Picture the following scene…
It’s a grey Sunday morning in February.
You’re sitting at a large, crowded table at a busy city-centre coffee shop.
You are surrounded by twenty other women, all of whom you suspect are somewhat younger than you are (25s to your 33).
Nobody has met before but everyone is excitedly, or maybe nervously, chatting to complete strangers about their work, hobbies and personal lives.
You are at a Bristol Girl coffee meet up – a Facebook group you discovered on a depressing day in February when you realised that being self-employed meant barely leaving the house any more, let alone speaking regularly to other humans.
They are a friendly bunch and many of them are in the same boat as you – professional women living in the city who want to network and make new friends.
‘What do you like to do as a hobby, Charlotte?’ someone asks you from across the table as you take a sip of your latte.
‘Walking,’ you reply reluctantly, fearing that you’ve just confirmed your more advanced age to anyone who might have been fooled by your youthful good looks (not).
‘Well, hiking actually. Up mountains. Badly. And then writing about it.’
There is some interest.
‘Oh, I’d LOVE to do more hiking but I have no-one to go with. I don’t really like the idea of going by myself.’
‘Well, maybe we should organise a walk?’ you suggest, instantly regretting this offer because you know that no-one but Pete could survive one of your Wainwright wobbles.
‘That sounds great!’ says another.
Before you know it, you’ve made yourself the leader of a hypothetical expedition.
The next day you’ve completely forgotten everyone’s names and tentatively post the following message to the group’s social media page, hoping that someone might remember your conversation:
You get an overwhelming response.
This is how I started Bristol Girl Hikers.
We went on our first walk together the following weekend.
Nervous (and mildly sweating) I went to meet the group at an agreed location in Clifton. Unperturbed by the silver-grey sharpness of a woodland winter walk, we headed over Brunel’s famous suspension bridge towards the beautiful Leigh Woods.
There was small talk (and bigger talk). Everyone was friendly. The event was a success (except for this picture which makes me look like a giant).
Since that icy February afternoon, Bristol Girl Hikers has gone from strength to strength, encouraging many more Bristol women to get outdoors at the weekends.
Our next microadventure was a 6-mile hike around the Bath Skyline:
(where we got a little bit lost on a golf course due to my inability to follow simple signage…)
As winter melted into spring we took in the amazing views on a 4-mile walk at Cheddar Gorge:
(where we struggled up some steep hills)
As spring turned into a scorching hot summer we headed for the Brecon Beacons and the Four Falls walk at Ystradfellte:
The group gradually grew in number as new members joined every week.
Those who were still nervous about walking with us (because walking with an established group when you are uncertain of your own fitness is daunting, I know) were invited to come to our monthly film nights at a private cinema tucked away inside an independent video store called 20th Century Flicks.
(obviously, our first film night featured the Queen of solo female hikers, Cheryl Strayed)
As the summer heatwave continued, Laura joined me in organising walks and we headed for the beach at Weston-super-Mare:
We watched the sun set at Cheddar Gorge…
…and conquered a Welsh mountain:
In August came the rain.
And it came just in time for our biggest expedition yet – a weekend trip to climb Snowdon, the highest peak in England and Wales:
We’ve had so many great little adventures.
And as autumn approaches, despite the rain and wind, we are still getting out there:
(and it isn’t all about the hiking …)
Just over six months after that initial nervous conversation at a Bristol Girl coffee morning, Bristol Girl Hikers now has more than 500 members.
It’s amazing to see so many women signing up. I feel there are big things to come for us: we are already looking at branching out into other outdoor activities such as SUP, wild camping, kayaking and gorge walking. You name it, we’ll try it!
I first set up Bristol Girl Hikers to find a few people to go walking with. I was afraid to go alone. What if I got attacked? Or chased by a bull? Or fell and broke my ankle? Or found myself horribly lost?
In Bristol Girl Hikers I found a lot more than just hiking companions. I discovered a whole new way to explore the world: with friends, with strangers and, mostly, with other awesome women.
I learned that I was not the only anxious solo hiker out there. Many women I have spoken to over the last few months feel nervous about stepping out alone into the wilderness.
But we mustn’t let fear stop us from exploring the world and pushing ourselves to our limits. If we do, we might miss out on something that is far greater than the sum of all our fears.
That something for me is a connection with the natural world. As John Muir once wrote:
‘Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn.’
John Muir, The Mountains of California
Don’t let fear stop you from ‘putting yourself in the way of beauty’ (as Cheryl Strayed might say).
Join in. Let’s all go together.
If you are a woman living in the Bristol area and would like to join our group you can find us on Twitter @girlhikers, on Instagram using the hashtag #bristolgirlhikers or on our Facebook group.
We look forward to meeting you x
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