Bliss at our Disabled Friendly & Utterly Dreamy Normandy Retreat

For my mother & I, travelling with my father can be rather stressful as he has progressed Multiple Sclerosis & is reliant on us & his wheelchair/walker to get around. Hence a trip to France from South Africa, by plane, car & finally ferry, was a seriously daunting undertaking.

However, the CCMS team ensured all of our worries were in vain. From advice & support in terms of our international bookings & flight times to arranging for a car to fetch us from London and take us to the ferry, they had every base covered. Our wonderful motley crew met at the boat & set off for what was to become one of the happiest weeks of any of our lives.

We boarded & made it to our seats so smoothly it almost didn’t seem real. Having been in the navy, dad loved the boat & Maggie Sargent provided a running commentary whilst wheeling him around the decks leaving mum & I to realize that suddenly we weren’t that scared.

We disembarked in France without a hitch & were soon happily winding our way through the French countryside. An hour later we arrived in heaven.. I mean Camprond. This exquisitely sleepy town & the breathtakingly beautiful house we were told was ours charmed us all instantly. The buildings & garden had been perfectly renovated with the touch of an artist and a real sense of love.

We were blown away to discover that from the sauna & the hot-tub to the yurt & the pond, nothing was out of bonds for dad & that was before we got into our state of the art accommodation. Our resoundingly luxurious yet totally disabled friendly flatlet was adjacent to the main house which meant we felt completely included but yet had all of the facilities we needed to ensure dad didn’t have to struggle for the duration of our stay.

When I say disabled friendly, I mean it across the board; state of the art, practical support, clearly put in place by someone who truly understands disability. From the remote controlled bed, the touch lamps & the harness and track from the bed to the bathroom to the adjustable kitchen counter, hand rails & last but not least, a remote controlled bath! For the first time in over a decade my darling dad was able to have one, if the trip had ended then & there it would have been a huge success but that was only the beginning.

We spent our days driving around the countryside with the team using their local knowledge & spoken French to give us history, local tips & a table at the best restaurant I’ve ever been to & one that is usually strictly local. Le Cal is a rustic looking beach shack serving oysters & muscles straight out of the sea & lamb shanks straight out of the fire, with a grey haired & slightly tipsy pianist, an abundance of wine & warm hospitality from the owner (an old friend of Maggie’s) who made sure nothing was in dad’s way & that he had a constant supply of freshly baked bread to mop up the muscle sauce no one in their right minds would have wasted a drop of. Needless to say, we made a few trips to Le Cal.

But multiple helpings of the world’s best muscles weren’t the only treats we had in store. We visited 3 amazing markets, walked/wheeled our way along the beaches at Agon-Coutainville, explored the magical childhood home of Christian Dior & enjoyed daily walks to the local boulangerie for croissants, apple tarts, fresh yoghurt, berries & breads. Needless to say, we ate seriously well.

Add to that nights filled with stories & singing & you get, quite simply, the perfect week.

Regardless of our vastly different ages, interests and abilities it was culture, food & family that reigned supreme & united us as a group whilst the CCMS team made it possible for dad to be with us every step of the way. This hidden slice of heaven & the remarkable team that manage it could not come with a higher recommendation from the Dickinson family. Thank you so very much, we can’t wait to come back!

With fondest regards, Daisy Dickinson

Click here for more information on Camprond Farmhouse

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