A Glamoraks year in review - and where next?

This time a year ago, Glamoraks didn't exist. The name was simply a nickname I gave to my glamorous friends who I dragged out walking with me. But an opportunity to appear in a national magazine prompted me into creating something I'd been mulling over for a while - a group to inspire more women to get out walking. 

I created the Glamoraks.com website and set up a free Facebook group, with no real idea of what I wanted it to be other than what I had written on the website:

"I want to get more women walking. We're all so busy - careers, being mothers, looking after elderly parents, relationships, life.  Walking is the escape that lets you put down the mascara wand and step away from the busy-ness of life. It simplifies everything. It gives you time to think, reflect, talk and connect. It's just you, what you can fit in your pack, the track in front of you and whoever is walking with you.  It is low cost, really good exercise, a brilliant way to destress and the best endorphin hit you can get. It makes you happy. 
It helps you rediscover you. And it gives you permission to become that messy, basic, windswept person you were born to be.  I want to create a worldwide collective of women who walk. And in so doing, I want to make women happier."

Well since then, the Facebook group has grown to more than 775 members from places as far afield as the USA, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Sweden, Switzerland, Morocco and South Africa - not to mention a huge contingent from across the UK. It's been featured in Top Sante, Healthy, Good Housekeeping magazines with regular mentions on BBC Radio York. The name as been trademarked. I've written 50 blog posts, shared the voices of others through guests posts and set up a Youtube channel (feel free to subscribe!)

The first Glamoraks walking weekend was held in Malham in November, with 14 women coming together to share a common love of getting outdoors. The second weekend will be held in January 2018 along the Yorkshire Coast - it sold out in less than 24 hours (one spot has become available due to a cancellation so grab it if you want it!)

Personally,  this year I've:

• earned my silver level navigation certificate
• climbed Kilimanjaro (5,895m)
• walked the West Highland Way (96 miles)
• tackled the Yorkshire Three Peaks in mid-winter
• wild camped for the first time on my own
• slept under the stars with a friend on a coastal cliff
• attended Base Camp festival on my own and slept in a field with strangers before tackling river tubing, white water rafting and foraging;  
• attended the Women in Adventure Expo
• did a first footing (with fellow Glamoraks) of the new Peak District Boundary Walk
• did day walks from Scarborough to Filey, around Upper Riccal Dale, Helmsley to Riveaulx, a stretch of the Centenary Way, Kirkham Priory to Howsham Mill, The Nidd Gorge, several walks around the North Yorkshire Moors and countless walks in my home turf around York.​

I did this alongside running my main business and being a wife and mother with all the never-ending jobs that involves! I have at times been immensely frustrated with not having the time to dedicate myself to Glamoraks more fully and therefore not being able to grow it as quickly as I would like to. But when I look back on the year, I am so proud of how far it has come. What makes me happier still is when I receive messages like this:

'Went for a lovely walk in Hyde Park on Saturday....feel so inspired to just get out there and walk now with Glamoraks on my FB wall. Suddenly not even thinking about the weather.'

'My daughter sent me your article. What a fantastic idea! I adore walking and the outdoors. I have been on my own for almost 15 years and would love the company of others like myself. I'm a young, independent, glamorous woman. Unfortunately my friends don't share my enjoyment of walking or have the time away from their husbands. Would love to hear more about Glamoraks.'

'What a fantastic job you are doing inspiring women to walk - thank you!'

So where is Glamoraks headed in 2018?
Firstly, I hope to have more Glamoraks walking weekends away, run by me as well as qualified mountain leaders. The dates for those will hopefully come out in January. Make sure you subscribe to the newsletter to receive details first. 

I would love to grow the community all over the world. So please do share the group with any friends you have you enjoy a good walk, hike or adventure.

But most importantly, I want the Glamoraks community to be able to find others to walk with. I don't want you to have to wait for a walk in your area or on a date that suits. I really want you to to feel confident to go walking whenever you like, either on your own or simply by reaching out to other Glamoraks near you.  Perhaps you want to take on a big multi-day walk or charity challenge, but don't have anyone to do it with.  Or you want to connect to a regular group of women in your area to go for an impromptu walk or fitness walk or dog walk. Which is why I am looking to create either an app that connects women with others who have similar walking levels and interests, or a membership website that has similar functionality. There is nothing stopping you from doing this right now in the free Facebook group, but it can be hard to track threads as they disappear down in the group. I want to make it easy for everyone to find someone to go walking with.

All of this takes a lot of funding and time, neither of which I have much of. But I am working my hardest to make it happen. So watch this space. 

On top of that, I want to take on a big challenge of my own in 2018. I had planned to walk the Cape Wrath Trail Solo, but after speaking to various experts and having spent several nights doing navigation in bogs, I realised it was probably a step too far beyond my capabilities. But I will be doing something, starting with good number of walks in Northumberland over the New Year period.

What about you?

What walking challenge would you like to take on in 2018? It doesn't have to be a BIG challenge. You can simply set yourself a target of how many miles you want to walk. All I would say is that you are more capable than you realise. So stretch yourself slightly more than you believe you are currently capable of, and go for it. A year from now, you will be so pleased that you did. 

To help you stay focused, I've created a downloadable poster that you can print off, stick on your wall or fridge and let it serve as a reminder to get your boots on and get outdoors! 

GET YOUR POSTER HERE.

Here's to an amazing 2018. Let's make the world happier one step at a time. ​