Both Paddington and Kings Cross have good lift access to the tube, so not too many problems there (apart from negotiating 'the gap').
This was our first time visit to St Pancras International, the Eurostar London terminal since 2007. Amazing station, a destination in itself. Checked in and went through security, similar to an airport but a lot less stressed, plus you can arrive as late as 45 minutes before departure. Like GWR, wheelchair spaces are Standard Premier (or even first) class and, as we discovered to our surprise, include a simple two course meal with wine and a decidedly French feel. All served in real china, glasses and metal cutlery - luxury - definitely beats flying!
A little over two hours later we arrived in Paris Gare du Nord. Having read advice from https://www.seat61.com/France.htm we'd bought our tickets for the Paris Metro on the Eurostar and felt confident heading off to find RER-D for Gare de Lyon. Suffice to say, the Metro is a far cry from the tube so far as being accessible. Journey time itself is 7 minutes. Time to find correct platform via a lift (preferably in working order) and find our way out again at the other end - well over an hour! Our train travel guru, the man in seat 61, reckons on 25 minutes, including buying a ticket. Notice he takes a taxi when travelling with family. Next time, so will we.
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Welcome Paris stop over with great views from our hotel! Next morning John took a run alongside the Seine towards Notre Dame. Time for a leisurely breakfast before returning to Gare de Lyon to board the TGV for Nice.
Wheelchair spaces in first class again
This is what the Loire looks like from the passing TGV. Even better are the seemingly stationary cars on the Autoroute, the impression of relative speed is fantastic!
Arrive at Avignon in 2+ hours, after which the TGV slows to a more leisurely pace and takes the next 3+ hours to wind its way along the scenic Cote d'Azur to Nice.
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Second night's stopover in Nice. Lovely hotel, even if slightly dodgy area near the station (aren't they always?). Morning run for John, this time along Nice seafront. I wish he'd sign up to Strava and record it all....
Another lovely continental breakfast at our hotel before packing and heading down to Port de Nice. Now it's my turn to forget to set Strava but here's a screenshot of our return trip at the end of the holiday.
I confess it's probably 2 miles at most, Strava has a habit of recording further distance when sat down in a café.
The sun shone ever hotter and the cold beer at the harbour restaurant was more than welcome. Ferry borded for the final leg of our journey.
Arrival into Port d'Île Rousse. Our hotel, the wonderful and accessible (unusual in France, rare in Corsica) Santa Maria is a short walk (or roll).
Hotel Santa Maria is back right with balconies all round and most rooms overlooking the sea in one direction or other. The hotel appears to have its own private beach, although in truth, no beach in Corsica is private. Never the less the little rocky beach behind the hotel (direct access from our room) is quiet and perfect for snorkelling. The sea is flat calm apart from when a ferry docks and a freak wave threatens swimmers close to the rocky shore.
We enjoyed a wonderful holiday in Corsica and really appreciated the overland travel to get there. Watching the scenery and feeling the temperature change from northern European to Mediterranean, we valued the experience of our journey. Flying these days is anything but pleasant. Cheap, yes. Enjoyable, no. Evironmentally, Eurostar is a massive 90% better than flying when it comes to carbon emissions (partly due to France's use of nuclear power).
https://www.seat61.com/CO2flights.htm
We've got to stop or hugely reduce our flying. Flying contributes to an estimated 5% of global carbon emissions. Which doesn't sound too bad, until you factor in that 95% of the world's population have never been on an aeroplane.
https://www.flightfree.co.uk/post/the-footprint-of-flying
On a personal level, I've been privileged to benefit from many overseas holidays by plane, from weekends visiting family in Scotland to our recent once in a lifetime trip to Costa Rica.
Arrival into Port d'Île Rousse. Our hotel, the wonderful and accessible (unusual in France, rare in Corsica) Santa Maria is a short walk (or roll).
Hotel Santa Maria is back right with balconies all round and most rooms overlooking the sea in one direction or other. The hotel appears to have its own private beach, although in truth, no beach in Corsica is private. Never the less the little rocky beach behind the hotel (direct access from our room) is quiet and perfect for snorkelling. The sea is flat calm apart from when a ferry docks and a freak wave threatens swimmers close to the rocky shore.
We enjoyed a wonderful holiday in Corsica and really appreciated the overland travel to get there. Watching the scenery and feeling the temperature change from northern European to Mediterranean, we valued the experience of our journey. Flying these days is anything but pleasant. Cheap, yes. Enjoyable, no. Evironmentally, Eurostar is a massive 90% better than flying when it comes to carbon emissions (partly due to France's use of nuclear power).
https://www.seat61.com/CO2flights.htm
We've got to stop or hugely reduce our flying. Flying contributes to an estimated 5% of global carbon emissions. Which doesn't sound too bad, until you factor in that 95% of the world's population have never been on an aeroplane.
https://www.flightfree.co.uk/post/the-footprint-of-flying
On a personal level, I've been privileged to benefit from many overseas holidays by plane, from weekends visiting family in Scotland to our recent once in a lifetime trip to Costa Rica.
Ça suffit, plus jamais*.
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*conflict of interest: John continues to fly G-PCAT. In his defence rarely very far or higher than 2000 feet. I struggle to climb into the cockpit these days so can be a bit smug and very hypocritical!
