Nature-loving disabled woman 'literally padlocked out' of favourite landscapes

Nature-loving disabled woman 'literally padlocked out' of favourite landscapes 11 hours ago Share Save Add as preferred on Google Natalie Grice BBC Wales Bethany Handley Bethany Handley grew up in nature but struggles to enjoy it in the same way now after illness left her unable to walk Bethany Handley practically lived outdoors from the time she could toddle. Growing up in rural Monmouthshire, she regularly got covered in mud and played for hours in the woods with her younger brother, damming rivers and making dens. "All my early memories are of being a bit feral." The family were keen hikers, climbing mountains like Sugarloaf and the Skirrid, trips to the beach led to bodyboarding and later surfing, while closer to home they kayaked down the River Wye. But it was not to stay that way. Years of worsening health led to declining mobility and, three years ago, Bethany lost the use of her legs completely. While she has dedicated herself to reclaiming the natural world for all people who feel shut out from it, she said: "I think it was more disabling than my medical conditions coming home and realising that I was literally padlocked out of all my favourite landscapes." Bethany Handley Bethany in her all-terrain trike at Sker Beach, Porthcawl. Some of her earliest memories were of being on a beach Bethany, 26, was born with a visual impairment that made taking part in ball sports and anything needing depth perception difficult in school. Her active lifestyle at home helped overcome the feeling of not being sporty, despite always being "clumsy". "All in all, an idyllic childhood in nature." At the start of her GCSEs she developed glandular fever and "didn't really recover". From there, she had more diagnoses, including endometriosis when she was 16. Fatigue meant losing strength in her legs and she developed a condition that caused frequent fainting, while the underlying cause remained a mystery. Despite this, she continued her connection with the natural world and took time after leaving school to work as an outdoor pursuits instructor before going to university in St Andrews. But illness forced her to drop out and she eventually studied at Cardiff University so she could get more support. Part of her course was creative writing - something she had always enjoyed from the days of "writing plays and being really bossy, directing my brother and making him act them out". She also created poetry out of her teen experience of chronic illness, but it wasn't until she received encouragement from lecturers that she began "sending work out to the world". However, her health continued to decline and she had just turned 22 when she climbed to the summit of her last mountain - Cader Idris in mid Wales. That evening, she collapsed on a kitchen floor. "I'd still been able to hike, I just had to rest a lot afterwards. I could still wild swim, but just have rest days. "It just suddenly got a lot worse and I had to use a wheelchair part-time because I couldn't really