Access Adventure - by Debbie North (Paperback)

About the Book

This groundbreaking guide opens up the best UK trails and outdoors adventures to all, with expert practical advice and insightful interviews from accessibility champion Debbie North.

Book Synopsis

This book is a unique and groundbreaking guide opening up the best of the UK's trails and outdoors adventures to all, featuring fantastic routes and insightful stories from accessibility champion Debbie North and her interviewees.

Whether it's the crunch of gravel on a canal path or the quiet hush of woodland in early morning light, the outdoors offers something no screen or schedule can provide: a sense of space, stillness, and connection. This book is a celebration of that magic.

Access Adventure is a collection of accessible routes crafted by Debbie, taking you from the spectacular Lake District to the Kent and Hampshire Coast, from the Yorkshire Dales to the Brecon Beacons and Wye Valley, and from the Isle of Skye to Rendlesham Forest's UFO trail. Each route is backed up with practical information and ideas for other adventures nearby, specifically written for wheelchair-users.

This book is also a bringing together of beautiful stories: as Debbie describes her experience of each trail alongside an inspirational interviewee, she gives us portraits of people whose lives have been changed, healed or uplifted by the simple act of being outside. These aren't just walks; they are windows into the resilience of the human spirit.

These are walks that welcome, not intimidate, and whether you're planning your next walk or seeking a deeper connection with nature and people, these pages offer both a guide and a companion.

Review Quotes

"Weaving personal storytelling with a wealth of knowledge, Debbie North embodies what it means to be a true outdoor ambassador. All bodies belong in nature, and North does a brilliant job of showing us how to be in community with one another and the natural world." --Hannah Turner, Journalist and chonic illness advocate

"A captivating journey featuring inspiring stories that encourage exploration of the UK's trails and the beauty of nature." --Emma Muldoon BEM, Founder of Simply Emma

"A treasure trove of inclusive walking routes thoughtfully interwoven with the stories of those who love them. This book made me yearn for my next adventure!" --Pippa Stacey, Disabled writer, speaker and content creator

"A landmark book that invites everyone to rediscover the joy and freedom to be found in walking and celebrates the many ways we move through the world. Generous and intimate, it offers a practical and inclusive guide to the walks, and what they mean to the people who walk them. A book of hope, belonging, and shared paths." --Victoria Bennett, author of All My Wild Mothers, and curator of the Wild Women Writers' Salons

About the Author

Debbie North is a passionate advocate for countryside accessibility. After losing her mobility due to spinal degeneration, she continued exploring the outdoors in a TerrainHopper 4×4 all-terrain wheelchair. With her late husband Andy, she tackled Wainwrights, Munros and created her own Coast to Coast route. She founded Access the Dales in Andy's memory. Debbie is now a writer, speaker, consultant and disability and access ambassador. Her motto is 'making the inaccessible accessible'.