Thread: Fally if you can't drive?

Hi there, I'm Sarah, I'm new here and have been looking for info on Fallingbostel for a while now. My hubby and I are due to move there in June and have been given practically no information at all. We have an address and that's it. What's Fallingbostel like to get around if you can't drive? If you can't drive and have to get to a hospital appointment what happens? My husband drives but if he's deployed he obviously can't take me. Is shopping for food going to be an issue if he's away? Learning to drive isn't an option as I have regular seizures and would be a liability behind the wheel. Been in Northern Ireland since we got married 18 months ago and welfares answer has basically been "well you're screwed then" which hasn't really given either of us much faith in the welfare system. I'm happy enough to walk or get bus or taxi or whatever if that's an option in Germany but out here it isn't. Thanks, Sarah

Why can't you get a bus? or Taxi?
German buses are fab and in somewhere like Fally most drivers speak English if your German isn't great!

Originally Posted by bootifull

Why can't you get a bus? or Taxi?

In Northern Ireland? I can't leave camp on foot to get to a bus stop and there's no bus from camp except the shoping bus one morning a week which is useless for things like hospital appointments. There are certain taxi companies we can use but cost is a problem, we've been told it's roughly £25 to the nearest shopping centre then the same back and we can't afford that unless absolutely necessary.

German buses are fab and in somewhere like Fally most drivers speak English if your German isn't great!

Glad to hear it! I am attemting to learn German, the vocab isn't too bad but the order of the words in a sentence is another matter

When we were in NI I used to get the buses into town or walk. We didn't live on camp.
I hated every second of NI and became an admin case to get hubby short toured!

Originally Posted by bootifull

When we were in NI I used to get the buses into town or walk. We didn't live on camp.
I hated every second of NI and became an admin case to get hubby short toured!

Not being on camp would have been better for me to be honest, at least I wouldn't have felt like a prisoner then. I've heard a lot of wives have hated NI, wish I'd known before I came out here really.

Hi Sarah

Have you seen this?: bfgnet - The Official Internet Site of the British Forces in Germany

Transport would be provided for medical appointments especially if OH is deployed, Welfare would ensure provision was made. The would draw the line at taking you shopping, but there are regular buses which run from the families housing estates onto camp! Seriously don't worry about not been able to drive in Fally, I spent 12 months there not driving and managed to shop for food etc, would usually walk one way to the supermarket and then taxi home and the cost wasn't to bad.

Any questions feel free to ask, I was based in Fallingbostel for almost 3 years up until 12 months ago, and also worked in the medical world while I was there.

Sluice x

Thanks for the link Heli, I hadn't seen that site before.

Sluice, I'm not looking to be taken shopping, I can get a taxi as long as it's not going to cost me £50 a round trip. Or I can walk if it's not too far I've been more concerned about hospital visits as I do have to attend them on a fairly regular basis and welfare here have been less than helpful. Glad to hear shopping shouldn't be too much of an issue in Fally. I'm actually looking forward to being able to get out and WALK somewhere to be honest!

Hospital appointments shouldn't be an issue either, may sound daft but when go make sure you take at least a month supply of your medication as this will enable the pharmacy to order your meds in for you, although they hold a fair range if your on any weired and wonderful stuff it may not be held as 'normal' stock in BFG.

Also the wikipage on here patchpedia is worth a look, and there is a lot of information on fally in this section also re quarter areas etc.

Sluice xx

Hiya i moved to fally 2months ago and we live off camp and so far transport is ok there is buses upto the naffi and back and the train are good but trying to get a ticket from the ticket machine is complicated and we live in heidemark which is about 30min walk from camp but its close to food shops like aldi and lidle and the welfair office here is really good and if u need a lift to the airport or to pick up any of your family from the airport they will u just need to fill in a form and they put on buses for shopping trips aswell and i was the same when i moved i had the address and that was it i didnt know anything lol if u need anything let me know xcx

we live in heidemark which is about 30min walk from camp but its close to food shops like aldi and lidle

From the very little info we've been given I think this is where we're being housed. Good to know it's close to shops and not too far from camp and that welfare are actually helpful! Complicated ticket machines may stump me, I struggling enough with supposedly non complicated ones lol.

I've just come off epilepsy meds so they won't be an issue, thanks for the heads up though in case I do get put back on them. I had a look at patchpedia but the travel section was blank. I've been looking around the forum for info and didn't find anything about transport.