On a roll in the great outdoors
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THE words “disabled” and “rambler” might seem like a contradiction in terms, but for one intrepid group that’s definitely not the case.
Formed in 2001, the Highland Disabled Ramblers get out and about in the countryside with the aid of mobility scooters.
They can enjoy fresh air, sights and sounds, friendship and conversation just like their able-bodied counterparts.
I joined the group for an outing at scenic Uath Lochans, near the Loch Insh watersports centre, north of Kingussie.
Unlike those of us who can get out of the car, pull on our boots and set off, preparations for a disabled ramble are a lot more complicated.
The route has to be reconnoitred beforehand to check if it’s suitable and safe, and mobility scooters have to be transported in vans to the start point. More thought has to be given, too, to toilet facilities and disabled access.
The ramblers arrive either under their own steam, if they can drive, or are brought along by friends and able-bodied volunteers.
A cheerful bunch gathered at the access point on a forest track ready to get on their scooters and set off. Unloading the scooters from two hired vans took time and effort but at last the group was ready to go – a mixture of disabled people and able-bodied helpers walking along for support.
Making our way through the trees I spoke to Elspeth Kennedy, the group’s secretary, a Glaswegian now living in Inverness, who filled me in on the details of members’ activities.
“Many of our members are people who’ve been active in the past when they were more able,” she said. “This gives them the opportunity to get out and enjoy the countryside. As well as getting out there’s the companionship too.
“And volunteers, like me, feel they are doing something worthwhile.”
The scooters the group uses are rather more robust than average to cope with more challenging terrain than an urban pavement.
Money donated through outdoors events such as the Great Wilderness Challenge and the Highland Cross, as well as from Scottish Natural Heritage, has helped to buy them.
“We’ve managed over the years to get enough scooters to keep going,” says Elspeth. “Although we don’t use them a lot they can develop faults.”
A wide network of suitable routes has been built up over the years, in various locations. “As well as the Cairngorms we go to the Black Isle and the trails at the bottom of Beinn Eighe, among other venues,” says Elspeth.
She adds that on trails such as those in Rothiemurchus and Glenmore, rangers accompany the group to provide information about the surroundings and impart knowledge on the flora and fauna. Some volunteers also have specialist backgrounds in outdoor work and natural history, so they can make the outing more interesting.
The weather’s no obstacle, though on occasions it’s been too bad to continue and the ramblers have turned round early.
On the first ramble of the year to Darnaway Estate near Forres, taking in Brodie Castle, the rain was incessant.
A member who wrote a report of the trip for the group’s website described it with wry humour: “Wet, wet, wet might be an apt description. Fortunately the estate tracks were good, as the rain was relentless.
“The hood of a waterproof jacket and an umbrella, while trying to drive a scooter, does somewhat limit the surrounding view, but the impression was of well-kept, open woodlands and a well-maintained ‘lived in’ castle.
“The group of quail by the roadside was the wildlife highlight.
“The usual open air picnic had to be replaced by very welcome hot snacks at Brodie Castle, or a quick trip home to ‘dry out’.” But it’s not always like that, as our sun-blessed day at Uath Lochans proved.
Outdoor activities for the group get under way in April and go through to November, with sometimes two outings a week in the summer.
After November it gets too cold for people sitting largely immobile on battery-powered scooters, but things don’t come to an abrupt halt.
Meetings continue through the winter at North Kessock with a soup and sandwich lunch, along with either a talk from a speaker or a quiz. “It’s a way of keeping in touch,” says Elspeth.
We arrive at our lunch stop to tuck into drinks and sandwiches and have a blether before returning along the track to the start point, where the scooters are loaded on to the vans again. Time for me to try out a scooter, which proved very easy to operate and I got a sense of the freedom it would offer a disabled person.
Finally we headed back to the restaurant at Loch Insh for coffee and cake – a perfect way to round off the day.
The Highland Disabled Ramblers’ website includes details of how to contact the group, an explanation of what it does, how to book a place on an outing and details of forthcoming rambles.
Visit www.highland-disabled-ramblers.org
