Outside Dawn’s Way

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Hello! I’m Dawn and I will be writing a short series of blogs documenting my journey as a disabled adventurer aiming to complete an outdoor challenge; walking across Wales within 24 hours.

Adventure and challenge isn’t something I’m new to, but, it is the first one since being diagnosed with a vestibular condition (read more about what it is here).

I actually have a few medical conditions (some invisible illnesses and one visible difference) but this latest has been the longest to diagnose and the hardest to adapt to. Unpredictable bouts of sickness and dizziness can wipe me out for days and that on top of the other conditions, including chronic fatigue syndrome, has been a challenge in itself to find a new normal and figure out what my new boundaries are. 

Three years in, and many lifestyle changes later, I’m finding my feet again and whilst it isn’t always smooth sailing, I’m moving in the right direction. I have more good days than bad now (which hasn’t always been the case) and I’m learning to manage better when I do have the bad days. And this means I’ve been able to get about more in the great outdoors. 

“Despite the good base, it is still a massive undertaking for somebody who has to manage energy levels…”

I’m lucky enough to live in the countryside which goes a long way to making the type of adventures I love accessible. My condition means I can’t always drive and public transport is a no-go unless I want to unleash a world of pain upon myself, so having something on the doorstep is really important for me and something I appreciate every day.

I enjoy a few outdoor activities; hiking, road and mountain biking, open water swimming and camping and I’ve been doing a mix of all of these just for the enjoyment of them as well as to support my training for the Wales challenge. 

Hiking is really where it started for me. I did play out a lot as a kid but it wasn’t really until adulthood that these activities became a full on hobby and it stemmed from going on hikes. 

And it was out on a New Year’s Day hike that the option for the walk across Wales opened up for me. I’d gone for a ramble with a friend who has done the challenge before (I wasn’t able to join back then) and wanted to do it again and was seeing who wanted to join. At this point I was actually feeling way better on the walk than expected and decided that it would be a good base point to train from and so I said yes to signing up.

Despite the good base, it is still a massive undertaking for somebody who has to manage energy levels and could be limited with training depending on symptoms. Or I could do the training, get there then have an attack and not be able to complete the event. So why do it? Why not make life easier for myself and stick to being at home?

And the answer would be because it isn’t easier. By not accepting the event I’d be wrapping myself in cotton wool and denying myself a freedom that I may not need to give up. I don’t want to impose limits on myself that don’t need to be there because that would not only impact my mental health but also, where do I draw the line with that sort of thinking? I could easily end up missing out on other things I don’t need to miss out on.

“The more I’ve learnt about the challenge, the happier I am that it’s the one I’ve chosen”

The other part to this as well is that I have a health condition that is out of my hands on what it does and when. So I want to be as healthy as I can be outside of that to give myself the best chance of feeling good day to day. Having an event like this is motivating me to be out and training most weekends and it means my tolerances are going up, allowing me to gradually be able to take on more without being so affected. It’s giving me some of my independence back and that’s huge.

The more I’ve learnt about the challenge, the happier I am that it’s the one I’ve chosen. It doesn’t cost the earth to enter so if I can’t do it then I don’t have to worry about that. There is also no requirement to fundraise which again makes it more accessible because it means I can make decisions that are right for me rather than having the pressure of letting others down. I’m already having to mentally prepare myself for; that there is a very real possibility I can’t complete the challenge so it would be too much to add expectations of others to that as well as it allowing me to remain flexible. 

There is also food and drink provided (catered to my dietary requirements too), there are checkpoints along the way and the husband is on hand as well so it all goes towards supporting me in being able to give this a try and that is all I need - to be able to try. 

So come June, it will be 46 miles from Machynlleth to Montgomery. Coast to border. And an opportunity to be me, not my disability. 

I want to end on a thank you to Ani, who is the founder of Outside: Our Way, for working with me to share my story on this platform. I love that I can document the process and I hope that it will help others to achieve what they want to achieve.