‘Do you run in the dark?” “How do you stop chafing?” “Does menopause affect your flexibility?” “What snacks do you take on the hill?” It’s the first night of the inaugural “Hostel Hoolie” – a women’s outdoor adventure weekend in Braemer in the Cairngorms – and in a living room packed with 40 guests, the conversation is flowing thick and fast.
Outside it’s wild and windy; there have been snow-closed roads and rural diversions, but the long journeys are quickly forgotten. Most women have come alone, though you wouldn’t know it.
This weekend is a collaboration between two outdoor adventure companies: women’s trail running and hillwalking specialist Girls on Hills, and The Adventure Syndicate, a trio of epic cyclists who put on madcap events on two wheels throughout the year. Both organisations frequently partner with Hostelling Scotland, and we’re staying at the newly reopened Braemar Youth Hostel. Adding to the fun is yoga teacher Lindsay Warrack, and a hired sauna from Stravaig Saunas set up in the woods outside the hostel.
Girls on Hills was launched in Glencoe in 2018 by outdoor instructors Keri Wallace and Nancy Kennedy as a way to address the gender disparity in trail running. Starting with just a couple of weekend courses, in 2023 the company delivered 98 events for women across the UK. Wallace says that since the pandemic there has been an increased demand for courses that include a social element.
“It’s become a really big part of what we do,” she says, “it’s all about the camaraderie and getting to meet like-minded women. It’s very relaxed, sociable and supportive, and there’s a lot of peer learning.”
Hostels make great bases as they are cost effective and have a community-minded set up, say both companies (and Hostelling Scotland reports a real shift in its customer demographic, with more women using them for outdoor adventures). Braemar proves perfect for our gathering with an expansive catering kitchen, two dining areas and a big living room that’s nicer than many hotels. The excellent drying room makes light work of piles of wet shoes and soggy waterproofs.
At the Hostel Hoolie, participants choose which activities to take part in, including morning yoga, full days’ hillwalking, trail running, or cycling, and evening sessions in the sauna. Everything is optional. On the first night there’s a meeting to learn about the activities and sign up. Walk leader Jess Williams says of her route: “It’s going to be wild, and we might not see anything.” Cycle leader, and the Adventure Syndicate founder, Lee Craigie makes similar promises: “It’ll be wet and cold and a wee bit grim in places.” The enthusiasm in the room remains undimmed.
The dormitories are clean and warm with a mix of bunk beds and single beds. I bag a bunk in the smallest (sharing with only two others – the largest sleeps eight) tucked into the eaves of this former hunting lodge and sleep surprisingly well. The next morning after a yoga class I join the guided trail run, beginning with a session on winter kit and decision-making before we head out (key takeaways are the importance of navigation skills and having a plan to keep warm if someone gets injured – as well as plenty of snacks). From Braemar it’s a short distance to Linn of Dee where our 12km route winds through the native pinewoods of Mar Lodge Estate, snowy mountain tops sometimes visible between the trees. At the snow line we pull microspikes over our trainers and practise running up and down icy slopes, learning safe winter descending techniques. There’s a wide range of experience in the group, from ultra-marathon veterans to near beginners. The pace is relaxed and chatty, and the only race is for a seat by the fire at the bothy lunch stop.
Night falls early so the evenings are long and unhurried. There’s a strong presence in the local pub, Farquharson’s, with a fierce Connect 4 challenge. At the hostel, soup putters on the stove and new friends stretch out in front of the fire, with wine, books and knitting. In the sauna, the conversation is about strength training, triathlons and massage, and cheering each other on as we take turns to dunk in the icy tin bath outside. Stories are swapped of the different days’ activities, and future plans and routes are plotted.
Over the course of the weekend I try things I’d typically shy away from, partner yoga for one, working together to ease into deep stretches, any qualms about personal space long discarded (I loved it). I also find myself taking an icy river dip with swim coach Penny Clay, the momentum of spirited women spurring me on, fuelled by joy and camaraderie.
The increased demand for all-female community events is not about a lack of drive, Wallace is keen to stress. “It’s not all ‘girls just want to have fun’,” she says. “Women want to do hard things, we want to push ourselves.” The Adventure Syndicate’s co-director Alice Lemkes agrees: “Women want to challenge themselves, but it doesn’t have to always be within the traditional model of competition. We create an environment in which women can push their comfort zones and set new boundaries around their limits and their confidence.”
The biggest growth area in the outdoors industry is women in their late 30s onwards, they report. While hillwalking, climbing and running are still mainly marketed to young people, both companies say their trips appeal to women who are a bit older and desperate to get out there and meet like-minded individuals.
“We’re challenging the notion that you start to fall off a cliff edge in your 30s, and post-menopause you’re just invisible to society,” says Lemkes. “We’re also hearing from women in their 60s and older who’ve never done anything like this before. That’s also a really exciting demographic. It’s a mindset shift.
“When women get together in the outdoors, the energy is just so incredible,” she adds. “It’s a lovely, positive, reinforcing loop. We want more of it, it’s so nourishing.”
