Wild Women: The Rise of All-Female Outdoor Activity Groups
It was a little after midnight when I heard footsteps approaching my bivouac bag. Normally in wild camping, a noise like this would make me sink deeper into my sleeping bag, hoping I wouldn't be seen. Yet that night, sleeping on the hillside on the western escarpment of the Chilterns in Buckinghamshire, there was no need - or even chance - to remain hidden. I was surrounded by six other women camping, giving a whole new meaning to the phrase "girls night out".
As an adventurous and ardent wild camper in solo, I have for over 15 years voluntarily immersed myself in the desert - in the UK and overseas - alone. I never needed companionship on adventures. I'm not afraid of the dark, nor afraid to pee in the middle of the night. Sleeping alone doesn't scare me. But wild camping in a group – especially a group of other women – terrified me. ="model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement" class="dcr-173mewl">
Of the six with me that night, four had never wild-camped before, while the other two were adventurers Sophie Roberts and Anna McNuff. The latter would, a few months after our camp, officially co-found an online adventure community for women called Adventure Queens.
I arrived late by train from London and I followed them from a google maps pin they sent me from the hill. Already the conversation was in full swing and I dreaded joining them. While first-time campers talked about their fears of sleeping outside, I, on the other hand, worried about socializing. I've always had more male friends than female, and at school I never really fit in; I didn't wear makeup, I didn't like shopping and I was always accused of not being "girly enough".
However, as soon as I arrived, I was welcomed home. I was handed a plate of food, offered a drink and included in the conversation. There was no campfire - that would have been against wilderness camper etiquette - but I felt unexpectedly warmed by their presence.
“Adventure Queens started out as one Facebook group,” says Nadia Weigh, the current co-head of the community. "We wanted to create a space for women to share ideas and exchange advice, but it's grown."
There are now 13,000 community members, 60 volunteers, 25 regional groups, three international and a group of mothers too. Not bad for something that started out as a hillside night out for a small group of friends.
Not the only group of women to have experienced phenomenal growth. "I don't come from an outdoor background," says Bex Band, founder of Love Her Wild, another UK-based non-profit adventure community. “But after a hike in Israel, I wanted to do more in Britain. I started a Facebook group, hoping to connect and learn skills with other like-minded women, and it snowballed - growing massively since t...
It was a little after midnight when I heard footsteps approaching my bivouac bag. Normally in wild camping, a noise like this would make me sink deeper into my sleeping bag, hoping I wouldn't be seen. Yet that night, sleeping on the hillside on the western escarpment of the Chilterns in Buckinghamshire, there was no need - or even chance - to remain hidden. I was surrounded by six other women camping, giving a whole new meaning to the phrase "girls night out".
As an adventurous and ardent wild camper in solo, I have for over 15 years voluntarily immersed myself in the desert - in the UK and overseas - alone. I never needed companionship on adventures. I'm not afraid of the dark, nor afraid to pee in the middle of the night. Sleeping alone doesn't scare me. But wild camping in a group – especially a group of other women – terrified me. ="model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement" class="dcr-173mewl">
Of the six with me that night, four had never wild-camped before, while the other two were adventurers Sophie Roberts and Anna McNuff. The latter would, a few months after our camp, officially co-found an online adventure community for women called Adventure Queens.
I arrived late by train from London and I followed them from a google maps pin they sent me from the hill. Already the conversation was in full swing and I dreaded joining them. While first-time campers talked about their fears of sleeping outside, I, on the other hand, worried about socializing. I've always had more male friends than female, and at school I never really fit in; I didn't wear makeup, I didn't like shopping and I was always accused of not being "girly enough".
However, as soon as I arrived, I was welcomed home. I was handed a plate of food, offered a drink and included in the conversation. There was no campfire - that would have been against wilderness camper etiquette - but I felt unexpectedly warmed by their presence.
“Adventure Queens started out as one Facebook group,” says Nadia Weigh, the current co-head of the community. "We wanted to create a space for women to share ideas and exchange advice, but it's grown."
There are now 13,000 community members, 60 volunteers, 25 regional groups, three international and a group of mothers too. Not bad for something that started out as a hillside night out for a small group of friends.
Not the only group of women to have experienced phenomenal growth. "I don't come from an outdoor background," says Bex Band, founder of Love Her Wild, another UK-based non-profit adventure community. “But after a hike in Israel, I wanted to do more in Britain. I started a Facebook group, hoping to connect and learn skills with other like-minded women, and it snowballed - growing massively since t...
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