WITH the holiday booked, and your accommodation and travel arrangements in hand, the next thing is ensuring your medical requirements are taken care of.
When looking for medical insurance always advise the insurance company of all your medical problems.
If you are completely honest about all your conditions and you understand what you would liable for in the event of an emergency it will save any unforeseen bills at a time when you are under stress and worry.
HAVING chosen your holiday destination, if you haven’t booked an all inclusive one then there is the matter of travel and accommodation to be taken into consideration.
There is a variety of travel facilities on offer to cross the channel and a wide range of accommodation accessible to disabled people; but the final choice depends on each person’s personal needs.
Many hotels are now equipped with lifts, have generously sized bedrooms which allow manoeuvrability for wheelchairs and bathrooms with disabled facilities.
THE time of year has come when we want to sit by a cosy fire and browse a variety of holiday magazines.
Perhaps you are dreaming of sun, sea and sand, or maybe something more energetic, let’s say surfing, skiing, cycling or perhaps hot air ballooning.
But, spare a thought for a group of people for whom holidays can seem just a dream.
WHETHER it is the influence of the Tour de France, the cost of petrol or the urge to get fit, it seems that Britons are becoming a nation of cycling fanatics.
There was a 30% increase in bookings for cycling holidays last year and the trend looks set to rise.
In recent years cycling has come out of the shadows and received a new lease of life. Issues such as carbon emissions, eco travel and sustainable transport as well as an increase in health and fitness have seen Britons take to the saddle.
AN hour north of Dijon and a short drive from the A6 lays the fortified, Burgundian, hilltop village of Flavigny sur Ozerain.
If it seems time has stopped in this mediaeval village it makes it a much more charming and desirable to visit. Julius Caesar installed his troops in ‘Flaviniacum’ in 52 BC while he fought the coalition Gaul army, led by Vercingétorix, who had their base at Alésia on the opposite side of the valley perched on Mont Auxois.
The first constructions date back to the Gallo-Roman period when Flavigny became a place of great importance, the name Flavinus is that of the owner of the ground, a villa with agricultural outlines and artisanal remains date from that period.
IF you are a lover of châteaux and cheese, Époisses in Burgundy is a delight to visit.
Today the moat has been filled in, and the park a playground for the village children, but these are just some of the chapters in a long and complicated history.
From a fortress to a semi-circular château, Époisses has changed hands many times. In the 6th century Queen Brunehault, regent of Thierry her grandson, king of Burgundy, oversaw it but the queen had her own ambitions, and not wanting to hand over the throne, kept Thierry away with women of easy virtue and clear of too much food and wine.
The Saône et Loire department of Burgundy consists of six district areas the Autunois Morvan, Bresse Bourguignonne, Chalonnais, Charolais Brionnais, Le Creusot Montceau and Mâconnais Clunisois.
Each of these areas has their own particular attractions, so wherever you visit in the department there is something for everyone.
Southern Burgundy was identified as a prime habitable area 400,000 years ago when cave dwelling animals that were prey to our prehistoric ancestors inhabited the area that was to become the Saône et Loire.
The European continent was being roamed by major Celtic tribes 
and some decided to settle in the area; the Eduens in the Morvan and the Ambarres in the Bresse. The ancient city of Bibracte, which sits atop Mont Beuvray, was the birthplace of Vercingétorix who united the Gaul tribes in the battle against Caesar’s legions.
Following his victory over the Gauls at Alésia, Caesar showed lenience toward the Eduens with his construction of Augustodunum, the present day Autun, which was labelled ‘sister city and replica of Rome’ and was destined to become one of the principal capitals of the Gallo-Roman provinces of Gaul.
The Nièvre, by the sheer fact that it is the department with the largest proportion of the Morvan, is less populated than the other departments in Burgundy.
Morvan is a Celtic word and it means Black Mountain. But don’t be put off, because it is the sparsely inhabitated plateau of granite and woodland which appear from hills and farmland that give it such an appeal.
The highest point in the Morvan, for you cannot talk about the Nièvre without mentioning the Morvan, is Haut-Folin; standing at 901 metres (2,928 ft.) on the slopes of Mont-Beuvray.
Burgundy is one of the largest regions of France and covers four departments l’Yonne, Nievre, Cote d’Or and Saone et Loire.
Burgundy is also a rich region historically, cuturally, gastronomically and economically with each department having something different to offer visitors.
Once Burgundy was France’s most powerful rival with territory extending well beyond its present boundaries.
For today’s visitor there is something for everyone, centres of medieval religious faith at Vézelay, Fontenay and Cluny, the massive Morvan National Regional Park that covers all four departments, and Dijon, the capital of Burgundy as well as the Cote d’Or with its wealth of art and splendid grat palaces relating to the old Burgundian nobility, to name but a few.
A COLLECTION of photographs showing the skies above Loubejac, in the Dordogne, and other scenes from the fields around the area.