Cymraeg
 | The specific problems encountered by people with disabilities in enjoying the outdoors vary according to the individual disability. Below we give practical advice relating to individual disabilities. The general advice under Walking Made Easy may also be helpful. |
Some of our local Areas and Groups organise group walks aimed at people with particular disabilities and you may find some of these on our Group Walks Finder.
Specific advice for walking group leaders planning group walks for people with disabilities is included in our Let's Get Going factsheet pack (see Free Publications). Holiday and travel advice and information for disabled and older people is available from Holiday Care.
People with asthma
Improving overall fitness can be very helpful in combating asthma by increasing lung capacity and helping relaxation. Walking is an excellent way to do this by starting off with easy walks and building up slowly. You should take the following special precautions:
- Use your reliever-inhaler at least 30 minutes before you set out, and make sure you take it with you.
- Always warm up with ten minutes of gentle exercise to build up your breathing rate slowly.
- Breathe through your nose, not just your mouth: the nose-hairs help warm up the air.
- Try to avoid pollution by choosing routes away from busy roads, especially during rush hours. Try to avoid urban walks on days when pollution levels are high (check weather reports): if you live in a city, look for large open spaces or wide expanses of water. If pollution is a particular problem, for example during the pollen season if you also suffer from hay fever, try indoor exercise such as "mall walking".
- Take it easy on cold, dry days. Try breathing through a fleece or silk scarf when the air is cold.
For more detailed information on walking with asthma see the book Walking for Health, available from us. General information about asthma, including advice on exercise, is available from the National Asthma Campaign.
Blind and visually impaired people
The mobility of blind and partially sighted people varies enormously. While many blind people are able to move around urban environments relatively freely and independently, off-road paths with uneven surfaces and obstacles can prove more difficult. Going out with a sighted companion to act as a guide is the easiest way of overcoming such difficulties if someone is prepared to do this.
Some other points to note:
- Some routes and trails have been designed with blind and visually impaired people in mind, though these are usually fairly short. Details are available from the same sources as details of easy access walks (see People with limited mobility below). This doesn't mean that visually impaired people will only be interested in such trails -- there is much to enjoy in the outdoors besides its sights.
- Visually impaired people often find walking downhill trickier than walking uphill: try to plan a route that avoids too many downhill stretches, or allow plenty of time for them.
- Although they will appreciate the exercise, guide dogs are often of little help on country walks since they are usually trained for urban streets, and may also have problems with stiles and gates. As with any other dog, they must to be kept under close control, particularly near livestock.
- Several organisations, including some Ramblers local Groups, organise group walks for blind and partially sighted people: see Walks for visually impaired people. Try also your local Ramblers Area, the RNIB, local libraries and information centres or local blind groups. Some groups can put you in touch with people locally who are prepared to take small groups or individuals on walks. The RNIB also offer some walking holidays for blind people.
Specific advice for sighted walking group leaders planning group walks for blind and partially sighted people is included in our Let's Get Going factsheet pack (see Free Publications). General information and advice is available from the RNIB; for information about guide dogs contact Guide Dogs for the Blind. The Ramblers membership magazine is available on tape: contact us for more details.
Deaf and hard of hearing people
Deaf or hard of hearing people can enjoy the same walks as other walkers. The only particular problems are:
- road and rail crossings with poor visibility where you will need to take special care
- getting lost, if you find it difficult to communicate with hearing people to ask the way. Choose well-signed or otherwise easy to follow routes, or make sure of your navigation skills.
- walking in groups with hearing people, where the leader issues instructions verbally. Advice to hearing walks leaders taking deaf and hard of hearing people on walks is available in our Let's Get Going pack (see Free Publications).
For general information and advice contact the British Deaf Association or RNID.
People with diabetes
Moderate physical activity is very beneficial for people with diabetes, helping to control blood sugar levels and body weight, and to overcome tiredness. Type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes can sometimes be controlled by diet and exercise alone. Walking is an excellent way of exercising by starting off with easy walks and building up slowly (see Walking made easy). You should take the following special precautions:
- Consult your diabetes team before beginning a new programme of exercise.
- Plan your sugar intake and insulin injections carefully around your walk. As walking uses up glucose, you may find you need less insulin.
- Avoid injecting in your legs just before a walk: exercising the leg muscles may cause the insulin to be absorbed too quickly.
- Check your blood sugar level 15 minutes before walking and 1 hour after you finish. If there is a great difference, consult your doctor before taking a longer walk. If your blood sugar level is unusually high before walking, don't exercise until it has returned to normal.
- Carry glucose with you.
- If you are prone to frequent hypoglycaemic episodes (hypos) without warning, go walking with a friend who knows what to do if a hypo occurs.
- Delayed hypos (up to 36 hours) can occur as the muscles refuel after activity. If you exercise intensely you may need to make meal adjustments to avoid this.
- Take special care to look after your feet.
For more detailed information see the book Walking for Health, available from us. For general information, including factsheets on exercise for people with diabetes, contact Diabetes UK.
People with epilepsy
People with epilepsy which is controlled effectively with medication can generally enjoy the same walks as able bodied people, except that some epileptics don't drive so will not be able to access walks by car. However you should note the following points, particularly if you are prone to epileptic seizures:
- Build up your exercise slowly and gently and don't stress or overtire yourself
- Carry an Epilepsy ID Card issued by Epilepsy Action
- Think about the terrain when planning a walk. Avoid very steep climbs and descents, or paths close to steep drops. The biggest danger during a seizure is usually head injury from a fall, so rocky or uneven paths may pose problems.
- Plan routes that are easy to cut short if you become too tired or if you have a seizure
- If you are especially concerned about seizures, walk with a companion who knows what to do if one should occur.
- If you join a group walk without a companion, inform the walk leader of your condition and tell them where your ID Card can be found. Advice to walks leaders taking people with epilepsy on walks is available in our Let's Get Going pack (see Free Publications).
For general information, contact Epilepsy Action.
People with limited mobility and wheelchair users
The problems encountered in the outdoors by people of limited mobility vary greatly. Not all people with limited mobility use wheelchairs, and some may only have problems with specific obstructions such as stiles and steps. People who cannot bend over easily will find problems with overhanging vegetation. People who would find certain obstacles insurmountable on their own may be able to negotiate them with the aid of an able-boded companion.
On the other hand, users of traditional wheelchairs can encounter serious problems, especially on rural paths. Although wheelchairs are permitted in the same places as pedestrians, there is no guarantee the terrain will be suitable for them, with stiles and other obstructions such as fallen trees, uneven, muddy or overgrown surfaces, cross slopes, steep hills, steps and narrow paths. Many wheelchair users have problems on anything steeper than a 1:40/2.5% slope, while stronger and more ambitious wheelchair users could cope with 1:20/5% or steeper. Surfaces should ideally be flat, smooth and reasonably hard, with a minimum of cross slopes and loose stones, especially on corners or where the path is raised.
Powered wheelchairs designed for street use also have problems on many off-road paths. Three-wheeled battery-powered all-terrain mobility scooters designed for use on more rugged routes widen the options, but these can be expensive and will still encounter problems with stiles, steps, and narrow or blocked paths.
People with limited mobility are also likely to require other facilities such as regular rest stops (see easy walking) which for wheelchairs should be level; accessible toilets; suitable parking spaces at the start of a walk which may need to be wide enough for wheelchair use; or accessible public transport.
The lack of off-road routes that are easily accessible is made worse by the lack of detailed information about the physical features of paths. When such information is available, people with limited mobility can decide for themselves if a particular route is within their ability, either by themselves or with a companion, but without the information it is difficult to set off with confidence.
Thankfully some local authorities and other organisations who provide for walking and outdoor recreation are at last starting to take accessibility seriously. Some local councils and other organisations concerned with walking and the outdoors now provide routes and trails that have been specially adapted to make them more accessible (sometimes with wide gates that can only be opened with a RADAR key), and are providing more detailed information about accessibility at other routes and sites. Some trails have signed diversions avoiding steps and other obstructions. Some country parks and other countryside sites have mobility scooters for loan, and may be able to arrange special assistance for visitors with disabilities. Such improvements should continue under recent legislation on countryside and disability issues.
A growing database of walks suitable for wheelchair users can be found here: www.walkswithwheelchairs.com, an independent site that has route descriptions available for download.
We are gradually including useful local information, where available, in the Walking in your region or country section on this site, and can sometimes assist individual enquirers. Information should also be available from the following organisations, though the amount of information and its usefulness may vary from area to area.
- Local authorities: for details of local easy access trails, parks and open spaces including Country Parks.
- National Trail, Long Distance Route and other promoted route offices: these are listed under the routes themselves in our Promoted Routes section.
- Offices managing large areas of countryside with public access.
- Tourist Information Centres and local libraries (see the phone book).
- Local disability groups (ask at information centres or libraries)
- Fieldfare Trust, an organisation that works to improve access to the countryside for everyone
- Paths for All Partnership (Scotland), an organisation that works to develop accessible path networks
- Disabled Ramblers, who also organise group outings on all-terrain scooters.
- Some local Ramblers Areas who organise special events for people with limited mobility.
- RADAR for RADAR keys and other useful mobility information.
- Public transport information services for details of accessible transport, or Tripscope for specialist advice.
In Scotland, the pioneering book Walking on Wheels details 50 routes accessible to wheelchair and scooter users: see Scotland regional page for details.
Advice to able bodied walks leaders taking people with limited mobility on walks is available in our Let's Get Going pack (see Free Publications). Fieldfare Trust can supply information and good practice guidelines for councils and other countryside and outdoors service providers.
