Holidays without a Car

MrsStepford

Husband was diagnosed with COPD in March 2023. He had further tests today and his oxygen saturation levels, pulse and blood pressure were all normal. His inhalers have improved his situation and his consultant expects this to continue, albeit slowly. So it was a big shock when the consultant told him that he won't be allowed to drive for the foreseeable future.

Husband's boss is very supportive. He has been given two assistants and one day a week working from home already and boss is happy to increase that. Luckily, there's a station five mins walk from our house and another six mins walk from his office. 

He will be able to work on the train too, as the high speed services all have decent WiFi.

I can order food etc to be delivered. There are regular bus services into the town centre and to an edge of town supermarket.

We live in a coastal town which has become very trendy. There's plenty to do and free buses to the beach. It doesn't make much sense to go elsewhere in summer as we have a sunny garden and a big park nearby as well as the beaches. 

We would like to go away to the country however and stay in self-catering accommodation, in autumn and spring. Preferably single storey, not tiny, fairly quiet but accessible by public transport. We don't want really long train or coach journeys to get there from Kent. 

Any ideas on websites for areas, accommodation, transport would be great 👍 Before the driving ban we had been thinking about Wiltshire (again), Hampshire, Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk and Lincolnshire. We know East Sussex very well and husband works in Surrey so not really options.

 Northern France isn't far but we would have to sort out passport renewal and insurance and try and order food deliveries from a French supermarket, which seems a bit of a challenge !

We aren't near retirement age yet so no discounts and although husband's driving licence is being revoked for health reasons, he isn't eligible for any discounts or benefits. 

Just feeling a bit clueless !

LinLui

I'm disabled ( but can drive) and have found cottages.com good for filtering my requirements,  and you can see the options on a map. To be fair,  I think a fair few can do this. 

The other option to think about might be hiring a mobility scooter,  which can mean he can manage more options. 

martindow

I know you want countryside, but maybe you would be better in a small town with bus routes radiating out to give you options of getting into countryside.

For instance somewhere like Swanage would be good (train to Bournemouth and then bus across the ferry).  From there there are fairly frequent buses north to Corfe and Poole, Studland and Sandbanks and also buses to the west.  The steam train also goes to Corfe.

heatherw_01

You might struggle finding good transport links somewhere quiet in the countryside.
Rural areas sadly lack good public transport.

I live in one and we have 1 bus an hour that takes 55 mins to go the equivalent of 15 mins by car.
Buses end very early in the day too, so you can't go anywhere in the evening.
And we are lucky to have that bus as many people have no buses at all in their area, including anywhere up the road from us where it is more quiet.

This is an old article, but shows some scenic bus routes where you could possibly pick to stay near:
https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2023/nov/04/bag-a-window-seat-10-of-the-uks-most-scenic-bus-routes
And this one:
https://www.countryfile.com/go-outdoors/days-out/top-10-exciting-public-transport-routes

Otherwise you might be better picking somewhere a little less rural if buses are important.

sheramber

We always found the local tourist information very good at providing information on the local area and what amenities were available.

Make a kist of

what is a must- eg transport etc

What you would like.

Try contacting some in places you consider and see  if they can help you

Many years ago we stayed in Southsee and there were daily coach trips to various places .  Somewhere providing such trips might be an option.

MrsStepford

Thank you for all the suggestions so far. 

My Scottish cousin's MIL has COPD and she's in her 80s and she doesn't need a mobility scooter. I am hopeful that when husband uses his inhalers and rests when he needs to, he won't need one either. I am concerned that as his driving licence has been revoked, he shouldn't drive a mobility scooter on public roads. 

He will talk to his boss about a season ticket loan, which would get him a leisure railcard.

I have discovered that if his consultant provides him with a letter detailing the medical grounds on which his licence has been revoked, that he can get a free bus pass from Kent County Council, which can be used elsewhere, as well. 

I read the pieces from The Guardian and found more, and they were useful. I don't think either of us would contemplate long bus journeys however. We commuted by train for years, in the past. Trains are faster, more comfortable and sometimes have food. 

I discovered The Man in Seat 61 which is useful https://www.seat61.com 

It would take about 3.5hrs to get to Portsmouth and then we could get a ferry with cabin to the Channel Islands. Husband can get boss to help him do a Citizen Card for photo ID. I'm a bit stuck though as I don't know anyone suitable to be a referee. The islands are small but have buses. 

Looking for official tourist offices is a good tip, as well. 

Although we don't drink, a pub could be an option so we don't have to cook. I will look up The Good Pub Guide if that's still going. 

My parents used to use a farm holiday guide to book us into self-catering cottages on working farms, so I will see if I can find anything similar online.