Being in a Wheelchair Won't Stop Me Hillwalking

Despite her disability, Debbie North won’t quit her passion, and she’s helping others get out and about, too

- Kate Chapman

When Debbie North was diagnosed with chronic degeneration of the spine and confined to a wheelchair, her whole world collapsed. Not only was she forced to give up her much-loved job as a head teacher, she could no longer enjoy her lifelong passion for hill walking. Or so she thought.

After deciding she wouldn’t be beaten, Debbie, 54, started researching all-terrain wheelchairs, and is now encouraging other disability sufferers to get out there and enjoy the great outdoors through her own campaign, Access the Dales.

Working with her husband Andy, she now redesigns popular walks, navigating obstacles such as gates and stiles to make them more accessible to wheelchair users, and has raised thousands of pounds to buy all-terrain machines for others to use. She’s co-written two books about the alternative routes she has developed, and is collaborating with Country file presenter Julia Bradbury by designing wheelchair-friendly treks for her website The Outdoor Guide. Debbie also produced alternative versions of the walks featured in Julia’s TV show Best Walks With A View, providing information about wheelchair-friendly hotels, guest houses and cafes.

‘I’ve always loved walking – that feeling of getting away from it all. I need to be able to enjoy that outdoor experience,’ says Debbie, who last year completed the 81-mile Coast To Coast To Coast walk, from Semer water, in Wensleydale, to Lake Bassenthwaite, in Cumbria.

‘Sadly, accessibility usually seems to be an afterthought. I want to change that perception so it’s included from the start.