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My Ups & Downs. Walking with hip-dysplasia, differently-abled.

So picture this… I come back from a walk only to find that my FitBit has categorised half of it as ‘outdoor cycling’ and half of it as ‘sport’. This happens to me quite often, because where walking is concerned, I’m differently-abled. I was born with severe Developmental Dysplasia of the Hips (DDH for short). In plain English that means that my hip joints didn’t form properly before I was born. I can walk but it’s not something I do with ease or speed and definitely not with grace!

I’m writing this blog to share my own journey with my funny walk – in an open, vulnerable way. Being ‘different’ has been a positive and a negative in my life. It has definitely shaped who I am. My unusual hips are not ‘who’ I am - but they are part of my story. Where I go, they go and so does their impact. In 2019 I chose to walk 100 miles of the South Downs Way – to see how far I could take my different walk – and my blog. In 2021 due to covid lockdowns I'm going to turn my daily walks into a virtual Pennine Way and see if I can get to 268 miles in a year.

I hope you enjoy reading about it. You can also follow this blog on Facebook or Twitter by following @WalkingJill

Winter walks & wobbly hips

By Jill Pringle February 19, 2021February 22, 2021 In hip dysplasia, lockdown walking, virtual pennine way 0 No tags 0

So the good news is I’ve now completed 41 miles of my virtual Pennine Way challenge. If I’d been walking the real trail, I’d be in Hebden Bridge in Yorkshire by now.

Virtual Walking Challenge: 16 miles imagining Edale to Crowden

By Jill Pringle January 17, 2021 In virtual pennine way, Walking 0 Crowden, Edale 0

In the last week since I set my challenge, I’ve walked 16 miles. A chunk of that last weekend, smaller walks each day in the week, and the final 3 miles this morning.

Lockdown Walking Challenge: little and often on the virtual Pennine Way

By Jill Pringle January 7, 2021 In lockdown walking, virtual pennine way 0 hip dysplasia, lockdown walking 0

I wholeheartedly support the need for another national lockdown until we are all covid-immunised and it’s safe to mingle again. My belief that it’s the right thing to do,