This Girl’s Adventure launched in in 2015 to tackle gender inequality in the outdoor sector. Women remain significantly underrepresented in outdoor leadership qualifications, with the gap widening at higher levels. Currently, only 4% of leaders with advanced qualifications are women (IOL Linda Allin, Northumbria University, 2021).
This Girl’s Adventure aims to inspire more women and girls to get involved in outdoor activities, enjoy the health and social benefits of being outdoors, and ultimately see a future career within the sector.
We inspire women and girls to get active through social and friendly activity sessions including climbing, hill-walking, kayaking, canoeing, mountain biking, skiing, surfing, open water swimming and fell and trail running.
These sessions are fun, safe, enjoyable and accessible for all, delivered by qualified and experienced instructors and coaches.
Come along and get involved in the fun while gaining confidence, fitness and friends.
Activities and opportunities are generally advertised through our This Girls Adventure Facebook group
Here’s a look at some of the things we’ve been up to lately across the UK…
This year, International Women’s Day was celebrated across all our regions, encouraging women to get outdoors, explore new places and develop new skills through a range of activities. Here are just a few of the events that took place:
- Gwent – The Outdoor Partnership Gwent teamed up with Crossfield Outdoors to provide an introduction to night navigation for women.
- Northern Ireland – The Outdoor Partnership Northern Ireland delivered a host of female hill skills and celebration events for International Woman’s Day both in the Sperrins and Mourne AONBs.
- Costal Cumbria – The Outdoor Partnership Cumbria supported Due North CIC’s International Women’s Day event, bringing together a 50‑mile relay, inspiring speakers, film premieres and a vibrant Coast & Trails Festival at Rosehill Theatre.
We’ve recently launched the REACH Women’s Climbing pilot programme in Cumbria. Funded by Sport England and delivered by Climb Well CIC, 16 phenomenal women chose to spend their Tuesday evening with us, bringing openness, courage and plenty of laughter along the way. Our blended compassionate therapeutic and beginner climbing approach creates space for women to reflect, connect and gently challenge themselves, both on and off the wall. It’s already been powerful to see confidence growing and a supportive community forming week by week.
The Women’s Hill Skills group have continued meeting to explore their local area in West Cumbria, gaining confidence and forging new friendships along the way. Watch the video below about the This Girls Adventure programme in Cumbria:
Working with the Ethnic Minorities and Youth Sport team (EYST) in Swansea, we developed a specific programme to encourage women to access the outdoors. With an interest in low level walks, a four week programme was devised for the group, alongside local provider, Tread Gower. These focused on coastal path walks, and with the aims of building up the distance and confidence, alongside skills and an opportunity to learn new routes, the programme received rave reviews.
Following on from the sessions, members enjoyed opportunities to participate further at open sessions and bigger events such as Gower Walking Festival – a great community based event, allowing opportunities for everyone to experience the great walks that are on offer in the Gower!
The Women’s Adventure Club continues to run one or two sessions each month in partnership with Pen y Bryn. A varied programme of outdoor activities, ranging from mountain walking, wild swimming, paddleboarding, climbing, cave exploration and even a ski trip – providing opportunities for women to build confidence, improve wellbeing, and enjoy adventure together in a safe environment.
Our partnership with SUPLASS continues with women’s SUP adventure sessions this summer with a further four-week programme, offering supportive outdoor activities designed to improve confidence, wellbeing, and connection. In the Winter we head indoor to Gwella leisure centre pools to keep working on developing our skills and having fun.
Thanks to funding from Sport Powys we recently offered a series of climbing sessions for anybody identifying as female or non-binary, to increase gender equity in the sport and offer some great quality coaching and development from Kasia Piatek of www.mountainspace.co.uk, one of the few qualified female Mountaineering and Climbing Instructors in the UK (one of the highest instructor qualifications available).