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My Ups & Downs. Walking the South Downs, 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. And now I’m going to walk 100 miles of the South Downs Way – to see how far I can take my different walk – and my blog. I hope you enjoy reading about it. You can also follow this blog on Facebook @WalkingJill

Walking when it’s hard to breathe

By Jill Pringle May 19, 2019 In Personal, South Downs Way, Walking 0 Cocking, DDH 0

Map of harting down to cocking SDW diff-abled

I just got back from a swim to try and reset myself from my latest walk, two days ago. As well as my right knee getting more and more painful,

An early Spring in my Steps…

By Jill Pringle April 5, 2019 In South Downs Way, Walking 0 AdultDDH, Buriton 0

Jill Pringle South Downs Way Sign Buriton to Harting Down

I’ve taken a break from walking the South Downs Way for the last four months. Today I decided to spring into action and get back on the trail from Buriton to Harting Down.

These hips weren’t made for walking

By Jill Pringle November 25, 2018December 17, 2018 In Personal, South Downs Way, surgery, Walking 1 AdultDDH, Buriton 0

JillPringle Hips Xray DDH hip displaysia

Yet here I am having just completed two more days and 12.5 miles walking my hips along the South Downs Way. I’m very grateful that I have the mobility, time and support to do so.

Best foot forward. Winchester to Exton in 46,000 steps.

By Jill Pringle October 28, 2018 In Rambling, South Downs Way, Walking 0 Beacon Hill, DDH 0

Sign at top of Beacon Hill 10 miles from Winchester @WalkingJill

It’s estimated that one in every 1000 people are born with hip-displaysia. It takes many forms and I suspect that no two DDH walks appear quite the same. For me,