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Teenager conquers Hadrian's Wall trail in wheelchair

BBC Wheelchair user Brynn Hauxwell on Newcastle QuaysideBBC
Seeing the whole of Hadrian's Wall had been a long-held ambition of Brynn Hauxwell

A teenage wheelchair user who conquered the Hadrian's Wall trail said he hoped he has inspired others to be undeterred by obstacles.

Brynn Hauxwell reached the end of the 84-mile (135km) course at Wallsend, North Tyneside, 10 days after starting from Bowness-on-Solway, Cumbria.

The 17-year-old has raised funds for Ability Shetland, which introduced him to the special mountain trike he used.

His mum, Kim, said her heart was "bursting with pride".

Brynn Hauxwell Brynn Hauxwell and his team pictured next to part of Hadrian's WallBrynn Hauxwell
The challenge raised money for the charity that helps support Brynn's independence

Brynn, who lives on Shetland, said: "The first few days were brilliant, then on day five it was really tough because the weather took a turn for the worse.

"I got very close to throwing in the towel that day, but then it got better and better.

"I hope I've shown a lot of people they can actually go out and visit areas that at first might not look like they're accessible to them."

'So resilient'

Brynn, who has autism and a condition which affects the motion in his ankles, first visited part of the wall when he was a youngster but until now he had been unable to take in the rest of the structure.

Brynn Hauxwell Brynn's wheelchair is lifted over the wall by his support teamBrynn Hauxwell
Brynn's support team helped him traverse trickier sections of the coast-to-coast route

He was aided by a support team which included his mum.

She said: "He's so resilient. There were times I thought he wasn't going to carry on, but he did.

"It's really, really special. My heart is bursting with pride."

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