Dale - 1000 miles in my Mountain Trike

I have just passed the milestone of 1000 miles in my Mountain E-Trike that has taken a little over 4 years to achieve and I will be forever grateful for what I have been able to see and do within those miles.

5 years ago I was knocked down while out jogging by a speeding motorist and became paralysed from the waist down. Before I was injured I loved running and cycling, but I also loved hiking and being out in the countryside with my wife and dog. It was one of the first things I wanted to ensure I could do again once I was out of hospital, as I was desperate to be out in the countryside enjoying fresh air and everything that environment can give you.
Soon after leaving hospital it was arranged that I could try the Mountain Trike eTrike, my first experience of an off-road wheelchair. I immediately loved it and when we went off into the woods for the first time since being injured I couldn’t be happier. 6 months on my own eTrike was delivered to my home and I could finally start exploring again.

Living on Hayling Island I am surrounded by the beach, which is a frustratingly inaccessible place for a wheelchair. But not the eTrike. I was walking the dog on the beach again and seeing what the eTrike could do. I successfully threw myself out of the chair a couple of times within the first couple of weeks, helping me understand its limits. But I never really hurt myself and I began to realise what I could do again.

Over the last 4 years I have been on many different beaches across the country, through many woodland walks knocking bushes out the way and getting over obstacles like nobody's business. I have explored Cornwall, the New Forest, Norfolk, Cotswolds and have been able to make sure that I can be an active part of my family’s life exploring the countryside.

In 2025 I decided I really wanted to decide what the Trike could do. I ditched the e-wheel for a standard one and with a brilliant support team we got to the very top of Snowdon. I had walked up Snowdon before I was injured, so to be able to summit the mountain again this time in my chair was a monumental experience. I will never forget the feeling of hitting the marker stone at the top.

My Mountain Trike eTrike has given me access to parts of the world that are not designed for people in wheelchairs. It has allowed me to continue to be the person I was before I was injured. I am very excited to see where I go in my next 1000 miles and when I figure out how I top my Snowdon Challenge, I expect my eTrike will be coming too.