'blows away the dust' *train Journey*

I keep forgetting about this. Well, on Sat 23 July I rather bravely attempted a train journey to Cheltenham - ALONE. I've done the journey several times and done the return journey alone as far as Bristol Temple Meads, but decided as there was only going to be one change at Temple Meads, I would brave it. The worse that would happen is I would end up in Newcastle LOL!

I decided that I would take my luggage for the week in a holdall, so that it could stay on the back of my powerchair if needed, so I wasn't struggling to pull a suitcase along should the assistance fail to be provided by station staff, and it worked well. Bridgwater Station is only staffed part time, and the older gentleman at the desk informed me that I was on his sheet, but the onboard train staff would help as he was unable to. Once on the train, and it being the first saturday of the school holidays, I wasn't surprised in the slightest to see the wheelchair space (keep clear by law) full of suitcases, but the ticket inspector called down the carriage for them to be moved, or he would move them, and they were soon cleared, apart from one bag which wasn't in the way.

On arriving at Temple Meads, the train staff assisted me off as no-one had arrived, and I was shortly met by an apologetic member of the dispatch staff who told me that I wasn't on their list, but not to worry as they would get me on my connecting train. He was really chatty and it turned out that in the past he had done work on the computer network at the Star College in Ullenwood, where I was heading. Once I was on my connecting train it was chaos, and there were several people who were rather put out at having to move their luggage. While I understand that its not easy to travel away for a week or more and travel 'light', I do think it is rather stupid to take a suitcase that you can barely lift! I was given many filthy looks, which I just ignored. and to part quote a friend, these people chose to take luggage they obviously could not manage, I did not choose to be in a wheelchair'. Fortunatly, the journey from Temple Meads to Cheltenham Spa is only 40 minutes, and that was plenty of time for me to enjoy my salad and SW quiche, and a pot of sugar free jelly and some fruit I'd bought from home before arriving. I spent what seemed like 10 minutes waiting at the doorway of the train, waiting for the ramp, and a Mum with a baby in a buggy ended up shouting to the platform staff to tell him I was there. When he eventually came, he complained to the ticket inspector (who hadn't even checked my ticket was valid) that 'they' shouldn't put more than one wheelchair on the train, especially when he was on his own. Needless to say, I will be making a complaint as he talked over me and I felt his manner towards me was completely out of order, although I have experienced worse thanks to National Rail. Fortunatly, my taxi was waiting for me at the front of the station, and I got to the College unscathed :)