Extreme day trips are quite a thing these days. You hop on a plane in the morning, have a day sightseeing and come home in time for bed. Jono has always wanted to fly from Ireland West Airport to Stansted for a day trip, and we did it yesterday.
Stansted is the only destination that’s doable in a day from Knock, and it’s only on certain dates that you can do it. Jono loves flying, and our trip to Birmingham in April gave him the confidence to do the day trip. Ireland West Airport is only just down the road from us, so it’s very easy to hop in the car and head off. Jono is amazing at finding travel bargains, so he found us the cheapest date and away we went.
When we left home it was lovely and sunny, but when we got to Tubbercurry the fog had descended. It was like that all the way to the airport, and when we saw that one of the incoming flights had to be diverted to Shannon we did wonder if the flight would go at all.
We had plenty of time to relax upstairs in the airport while we waited for our flight. I had a lovely chat with the lady who works in the café there, she was so friendly, and it’s not just the handiness of the airport, but the friendliness of the staff that makes flying from there such a pleasure.
The fog was still lingering, but the flight arrived from Stansted, and before we knew it, we were boarding the plane. Jono has limited mobility, so he was in his wheelchair, and again the special assistance team were brilliant. We were on the plane first, and it was very stress free.
The flight takes around one hour and twenty minutes, when you have special assistance, you have to wait until everyone else has got off the plane and then a lift comes to bring you down from the plane and into a wheelchair accessible vehicle to bring you to the airport.
It was around 11.35am by the time we got into the airport. If the flight was earlier (or you are braver than I am), you could head off exploring. Mountfichet Castle is only a ten-minute drive away, so you could get a taxi, and Stuart tells me that Cambridge is close by, and you can get there by train. We did think about going to the castle, but it’s not very accessible for wheelchairs.
We wouldn’t have had enough time to visit Cambridge, as our flight left at 3.15pm, and you have to check in earlier for assistance. So, instead of stressing out we just enjoyed our time in the airport. We had our lunch in Wetherspoons and took our time looking around the shops.
The shops were great! After security there was the usual duty free – and of course you get a duty-free allowance. Just check the prices on the plane because I’m told that the cigarettes were cheaper on the plane than in the airport.
There was also a Lego shop, Hamleys, a Krispy Kreme stand, Rituals, Fat Face, JD Sports, the usual Boots and WH Smiths, and a great shop called Miniso – so many lovely things!
Before security there was an M and S Food – and they had The Big Daddy Pistachio Bar, so I bought one for Lucy. There were a few places to eat in arrivals too, so if you have someone who lives nearby and fancy a day trip to meet them for a coffee, that would be a great idea.
Something to note: If you need a disabled toilet in Stansted you need a key. There was no one around to ask for the key, and it would have meant walking back to the shops to get one. There is a phone number to call for a key, but our phones aren’t working on roaming, so that was out of the question. Other people were having the same issue. Also, you only get two hours of free WiFi in Stansted airport, and when that’s run out (without roaming), you can’t pay for a top up.
Boarding the plane at Stansted was more stressful than Knock. The first mobility vehicle didn’t turn up, and we were waiting beside the airport in the heat for the vehicle to arrive. All it all it was great fun, and a real experience, and of course there was no hotel to pay for, and we were home in time for dinner.
Magnumlady Blog 