On May 27th 2022, I set out from Bowness-on-Solway to complete the Hadrian’s Wall trail in my wheelchair – something that has never been done before. Travelling 8-9 miles a day, ten gruelling days later I finally finished at Wallsend on Sunday 5th June. With the help of my core team, I made history and became the world's first person to complete the trail in a wheelchair, whilst raising vital funds for a charity close to my heart. Many people have asked how this all came about and why, my answer to this is that it all started as an impossible dream.
Many people dream of completing Hadrian’s Wall 84-mile trail and I was no different. I have wanted to do the trail since I was 12 years old after visiting a section of the wall during a trip to Carlise. I have always been a big fan of history and whilst visiting some of the Roman museums my mind was set. However, I had a major obstacle to overcome – I am a wheelchair user. No one had ever managed to complete the full route in a wheelchair as the trail itself is not accessible. So, at the age of 12 and although it was my dream, I knew it was impossible.My mindset changed in 2019 after my All Terrain 20k fundraiser around some of Shetland’s toughest terrains (St Ninian’s Isle and Fethaland) which I completed using one of Ability Shetland’s mountain trikes. It got me thinking that maybe my dream to complete Hadrian’s Wall trail could be possible and, from then on, I knew that I wanted to at least give it a go. I wanted to fundraise for Ability Shetland as a thank you for them supporting me throughout most of my life, especially for introducing me to a mountain trike. The mountain trikes changed my life as, without them, I wouldn't be able to get outside and would never have started fundraising or doing what I do now. We set a date and put the word out for a good support team and I was delighted that, not only my mother Kim and my Uncle Chris would be part of the team, but that Ability Shetland wanted to help out too. YHA The Sill offered to provide the team with accommodation and Ridgegear offered to help out with the safety aspects of the challenges such as ropes and harnesses. The hardest part about organising this whole challenge was actually anticipating the obstacles that we would tackle as we couldn't visit the wall beforehand due to the location being far away from Shetland. We were very lucky to be joined by a fellow Ordnance Survey Champion Dave Wilson who lived not far from Hadrian’s Wall path and is a tour guide. Dave went above and beyond to make sure we were prepared and became one of the key team members. Although he had completed the trail several times, he had to recce the whole trail from a completely new perspective as he had never considered it from an accessible point of view.
For months we trained in Shetland with my family and also some of the core team by pushing myself 4-7 miles a day over different terrains and hills no matter the weather. We also practised using the harnesses for braking lines on some of the trickier terrains until the big day finally arrived.
On May 27th 2022, I set out from Bowness-on-Solway to complete the Hadrian’s Wall trail in my wheelchair – something that has never been done before. Ten gruelling days later I finally finished at Wallsend on Sunday 5th June. With the help of my core team, I made history and became the world's first person to complete the trail in a wheelchair. The challenge itself I can only describe as a rollercoaster: literally - physically and mentally. Day 5 was definitely the worst and the lowest point not just for me but for the whole team. The weather was torrential rain, thunder, low-lying fog and if we tried to drop lower we ended up in really deep bog. We always knew Day 5 was the hardest section of the whole trail but the elements just made it worse. I injured my wrist and my leg and the whole team’s morale was so low. I came close to throwing the towel in and quitting on that day and I'm sure some of the team were thinking the same thing. It took a lot of self-reflection, speaking to friends and the team about what we had been through and what we still had ahead. In my mind I thought that it couldn't get any worse than what we had all just been through. We put a call out to the local community for help and the next day we had a great turnout and, with their help and support, we got back out there on Day 6 and, although it was hard, we got through it together and the days just got better from there.
It was exhausting so we made sure to have a good breakfast everyday. We all carried a packed lunch and took time to stop and eat. There are some great tearooms and honesty fridges along the trail where we also filled up with sweet treats and replenished our water. I also had plenty pints of milk to keep me going and every evening we made sure to refuel with a big meal to ensure our energy levels were restored.It still hasn't quite sunk in yet, but I'm really glad I stuck with it, that I didn’t give up, and that we made it to the end. It’s hard to describe the feeling when you accomplish something that you didn't think possible. It's just an amazing feeling and a massive boost of confidence, with a fantastic sense of achievement knowing that I am the first person ever to accomplish this. I am exhausted from the experience, but absolutely delighted that this challenge has so far raised £13,000 for Ability Shetland and that the money will go towards helping others in the local community to discover even more inclusive sports and activities, and reach their full potential.
