Finding My Way Back To The Outdoors
by Linda C
It’s 2am, and I’m in a CT scanner, immobilised and trying to find out what’s happened to me. They want to rule out a broken spine. Every threshold between lift and corridor makes my back spasm. The porter crashes into a door frame. The doctor asks him to stop because he’s hurting his patient. Nature never felt so far away.
I close my eyes and think of the perfect afternoon on The Ridgeway with my husband and children just the day before - clear skies, endless views, even our rescue spaniel behaving.
From that moment on, life became a journey I hadn’t prepared for. There was no map - just endless hospital appointments, white corridors, and medical unknowns. Every visit raised more questions than answers, often ending with: “I’m sorry, I don’t know.”
A lifelong love of the outdoors
Growing up on the edge of Ilkley Moor, I’d loved the outdoors for as long as i can remember. My teenage years and twenties were spent exploring gritstone crags, hills, and mountains in all weather with my now husband, Phil, and friends. Later, those adventures included our children and their friends.
I volunteered for twenty years with The Scouts and also with Girlguiding UK, where I developed a love for camping in all conditions, and where woodsmoke became my favourite perfume.
Finding Hope with M2M
I spent much of summer 2024 indoors.
Even making it into the garden for a cuppa or BBQ felt like a major achievement, requiring planning, rest, and support. I knew I needed the outdoors in my life, but it felt out of reach.
We adapted our family holiday, choosing indoor accommodation just an hour from home instead of a six-hour drive to camp in the Lake District. I was physically there, but not as present as I wanted to be.
At one point, we visited an English Heritage property. I didn’t make it much further than the tea garden. Sitting in the sunshine with tea and cake, listening to birdsong, was a treat - but it also felt like life was passing me by.
My children were climbing trees and exploring with my husband and our dog. I remember saying to a friend, “I haven’t seen the children have fun and be children much this summer.”
When the school year started, things had changed even more. The school run, once a marker of time, was no longer possible for me.
A Google search for support led me to Millimetres 2 Mountains’ (M2M) website, and after getting in touch, I was invited to join them at the end of a walk in the Cotswolds.
That’s where I met Ed Jackson, founder of M2M. My dog wagged his tail under the pub table, hitting my leg, causing my back to spasm. Ed supported me, and we both ended up laughing at the absurdity of it. His back spasmed too, and suddenly there were two grown adults trying not to spill their drinks.
I had found my crowd.
Everyone was welcoming. Between us, we had navigated spinal cord injuries, strokes, illness, and more. It sounded like the walk had been brilliant, and I promised myself I’d join one day.
For the first time in a long while, I felt hope.
Small Steps
I started small — walking to the end of the road, then to the local pub. One evening, they locked my rollator away, and for a moment I felt like I was simply out for dinner, not being supported to walk.
M2M’s Walk the Coast 2025 became my goal. I made it there independently and managed two days of walking. The atmosphere was incredible — welcoming, understanding, full of people who “got it.”
At the end of one walk, I saw a pile of trekking poles, crutches, prosthetic legs, and an empty wheelchair in the corner. It said everything.
Disabled people love the outdoors too. We may move more slowly or use aids, but we feel the same joy — sunsets, birdsong, open views. Perhaps even more.
Finding a new way to connect
During 2024/25 I found other ways to stay connected to nature. I listened to podcasts and read nature fiction. I took my cuppa into the garden. I sat in cafés by the River Thames, watching ducks, geese, and swans.
My pace is slower now, but as many Parkrunners (or walkers) will say — just by being out, I’m lapping those on the sofa.
Each season amazes me: the colours of autumn, the shoots of new life after a wet winter. I’ve taken countless photos of trees, birds, flowers, and animals.
Looking Ahead
I’m now working with excellent specialists and have made real progress. Completing more of Walk the Coast 2026 is now a realistic goal. I plan to walk further, join the community rest day, and even build in my own rest days - working from cafés with views of the Devon coast. I’m even hoping to have a swim in the sea this year - an extra personal challenge!
I hadn’t explored much of the UK coastline before last year, but now I’m hooked. Our coastlines are stunning, and I’m keen to explore more, alongside returning to my beloved hills.
Through M2M, I’ve made new friends connected by a shared love of the outdoors and determination to overcome adversity. Their support has helped me return to freelance work and even begin training as a coach!
I continue volunteering with The Scouts and the British Mountaineering Council’s EDI Committee, helping improve access to the outdoors for everyone.
The outdoors belongs to all of us — including the generation who will follow in our footsteps.
And I’m determined to keep finding my way back to it.
Thank you to everyone in the M2M community for helping me get back into the outdoors.