Quite often as a holiday gets close to an end and you begin getting your things ready for the trip home, there is that sense of melancholy that tomorrow you will be back home and the holiday will soon be a distant memory. Not this time, as we had our final swim in the rooftop pool overlooking Bastia harbour in northern Corsica, we knew we had an exciting few days ahead.

For the first leg of our journey home we caught a taxi from the hotel to Ajaccio station where we would board the mountain train that would traverse the island. This funny little train looked more like some form of cartoon supervillain vehicle than a train with two little carriages, floor-to-ceiling windows and steps up to the seating area from the ground level doors. Sadly, whereas in the UK, all our trains are on a single level, many of the trains we went on in France had the doors at low-level and then the seating compartments accessed via steps. I am sure there are discrete design features to enable people with mobility difficulties inclusive access but I can’t imagine exactly how a wheelchair user (or even someone with a heavy pram) would be able to use this odd little loco.

The 90 mile trip across the Monte Cinto massif wasn’t the fastest in the world  – taking almost 4 hours to cross from Ajaccio but the benefit of taking our time was we could really absorb the breathtaking views of the peaks as we wound our way up through the range before slowly dropping back down almost 3,000 metres (10,000 feet) back to sea level.

Up in the mountains, it became abundantly clear why such a specialist train was needed as we twisted and turned around the bases of steep mountains and navigated steep climbs with sheer drops down to rushing rivers below. As we crept along, we stopped at some of the strangest stations in the middle of nowhere. Some of these halts were no more than a bus shelter in a woodland clearing. Aside from the odd passing point, there was only a single track and so if you missed your train, then there was a long 3 hour wait until the next one would come along.

Once in Bastia, we had the evening to kill before our 6am ferry back to the mainland. There isn’t a lot to do in the port so we contented ourselves with a few hours rest and a dip in the pool before taking a wonder around the marina to find somewhere for dinner and an early night.

The next morning we were up before the sun and found our way to the port. We’d done a recce the night before so had a good idea where we were going. The ferry was delayed arriving meaning by the time the overnight passengers had disembarked and we were called to board it was almost 2 hours late and we were all starving. Getting through security was interesting as there was no concept of a “disability fast pass” when boarding a little Corsican ferry as a foot passenger so we queued with the rest, waiting patiently for our turn. Having two autistic people and a blind guy always makes things interesting as William attempted to wonder off while Kath and Kira loaded the bags onto the x-ray conveyor. When it came to my turn to go through the scanner there was a bit of confusion because they had already insisted on my cane being put through the scanner and so the person manning the metal detector didn’t know I couldn’t see. They started to get frustrated as they waved me through but I didn’t see their gesture and so didn’t move until Kath came to my rescue and gave me a gentle nudge. I then couldn’t really work out where I needed to go and nobody was particularly helpful – all the while William was getting more and more overwhelmed with all the people and noise. Thankfully after what felt like hours but was likely no more than 30 seconds, I felt a familiar hand on my arm and my eldest was there to steer me forward whilst Kath rounded all the bags up.

Before long, I had Hank, my trusty street cane back in hand and a wheelie bag trundling along behind me and we joined the steady stream of passengers heading towards the foot entrance to the boat and prepared for the escalator dance mentioned in Part 2 once more.

If the port staff were totally indifferent to our additional needs, the ferry crew couldn’t have been more different. One staff member took my bag as I navigated the steps and then handed off to another on the middle landing. At the top and once we were all reunited a final crew member guided us to the pullman suite and our seats. One huge disadvantage of having to wait for the rest of the passengers to board is that we didn’t have seats together so Kath and William were on one side and Kira and I were on the other but, by the time we had finished breakfast we were all exhausted from being up at 4.30am so were content with settling down in our seats for the next 8 hours.

Much like the cabin on the outward trip, the Pullman seats were a welcome addition from the Byway team. If it had been left to us, we probably would have just opted for the basic tickets and ended up camping down on an uncomfortable section of floor for 6 hours but having comfortable reclining seats in the middle of the ship meant we were all rested and ready to explore Nice.

When we disembarked in Nice, the 90% humidity hit us like a brick so, after doing the escalator dance for one final time, we welcomed the captain hustling us to a port mini-bus to take us to the tram station. It is funny how people see the cane and immediately assume I can’t walk very far but on this occasion, the 2 minute bus ride was welcome as it was bloody hot!

Once again, our original plan was to walk the three quarters of a mile to the hotel but one kid was close to a full-on meltdown and the other was shutting down from all the noise (and did I say it was hot?!) so we opted for a cab instead.

At the hotel, the friendly receptionists checked us in and we settled the kids into their room to recharge. While they rested, Kath and I had a very important task to fulfil which was to wrap William’s birthday presents as he turned 11 the following day. Luckily our hotel was just off one of the main shopping streets – Avenue Jean Médecin so we could find everything we needed within a couple of blocks and even managed to fill the mini-fridge in our room with supplies for tomorrow’s lunch.

Presents wrapped and kids refreshed, we headed out to find some food. It was a short walk down to the Promenade des Anglais and so after dinner we had a slow stroll along the front. It was magical with the full moon in the sky, shining a channel along the inky black water towards the beach.

It was such a wonderful holiday and to finish it off in this way was extra special. But it wasn’t over yet – we still had to get back to London which meant  a return trip to Paris where we would have an overnight stay for William’s birthday before finally heading home.

---

If you liked this account of our personalised flight-free trip and fancy taking a look for yourself then why not check out Byway.travel and see where they can take you.