“It truly was an amazing weekend, for both me personally and for my Scouting! I can’t thank you enough!”
These are the words of Bea McCarty, a Scouting volunteer who took part in ScoutsCymru’s first Women In the Hills event last weekend.
The event saw female Scouters from across Wales come together at Yr Hafod, ScoutCymru’s residential activity centre in the Eryri National Park, for an introduction to hillwalking. The weekend was filled with practical experience of walking in the hills in a supportive environment, learning more about map reading and terminology, navigation and route plotting, and recognising, understanding and managing potential dangers.
Bea said that the highlight for her was the “amazing people” – 18 female Scout volunteers keen to learn and share experiences, six volunteers who planned and delivered the weekend, and two members of the ScoutsCymru staff team who supported the event.
She said: “From those sharing their knowledge to those offering an encouraging word and hand, I was made to feel welcome, at home and a part of the family. I loved every minute.”
After two days of hillwalking – including one day in torrential rain – Bea said: “I came away feeling more confident in my own abilities and with a renewed passion for getting the young people out and about.”
Although Yr Hafod regularly runs mountain leadership and permit training weekends and courses, this is the first time it has run a female-specific introductory event of this nature. It came as a response to statistics showing that although more than half of Scout volunteers in Wales are female, they are under-represented when it comes to leading adventurous activities, and many don’t know where and how to get the experience needed to lead such pursuits.
Kerrie Gemmill, Director of ScoutsCymu, called the weekend “truly inspiring”. She said: “It was amazing to witness the almost instant bond form between the women taking part in our first Women in the Hills introductory hillwalking course. A seed of an idea borne out of a workshop with volunteers from Yr Hafod, the event exceeded our expectations, both in terms of need and impact.
“There was laughter, tears, aching muscles and broken boots, all held together by a strong camaraderie, and a huge sense of achievement.”
She added: “Participants are already discussing next steps in achieving their mountain leadership permits, and planning ways they can support each other locally. The course had representation from Scouting across Wales, from women volunteering their time as section leaders and parent helpers, delivering programmes and activities to ensure young people have a wonderful experience.”
Indeed, Paula Blundell, from 1st Mynydd Isa, said Women in the Hills has given her more confidence when it comes to organising hikes and walks with her group.
She said: “One particular highlight for me was looking up at the steep incline and saying ‘no, I can’t do it’ but then hearing supportive voices telling me l could – and I did.
“We’ve already discussed planning walks with our members, I’m feeling much more confident now to take an active part in suggesting, planning and running hikes. I’m going to remember those voices telling me ‘you can do it’.”
Alison Richmond, a volunteer at 1st Gwydyr Scout Group, echoed Paula’s thoughts on gaining more confidence.
She said: “I’ve always loved the outdoors and our beautiful landscape – but admired it from the bottom of the slopes! This weekend has provided me with the confidence and knowledge to venture further.
“Skills for life,” she said, referring to strategy which is integral to Scouting and which actively engages and supports young people and volunteers in their personal development, empowering them to make a positive contribution to society.
“I will be more confident with planning routes and taking an active role in leading my cubs on their next outdoor adventures. It was a really inspiring weekend.”
Cat Parsons was one of many participants who said the weekend had inspired her to gain permits to lead activities.
She said: “My confidence is much improved and I intend to plan Terrain Zero hikes for my Beaver section. I’m keen to work towards gaining Terrain One and Two permits to be able to support my district through being a permit holder.”
There are different levels of hillwalking leadership permits – Terrain One enables leaders to lead walks on smaller, more accessible hills and Terrain Two refers to steeper, rockier and more remote areas.
Bea said she was keen to gain further permits to enable her to “better support my group and district and to better understand the limits for all young people, from Squirrels up.”
Another leader, Emma Rees, added that she felt welcomed and supported despite having “extremely limited experience”.
She said; “I never felt stupid or that I was slowing people down. I was given space to develop, make mistakes and learn from them at my own speed.”
She added: “I’m now confident to use a map and compass. This is going to be a big benefit to my group, enabling me to plan and lead hikes in the local area. This opens up a whole new part of Scouting to the young people in my group.”
The weekend was capped off with a visit from Mo Barclay, pictured above, from Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue, and who appeared on BBC’s SOS Extreme Rescue. The participants enjoyed a hands-on experience as Mo demonstrated some rescue techniques, and were truly inspired by the dedication and commitment of Mo and team, who volunteer 365 days of the year to keep people safe on the mountains.
Kerrie emphasised that the weekend would not have been possible without the group of volunteers who planned and lead all the walks and learning sessions. “All this was made possible by the six women mountaineer trainers who supported, trained, encouraged and challenged the women throughout the weekend -truly inspirational women we are lucky to have on the team at Yr Hafod, as well as Helen from the ScoutsCymru staff team who is experienced in outdoor leadership.”
For more information on hillwalking events and permits at Yr Hafod, as well as other courses that help volunteers work towards activity permits, visit the website here. For information on other courses run by ScoutsCymru, see the events section of the website here.
