Just after 7:30 yesterday morning we set off for our drive to Aberdeen, following a quick photo of the team in front of our support vehicle. It took us just under 11 hours to get there.
It seemed that the sun was shining on our attempt as the clouds parted the further northwards we hurtled. The grey granite buildings of Aberdeen came into view late in the afternoon.
When we checked into our room, I remembered why I had been so keen that we stay at this hotel (Aberdeen Copthorne) after last year’s good experience here. As a wheelchair user, entering into our room was like leaping back in time to an age in which hotels weren’t measured by profit per square foot. The room is enormous.
I put up a photo to make a serious point, that wheelchair users ideally need a lot more space in which to live their daily lives. Rarely do I find enough room around beds or in bathrooms to operate as effectively as someone who can stand. It’s also exactly the same thing in restaurants – again the need for commercial sustainability takes precedence over catering for people like me.
This is a common problem – particularly in cities. Along our journey, I could make this point again and again. I’ll try to confine my words about space to this post.
