Outdoors is for everyone

17/01/2026

11/01/2026

Night hike.

Same walk we've been doing for many years but totally different.

I'm glad it was a walk I knew really well, and we didnt go far. You've got to start somewhere.

Inspired by pictures online about .

07/01/2026

Bushcraft mini-disaster!

So much time is spent teaching learning disabled people the 'right way' to do things - taking it slowly and breaking things down into little steps etc. While this has its place, sometimes the mini-disasters are much more memorable.

I don't think any of us will forget these potatoes- they created a lot of laughter and discussion - far more than if it had all gone to plan. There was still a teaspoon- full of edible potato in their middles.

I hate wasting food but they paid for themselves in being a learning experience and mistakes are part of life.

02/01/2026

When to dare......

It's one thing to push yourself to do a bigger walk than you usually do, but what about someone else who might not understand the issues?

It's a difficult one. None of us know how much we can do until we try and we can't predict everything that may happen.

We had 2 good walkers who would need a little guidance and 4 other adults. Then there was Alix (in the black coat), who has a lot more physical challenges. There was an escape route down a road about a third of the way round and the last kilometre could also be done on the road. There rest was muddy grassland and rocky paths.

We went for it - she was amazing. Yes, plenty of help was given, 2 and even 3 to 1 at times to steady her on uneven limestone craggy bits but she did every step with enthusiasm.

Having complex and sometimes poorly understood diagnoses puts us off letting people have a go at things and this can lead to a downward spiral and lack of inclusion in activities. This has certainly happened to the other 2 as well - they all did the whole circuit with gusto.

With thought, planning and support we ended up with 3 super-proud walkers and a whole new view of what Alix enjoys.

28/12/2025

Just enough:

View: directed, peaceful, natural, a little bit of movement but not too much.

Sounds: peaceful and natural. Wind and bird calls.

Smells: residual smell of softwood from the bird hide construction- a clean and relaxing smell.

Other people: none.

Our kind of place for a break.

The Christmas we are advertised is full of sensory overload - excitement, clattering crockery and bursts of laughter, overwhelming food smells and more. This is sold us as good and fun. Most of us enjoy a bit of it.

What if Christmas left you on continual high alert? You know you're meant to enjoy it but everything is at different times and surprises leave you stressed. It feels like permanent jeopardy.

This is why we build in plenty of sensory breaks during the Christmas period....

26/12/2025

They always say behaviour is communication and this girl kept turning round and heading back to the car, so something was wrong but we didnt know what.......a common problem when someone has communication difficulties:

The walk was a favourite, so unlikely to be that.

Tried a choice of 2 things by offering outstretched fists - sore feet or something else. It was something else. Too cold or something else (its something else). She says 'Dad'.
'Are you sad because Dad has stayed at home?'
She signs yes, then signs drink. Now we had this yesterday. I explained that most cafés were shut on bank holidays and that Dad was tired after all the cooking. She signs 'angry'.

I suddenly began to realise I was becoming
de-skilled in the whole business of explaining what was going on before we launched off onto a walk. I can't explain everything but remembered how important it was to take time to atleast try.

Just because someone can't talk doesn't mean they can't understand- they often miss out on explanations. I'm so glad she was assertive enough to try and let us know there was a problem.

We compromised with a short but stunning walk through the peatland restoration on the fancy new boardwalk.

Honestly, Christmas is complicated and getting going in the short daylight hours is difficult. There will always be give and take - she could have stayed at home with Dad but wasnt sure what was happening. I'm sort of proud she made a fuss - its what most family members do....

19/12/2025

A walk after too much Christmas food....

Its the little spontaneous things aswell as the big adventures that can become more difficult if you, or someone joining you for Christmas, has a disability.

For us, it often felt we were like a bucket that was already too full - it didnt take too much more to spill us over and Christmas often did that....but some of those things that were difficult were still worth doing.

A short walk felt almost impossible: helping the twins dress warmly for it (we gave up on gloves and substituted long sleeves and hand holding); we had some ready explored routes which were largely traffic free; we'd thought about the terrain; we had head torches if we missed the daylight; it was non negotiable as we needed it and the twins can never be left alone.

The walk resets us all, however short, whatever the weather. What are your top tips? Do you try and get some fresh air over Christmas and Boxing Day?

The picture was taken about 15 years ago in a South Lakes woodland, UK and shows the twins supported by my son on one side and husband on the other. They are walking away down a snowy path through woodland.

18/12/2025

Love this film - a worthy winner of the judges special prize at Kendal film festival. Team work at its finest.

07/12/2025

Overcoming inertia gets hard at this time of year.

All the way up the motorway the rain was lashing down and I wondered why on earth we had said yes to walking up Dodd, a small hill in the Lakes but big enough to be considered a 'Wainwright'.

The reason was the challenge walk put on by - to raise money for their Christmas 'Big give'. They had an accessible route signposted up forestry tracks to make the route as inclusive as possible.

Its little pushes and accommodations like this that really help us get out. When people face more barriers than normal to get outside a little bit of support can go a long way.

Do have a look at the Calvert websites - they have 3 centres: Keswick, Kielder and Exmoor, all set up for accessible adventure.

04/12/2025

Lovely to be featured in The All The Elements spotlight for encouraging people to get outdoors.