Meet the women’s adventure groups changing the face of the countryside

Shared activities in the great outdoors mean female friendship, stronger communities and new experiences, says Mollie McGuigan

Last year, when the pandemic left high streets deserted, one place was busier than ever: the great outdoors. Natural England reported a 19 per cent increase in visits to green spaces between April to October, while NatureScot reported a 16 per cent increase in adults visiting the outdoors.

However, a 2015 report by Sport England found women make up only 35 per cent of participants in general outdoor activities, while the Campaign to Protect Rural England estimates people from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds account for only one per cent of visitors to national parks.

This is beginning to change, thanks to women-only outdoors groups. Often arranged through social media, they arm women with the skills and support to enjoy the countryside safely.

“There are no actual barriers,” says Dr Kerri Andrews, author of Wanderers: A History of Women Walking, and one of the founders of Women In The Hills, an academic research group. “It is about broader social expectations.” She points to how women are less likely to be taught to map-read, and the lack of rural toilets as common hurdles.

“For society, there are enormous benefits to having a diverse outdoors experience,” says Dr Andrews. “When we can tell different stories about the outdoors and what it means, those stories become available to everybody and expand everyone’s understanding of what it is to be a walker or a climber.”

Itching to get out into nature? These women-only adventure collectives are the perfect starting point…