30 minutes by car away from the
capital city. Disneyland Paris,
meanwhile, is even closer.
France has so much to offer, from
art and architecture to magnificent
landscapes and great food, but after
a long journey we wanted to ease
ourselves into the holiday, heading
to a nearby shopping village called
La Vallée. Although it was full of
designer shops and a bit out of our
budget, it was a beautiful place to go
for a gentle afternoon stroll before
heading back to the site for a
barbecue as the sun set.
DISNEY DATE
We spent the next day exploring the
two huge parks at Disneyland –
Disneyland Park and Walt Disney
Studios Park – both of which are
Boarding the ferry was pretty
straightforward (above);
e n j o y i n g a n a c c e s s i b l e r i d e a t
Disneyland Paris (inset)Right: set up at Caravaning des 4
Vents; shopping opportunities at
Disneyland Paris; the spectacular
Illuminations!ROAD TRIP TOP TIP
If you have a right-hand drive
car and don’t have a passenger
with you who is able to reach
through the window to grab
tickets and pay at French toll
booths – or if you would just
rather not have to stop – we
would highly recommend
getting an Emovis toll tag. Once
placed in your windscreen you
simply drive up to the toll
booth, the barrier will raise and
the fee will automatically be
withdrawn from your registered
bank account at the end of the
month. If purchase through the
Caravan and Motorhome Club
website you even avoid the € 10
application fee – see camc.
com/emovis for details.packed full of magic and wonder.
I had visited as a youngster but it was
Stephen’s first time, and we had
a great time enjoying the selection
of wheelchair-accessible attractions,
reliving childhood memories and
creating new ones together.
One of the highlights was the
Disney Illuminations show as the
day drew to a close. Although you
might assume it’s more suited to
children, you’d be surprised at how
much there is for adults – it really
is a great day out whatever your age
and ability.
On our last day we couldn’t wait to
soak up the culture of the capital itself.
There are good transport connections
from the site, but we’d heard that there
was plenty of on-street disabled
parking right in the centre, so decidedto drive in. We were actually able to
stop right next to the Eiffel Tower!
There’s lots to see and do in
Paris but a trip up Gustave Eiffel’s
iconic monument is something
we’ve always wanted to do together,
and it’s surprisingly accessible.
As a wheelchair user I was able
to take the lift up to the second floor,
where we had breathtaking views
across the whole city as the sun
shone down. It was the perfect end
to a brilliant trip.
Aside from a few cobbled streets,
we found France very accessible.
It’s a wonderfully diverse country,
and although we barely scratched
the surface on our first European
adventure, our whole trip went
smoothly and we cannot wait to
explore more in the future.