Nicky Button - #BlindGirlWalking - Walking from the Orkney Islands to the Scilly Isles.
- xtinecruzat
- Apr 11, 2023
- 4 min read
Nicky Button was born in Gloucester and grew up in Worcester. Having a very happy childhood.
Nicky was always last to be picked for any teams at school and was the most uncoordinated and non sporty child being told to go and swim after a term of tennis when she still hadn’t hit a ball. Her teens and twenties removed around horses and children , whilst she ran a yard starting and schooling young horses and teaching people to ride alongside being a foster mother.
In 2000 with an eight year old daughter she moved to Surrey where she spotted a group of people kayaking on a local canal, she went along to the club and heard only two parts of the sentence, Wednesday nights are adults only, whitewater training and we go to the pub afterwards. Six months later she was staring at her first White water river in Wales. Several swims later and at the end of the river she was hooked.
The kayaking totally changed her life and she soon realised that whilst she certainly wasn’t the most proficient, she had found her tribe. Through the kayaking she was invited to help on set on Midsummer Murders and the rest as they say is history, she retrained learning swift water and rope rescue, working at heights and confined spaces, with fire and setting up stunts and rigging. There then followed some incredible years where she felt that she was being paid to have the best time in life.
In 2013 after going away skiing she returned and was unable to see her daughter across the room. Four months later she’d had her driving license removed which knocked onto no job and then no home. Her life felt as though it was falling apart.
She moved to South Devon and stormed along the South West Coast path. A few years on and she was part of walking groups for people with Visual Impairment and encouraging people to get out walking.
On moving to Worcester in 2021 she met an amazing group of strangers who became friends, a trip up Ben Nevis was followed by entering her first Ultra challenge a 50km over Exmoor. When she completed that she looked for her next challenge.
During lockdown she’d dreamed she’d walked from Scotland to Devon, she decided to make this a reality and so Nicky’s most marvellous ridiculous adventure was born. Walking from the Orkney Islands to the Scilly Isles. Solo and unsupported.
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Show notes
54 year old mum of 1
Walking from the Orkney Islands to the Scilly Isles
Starting the challenge on April 1st (April fools day!)
Not being into team sports and not enjoying the outdoors
Preferring reading about adventure
Discovering individual sports
Her passion for horses and riding
Joining The Pony Club
Training to be a nanny
Running away to work with horses
Teaching riding at Pony Club and Riding for the Disabled
Bringing up her daughter
Moving to Surrey
How joining a Canoe Club changed her life
How her views on fear changed
The link between fear and excitement
Starting to work in tv production
Making her career change at 38
Over coming the limiting beliefs of other people’s thoughts
Learning how to run and getting fit for search and rescue
If it’s important to you, you’ll find a way
How her life changed in 2013
Being diagnosed with a rare genetic eye disease called Stargardts
Now being registered as Severely Visually impaired S.V.I /blind
Losing her driving licence, her job, and her home in the space of 4 months
Dealing with the trauma
Moving back home to Devon and spending time on the South West Coast Path
Action for Blind People - now connected to RNIB
Joining a local walking group and how that helped process her thoughts and feelings
Getting to a place of acceptance?
How her life is different now
What she can see through her eyes
Completing her first ultra challenge 50km over Exmoor
How it changed her self confidence
Navigation
The idea for - Nicky’s most marvellous ridiculous adventure
Sharing the adventure and making it a reality
The route
Talking with people along the way about sight loss
Self funding and working on a tight budget
Hoping that people will come and join her
Starting in the Orkney Islands
Fears and concerns before the start of the trip
Wanting to prove to herself that she can still do big thing
Having a sense of purpose
Final words of advice for women
What do you actually want to do?
Social Media
Instagram: @blind.girl.walking
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