Apr 27, 20213 min read

She Rides and Reviews: Seaford head, East Sussex.

Updated: Apr 29, 2021

Welcome to my first SHE RIDES AND REVIEWS blog! (name to be changed as soon as I can think of something better!). I am a 40-year-old disabled woman that really has missed being outdoors since I lost a lot of my mobility. Until recently I was stuck at home with no way to get back out into the world. One day I finally gave in and got myself a mobility scooter. Although at first, I really struggled with the idea of using one and felt embarrassed and all sorts of annoying feelings about it. But the reality is that since getting my scooter I have gotten my life back and I am clawing it back in big hungry gulps now that the sun is shining, and I can MOOOOVE!! Haha!

A really big thing for me was to get back into the great outdoors and regain part of myself that I had lost. This quickly became more difficult than I expected it to be, as I fell into the pitfalls of thinking that if a place claims to be accessible to wheelchairs on the website, that it will actually BE accessible to wheelchairs…. silly me…rooky mistake.

It quickly became clear to me that I should see this as all part of the charm of getting to know the new outdoors me. I feel that chronicling these adventures could probably be helpful for others who are struggling with the same issues as I have been. So here we are, with my 1st instalment of SHE RIDES AND REVIEWS blog! (eesh that is a terrible name!)

In a valiant attempt to blow away the existential dread that PMT week is insisting on bringing me, my partner and I decided to go for one of our adventures in the great outdoors. This morning’s expedition was to Seaford Head (see the link below for more details).

It was a mixed bag today, first visit to Seaford head and I had misunderstood the map on the link below. I thought that all the routes on the map were going to be accessible for me and my scooter. Sadly though, “accessible to some” (the wording on the map) basically means accessible to those with crazy off-road scooters.

I don't really understand why they would just stop the nice smooth flooring at the best bit, but maybe it's something to do with the additional weight of the paving that could create the right conditions for an epic cliff crumbling disaster.

In a rare show of restraint during this time of the month, I was able to overcome the disappointment and tried to enjoy the rest of my walk and take in the views which were AMAZING!!! The other paths were great for my scooter. I had absolutely no worries about punctures or the road jiggling me about so much that I wouldn’t be able to walk for a week after driving on it.

Although, the walks were a little short for me, now that I have my scooter I want to go on BIG walks, but hey ho it was nice to see the sheep and oof! The views were jaw dropping!!