Sometimes a bad day just happens
Sometimes it is just a bad day
Sometimes a bad day just happens. This time the reasons were entirely out of my control. Just a simple trip up to London to see my MS consultant at the Royal London hospital in early August. It all sounds easy enough. 11.30 appointment so I would expect to be back at home by 2.30 at the latest. If only that had happened instead of a series of unfortunate incidents.
The start of the day went smoothly
I caught the 9.30 train from Faversham, settled into my seat and listened to my book. At 10.00 the train stops at Stratford International where the access staff put down a ramp so I can get off the train. Now mobility-scoot through Westfield shopping centre and then I can catch an Elizabeth Line train from Stratford to Whitechapel.
Westfield shopping centre
As I leave the shopping centre my attention is caught by a homeless man getting to his knees and emptying the contents of his stomach onto the pavement. There was nothing I could do to help. Hello to the seedier side of London are my thoughts. No fun for him either I thought to myself.
Stratford to Whitechapel
I was discombobulated by the homeless man being sick and found myself on the platform at Stratford to catch an Elizabeth Line train going towards Essex. The guard pointed out the error and said I needed to change platform. I moved to the correct platform, now I just needed to find a member of staff who could arrange a ramp so I could get onto the train but none were to be seen. Just before the second train rolled into the station someone appeared carrying a ramp. At Whitechapel the train is wheelchair accessible from the platform, all so much easier.
Waiting for the consultant
I arrive for my 11.30 appointment with about five minutes to spare. Sixty five minutes later, yes an hour after the appointment time, it my4 chance to see the consultant. At least he has the decency to apologise and my consultation lasts for twenty five minutes, not the usual fifteen minutes which is my entitlement. At the end he asks me to go for a blood test which is in a different department at the same hospital.
Bad day
I arrive at reception to give a blood sample just after 1 pm and eventually find someone who can help me. He takes my details then tells me there is a wait of about one hour. My name will appear on the screen telling me where to go for the blood test .At about 2.15 my name appears on the screen and by 2.30, an hour and a half later I can think about going home.
Whitechapel to Stratford
At Whitechapel station I need to tell someone from the Elizabeth Line that I must be met at Stratford by someone with a ramp. Two trains come and go and I don’t see anyone who can help. What is a man on a Travelscoot mobility scooter to do? At train number three my patience is exhausted so I take a gamble and get onto the train. Luckily there is someone at Stanstead who has a ramp so I can get on to the platform but it was a close run event. Suddenly numerous staff appear on the platform and tell me off. I get the feeling that none of them believe my story about no staff at Whitechapel. At least the trip from Stratford to Faversham is trouble free.
Now it really is bad day
When I return to Faversham the news is dreadful The lift has broken in the last hour and I am given 2 options to leave the station.
- Catch a train to Sittingbourne and a taxi will bring me back to Faversham.
- Catch a train to Herne Bay where staff will help me to catch a train back to Faversham that stops at a platform with a functioning lift.
Neither option appealed to me. I was dog tired and just wanted to get home. I persuaded the station staff that with help I can manage to get down the stairs, the travel scoot only weighs 17 kg so its easy to carry down. Fifteen minutes later mission accomplished. Sometime around six I stagger into home, absolutely exhausted. Sometimes a bad day really does just happen and it’s not my fault. Too much anxiety, stress and unexpected problems. Put it another way, shit happens.
August 2025
Associated incidents
Just another little fall
Sometimes I Feel So Fragile
Hello Patrick –
Although I don’t have MS, I have followed your blog with interest. My condition affect my legs, meaning I can no longer walk, and some years ago I investigated what sort of scooter would help me. I came across the Travelscoot. It was then lighter, by a factor of two, than any other offering. I have now been using it for 17 years (whereby hangs another story).
But – bad days. I had one yesterday. I had a hospital appointment at the Cavell hospital, a place I had never been. I consulted Google maps (my goto place for any travel advice), made sure to click the ‘Wheelchair accessible’ option and found the shortest route. It involved a few minutes to Finsbury Park station, 20 minutes on Thameslink to Enfield Chase station then a 15 minute scoot to the hospital. Easy.
At Finsbury Park I found an agent who provided a ramp and told me Enfield Chase would be expecting me. However, when I got there, no evidence of a ramp. Using my scooter I blocked the door and eventually the train driver came to see what was stopping him from leaving. He told me there was no accessible exit from the station and he would let me off at the next one with access. And Thameslink would provide a taxi to take me to Enfield Chase station.
So – several stations later, at Hertford North, I was let off. The staff there told me that it would take about an hour for the taxi to arrive and transport me. Since my appointment (remember the hospital appointment?) was in a few minutes I realised I would miss it and decided it was sensible to just return home. Having arrived by train I presumed I could return the same way – well, no. There was only one lift, for the north going traffic. To go south stairs were involved.
To their credit, Thameslink did provide a free taxi (with an interesting driver, fortunately) which took me back to where I started, Finsbury Park. Where I arrived, three hours after setting out, having achieved nothing.
So – what did I learn from this debacle? Not to trust the accessibility details in Google maps. And double check destination details with the railway agent. I did go to Google maps and edit the accessibility at Enfield Chase station… we’ll see if that helps.
Thanks again for an interesting blog
Cheers, David
Hi Patrick, I feel your pain. When passenger assistance goes wrong, it really goes wrong! I used to travel by train twice a year to visit my Mum in Scotland. It was more than 8 hours on the train but I could do it with only the one change. I went from Coventry to Glasgow where I changed for Stranraer. The passenger assistance at Glasgow Central was brilliant and you were given priority to board the train too – no queuing! But then one thing changed – the new timetable brought in a new change where I had to change at Carlisle for Glasgow. From then on my journey got progressively worse – temporary bus transfers, change of platforms, platforms out of use meant stairs where there was no lift. Eventually I arrived home after another awful journey in tears, in the dark, in the rain and no sign of the passenger assistance. I gave up traveling by train then, plus the service has not returned to pre pandemic levels. When passenger assistance works, it is brilliant, but if something goes wrong it can be very difficult to cope. In the end I hated the feeling of vulnerability train travel evoked.
Hello Alison,
I know exactly what you men, when it goes wrong it is a disaster. I’ve had the odd wobbly experience but on the whole passenger assistance has been good to me. My worst experience was travelling across Europe from Paris to Innsbruck, thank goodness my son was with me.
Talk soon
Hi Patrick,
I have also had station staff appear and shout at me when myself and a friend lifted my travel scoot onto a train years ago. I was also shouted at to hurry up by a train driver in the days I could still walk with crutches onto a train. I got onto the wrong train because he’d put the wobblers on me and then had to retrace my steps with different trains to get home. It’s disgusting and frankly quite depressing that we disabled have to put up with such terrible service. Not just a bad day – when it comes to disabled travel by train travel we are well behind “civilised “ countries with the same wealth as us. I no longer try try to use trains as it’s too much stress.
Rant over.
I hope you are doing well in the circumstances
Best wishes
Miles
Hello Miles,
I hear your frustration and pain. When train travel goes awry it can get very messy. Overall my experience of train travel in the UK is very good but it does take a lot of planning. Too many of the smaller stations do not provide access because of stairs and steps and that is especially the case in and around London.
I’m doing OK, all things considered and enjoying Kent. I do sometimes miss Berkhamsted, lived there for 40 years.
Talk soon
Oh my! I feel for you! So glad you were able to make it home at your home station. I totally understand and commiserate. Some days we just want to curl up and say “No more!” but we must carry on to the end as there is no alternative. Blessings to you from SoCal!