At 6am one Saturday morning, I found myself not tucked up in bed, but standing at the foot of a 700-metre mountain, ready to embark on the 12-hour hike. I was doing the Yorkshire Three Peaks, a 24-mile walk up, down and between the three highest peaks in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (the most popular hike in the UK last year, according to data from Ordnance Survey).

Many of my fellow hikers were groups of women walking with friends or colleagues, and the Three Peaks Challenge, who run guided walks of the Yorkshire Three Peaks, as well as the National Three Peaks, the Surrey Three Peaks and the Welsh Three Peaks, say women now make up around two thirds of those talking part – with those aged late 20s to mid 30s making up the largest age group.

Three of Ordnance Survey’s top 10 most popular walks are now more than 20 miles long, including The Wanderlust Way in Lincolnshire and The Surrey Three Peaks as well as the Yorkshire route, with data showing that between April 2022 and March 2023, people walked over a third longer compared to the previous 12 months. Hiking and walking app AllTrails also reports that people in the UK are opting for longer, harder routes – choosing more ‘difficult’ rated trails and adding more distance to their walks over the past year. 

So why are more women lacing up their hiking boots and heading on these big endurance adventure walks? Walking remains a growing trend, and particularly since lockdown, there has been increased awareness of the benefits of walking and being in nature for mental and physical health. Meanwhile, books like Wild and The Salt Path have made long distance hiking more mainstream, with more of us looking to embrace the call of the outdoors in interesting and low-impact ways.

Carla Khouri, a mountain leader, outdoor instructor and community lead at women-centric hiking community Merrell Hiking Club, says increased representation is one of the main reasons women are doing more long-distance walks. “More women have been sharing their hiking experiences through social media, which helps to motivate and inspire other women.”

#Threepeakschallenge has more than 35,000 posts on Instagram alone, and there are an increasing number of outdoor creators sharing beautiful photos and videos from the trails. There has also been an increase in female hiking groups and female led groups, says Khouri. “These online and real life communities provide support, encouragement and a space to share tips. I think this makes it less intimidating and more welcoming for women to participate.”

I wanted to try the Yorkshire Three Peaks because it looked beautiful and seemed like a challenge that I’d have a good chance of completing. I signed up for a half marathon last year but had to pull out after injuring my hip and needing surgery, so completing this hike offered a joint-friendly alternative. As a goal, it felt a little more realistic than a marathon or triathlon, but I knew that it’d also test my stamina and resilience. As such, these kinds of walks appeal to people who don’t necessarily see themselves as runners or into fitness.

There’s a massive mental health element to all of this. Beyond moving through nature, research suggests that long-distance walking can help you find or test your personal strength and be a positive way to deal with personal or emotional struggles while finding a sense of meaning. This certainly rang true to me during harder moments when I had to keep pushing. The meditative aspect of walking gave me time to think while enjoying sumptuous views and basking in satisfaction at the finish.

That sense of achievement and awe is something that hair and make-up artist, Lauren Wheeler seeks most from long-distance walking. Wheeler has hiked the Snowden Six (going up and down Snowden using each of its six routes), the Nine Edges in the Peak District and the Malverns End to End, but fell in love with hiking after she climbed Adam’s Peak in Sri Lanka. “I did it while going through a really bad break-up and just remember sitting at the top of the mountain, watching the sunrise and thinking that it was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen in my life. I haven’t stopped climbing mountains since,” she says.

Wheeler has a mild form of spina bifida which affects her legs and spine and was told that she wouldn’t be able to do much physical exercise. “I hated being told I wouldn’t achieve these things, so it made me more determined to get out there and do them,” she says. For Wheeler, climbing mountains is a way of gaining back control after years of being told that she’d never physically amount to much. “Every single time I go and climb a mountain, it’s a reinforcement that actually, I’m the one that’s in control of my life and I get to choose what I can and can’t do.”

Then there’s the social aspect of walking. Wheeler tells Strong Women that the hiking community is incredibly supportive and friendly: “You see people helping each other out and there’s no competition. It’s not about who can get to the top first,” she says. “It’s so nice that you can generally walk at your own pace but there’s the opportunity to talk when you want to.”

I love the low stakes, relaxed socialising of long walks and so does Ellie Snowden, a research consultant from Bristol. Snowden has completed long-distance hikes in the Lake District, Snowdonia and the Dolomites and has since set up group walks with other people. “It’s very different to going to a pub where there is a performative element of being social. Here, you’re just walking,” she says.

Snowden rediscovered walking when experiencing burn out, and fell in love with the movement, fresh air and space to re-think certain situations. “There’s something about being really high and having a different kind of perspective on things and in the world,” she says. “There’ve been times when I’ve struggled with my physical or mental health and have taken myself out for a few long walks and been able to come back into my body in a special way.”

Long walks can be a pilgrimage; a challenge for your body and your mind; a way to hang out with your friends; a chance to connect with nature or simply up your step count. They’re less about running up that hill with no problems and more about taking your problems on a walk with you – allowing yourself the space and time to deal with them as you go. And that alone is worth the 6am start.

Images: Annabel Lee