Browsing through The Oxford Times recently my eye was caught by a coloured picture.

An idyllic scene of a coach bowling along on a country road bordered by beautiful scenery.

The headline “Hitting the High Road is back”. My mind went back to the many happy holidays I had spent hitting the High Road in my car and nostalgia overcame me.

But was this to be the answer to my prayer? I was already planning in my mind which exotic place I would choose and excitement rose by the minute. I read on and found so much of what was written applied to me.

The over-50s are the biggest age group to take these holidays; I certainly fitted that; more people took coach holidays than went on cruises; I had never wanted to cruise even though I hear they are so good at looking after disabled people. The level of frustration was removed; once on the coach everything was taken care of.

A tempting thought when I considered the problems I have had so often with public transport (not in our city). Coach holidays, so the article said, were for cost- conscious people. Well, I considered I was that. All seemed to fit my circumstances and I got more and more enthusiastic, especially when I read the places on offer – The Arctic Circle, Russia, The Highlands of Scotland. According to Dennis Wormwell, chief executive of coach company Shearings, his company had taken over one million people on holiday in 2012. So what next?

There is a Coach Tourism Council that has 150 coach company members so I fled to the computer to find a company that had a pick-up point in Oxford. No problem: there were many to choose from. At random, I chose six, prepared a list of questions and began dialling. First question was how old were their coaches; thinking the newer ones would surely have a lift for people with mobility problems because, even with slight mobility problems, high steps present difficulties. All companies had coaches that were less than eight years old; many even newer.

Next can they take people in wheelchairs? First company; Yes, of course. ‘We fold the wheelchair and put it in the boot’. Not much good if you rely on it for mobility. So that got a turn down.

Number two; a flat no. At least it was clear. Number three seemed more hopeful. She thought that they did and would let me know and would I like a brochure. Undaunted, I soldiered on. Number four; quick and to the point; no. My spirits were dampening but not one to give up I tried number five. Success at last I thought. Yes, they did have a coach that had a wheelchair space. Great. Guess what! I had to hire the whole coach. Number six last attempt. Quick and to the point no. I gave up.

The dream, that seemed so positive and held such promise, was like a bubble. Attractive, shiny, bright and enticing but in the end vanished in the twinkling of an eye.