The UK countryside is opening up, but is it truly accessible for disabled people? From new walking routes to ongoing barriers, here’s what’s changing in 2026.

The UK Disability Action Plan (2024) aims to improve accessibility and inclusion for disabled people across many areas of everyday life. While the plan introduces positive steps—such as raising awareness of accessibility needs, promoting inclusive public spaces, and considering disability in environmental policy—it offers limited focus on countryside access. For many disabled people, barriers such as inaccessible trails, limited infrastructure, and poor rural transport

Some moments change the direction of your life. For me, one of those moments happened in 2012 , when I first discovered the TerrainHopper. The Moment It All Began I was watching television when I saw an interview with Sam Dantzie , who had just won an award for innovation. He was talking about the TerrainHopper – an incredible off-road powered wheelchair designed to tackle terrain that most mobility devices simply couldn’t. I remember feeling giddy with excitement  seeing foo

There is something quietly powerful about walking in a landscape that welcomes you exactly as you are. In the Yorkshire Dales, gentle paths follow rivers, curve around limestone hills, and lead into wide open spaces where barriers fall away and confidence grows. Through the Miles Without Stiles routes and the carefully chosen walks in Walks Without Stiles, every journey becomes an invitation rather than a challenge.

A clear review of the UK powered mobility devices consultation, highlighting proposed legal changes, key issues, how to respond, and the closing date of 22 April 2026.

I am proud to be the founder of Access the Dales, a charity that is working to improve disabled access to the countryside in the north of England