My Body is a Meadow: Finding Freedom in the Outdoors

by Bethany Handley

'Urgent and beautiful, this book shows how our treatment of disability mirrors our treatment of nature. Essential reading' ― Katherine May, author of Wintering

'A passionate call for an inclusive countryside - nature for all and all for nature' ― Jack Cornish, author of The Lost Paths

Since childhood, Bethany Handley has always felt most at home out in the wilds of the Welsh countryside. This all changed when Bethany became a full-time wheelchair user in her twenties and suddenly found herself padlocked out of the landscapes she belonged to.

Today, nearly one in four people are Disabled in the UK. Yet, public rights of way are blocked in 32,000 places across England and Wales. My Body is a Meadow writes into this troubling landscape. Passionate and political, it delivers a galvanising call for us to rethink how we live among nature and each other. Lyrical and personal, Bethany invites readers to wheel alongside her as she explores ableism, climate justice and what nature means to her.

On this journey we discover the feral boar of the Forest of Dean, and one of the first places in Britain to industrialise; how the metal and rubber of a wheelchair can become just as much a part of your body as skin and bone; why swifts rarely land and how maps tell a story of exclusion. Unearthing parallels between land ownership and privatised healthcare, loss of biodiversity and social marginalisation, Bethany explores the lessons nature can teach us about inclusion and interdependence. This is a rallying cry for us to stop gatekeeping nature and work together to make it open and equal to all.

Praise for Cling Film:

'Cling Film is a collection that lifts many veils and lets in much-needed light and air' Carol Rumens, Guardian

'Opens our eyes and minds to new ways of seeing and being' Owen Sheers, author of Skirrid Hill

'Be careful, these poems will change the way you see the world' Kim Moore, author of All the Men I Never Married

'For anyone who values life' Joshua Jones, author of Local Fires

'Glorious, necessary reading' Polly Atkin, author of Some of Us Just Fall

'I laughed for an hour alongside Bethany Handley and, while I was laughing, I forgot about my pain' the Cyborg Jillian Weise, author of Common Cyborg

'Breathtakingly raw and beautiful' Connor Allen

Genres: Nonfiction

280 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 7, 2026

Reviews

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one hell of an eye opener of just how much I take for granted, no matter how understanding you think you are towards somebody else's life challenges you will be way off the mark. This powerful book is what the world needs, there are so many horrifying rules being passed by the government and the media spinning things to say that anybody claiming benefits is just lazy and a drain on society (with zero proof) is making the world so toxic...so take a break from those lies and give this a read instead, you will not be disappointed, you will be shocked and outraged and hopefully a lot more understanding.

My experience is limited when it comes to disabled humans, nobody in my friend circle uses a wheelchair and whilst I work at a school and we have a few students that are wheelchair enabled we are spoilt by having a common next to the school that is very wheelchair friendly and full of nature. When I go for a walk we have always had a laugh when it comes to a stile or kissing gate, not once have we seen it as a barrier to access, even when one of us inevitably falls over the stile.

Handley has a contagious love of nature and a stunning way of using words to describe what she sees, some paragraphs left me going wow, scenes somehow come alive with her poetic writing. I liked how she compares her disabilities with the damage we have caused to the environment, the River Wye especially was heartbreaking, many a time as a Scout I kayaked in the Wye and to read about just how bad things are blows my mind. It's an interesting way of seeing the world and it works well in this book as instead of just seeing yet another river with sewage being dumped in it you see it as a living entity and the knock on effect this damage has on everything that relies on the river.

The book isn't just about nature, it is Handley's journey into being a wheelchair user and just how much she has been let down by those who are supposed to be there to help, the lack of respect for anybody disabled by the NHS is shocking, a few physio sessions and a big heavy wheelchair that is no good for somebody of Handley's stature and job done, another one ticked off the list. There is plenty here to fill you with shock and anger.

I do feel Handley has missed one thing from this book, she has inspired the reader, got them on her side and wanting to help but no advice is given, the book could do with a section at the end called "So you wanna help?" a list of places you can volunteer to help with access or donate to help those waiting years and years for a suitable wheelchair.

This is a very good book and one that will stay with me for a long time, next walk I am on will be spent looking at how accessible it really is.

Blog review: https://felcherman.wordpress.com/2026...

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a powerful book and powerful books are often uncomfortable. Some of the ideas are quite startling although after a while I could start to brace myself for the lurches to connect one issue with another... and credit to Bethany Handley, she does usually have a strong case eg the idea that the River Wye is Disabled.

The issue of disability access to the outdoors is a challenging one, and some myths are nicely busted here (no, it isn't all about tarmac paths)... although it is shocking how much of this book has to be about more than 'access to nature' including access to a shower that doesn't involve travelling to the local leisure centre and the NHS wheelchair supply issues that should provoke a riot. But it's not niche... her experience shows how life can change overnight, although in her case she had had other, more fluctuating, health conditions prior to this which also inform her thinking (I felt there was a little too much vagueness about the specifics of all the conditions in a book which gets laudably specific about some aspects of disabled experience). There are areas of disability she perhaps doesn't address due to not having personal experience.

I feel as though I am making this book sound like a dry polemic, when it is a work bursting with joy.

[Pippa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a stunning exploration of longing for freedom, finding a home in your body and walking your own path in life even when physical and social barriers can make it seem like an impossible feat. Handley’s writing powerfully dismantles the idea that interdependence is something we should fear, and instead shows us how the human condition is intertwined with the natural world and reflects its own fight for survival during these pivotal years.

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a remarkable, beautiful book, equally full of joyful moments and powerful calls to action, and written in lyrical, poetic prose.