What A Feeling!

Andréa Childs discovers that a women-only walking week makes for a wonderfully energising getaway

Waiting at Penrith rail station for the bus to Keswick, then onwards to Buttermere, I had plenty of time to play “spot the woman walker”. I was heading for a week-long Women’s Activity Week in the Lake District with Ramblers Walking Holidays. Between the families steering suitcases and children, Bear Grylls lookalikes and young couples partnering rucksacks and romance, I thought I spotted a few – women in waterproof jackets and sturdy boots, with outdoor complexions and ready smiles. Turns out I guessed correctly. Two of us shared a taxi from the station – a sign of the camaraderie to come.

I’d been anxious about the holiday. Not the activities – I was looking forward to yoga and Pilates sessions and an introduction to Nordic Walking – but about who else would be there. I’m hopeless at map-reading and had to borrow a sensible coat from a friend for the trip, so I was dreading rambler robots who could navigate a hillside on autopilot. Another guest said she had panicked about being the old crone (at 48!) among a sea of twentysomethings with toned triceps and Ashtanga abs.