Born from a shared passion for nature – and a need for a women’s-only space – Chesterfield-based Gurls that Walk is helping women to find confidence, connection and a reason to get outside. Faye Bramley joined them for a hike.
Do you love being outdoors and in nature? Are you keen to meet like-minded people? Do you want to get active in a safe and supportive environment?
These are the questions that jump out to me from the Gurls that Walk leaflet.
And these are certainly aspects of the close-knit community organisers Chloe and Shea have built since starting the women’s-only walking group.
Chloe Hollingworth, 28, and Shea McArdle, 32, started the group in June 2024, shortly after reconnecting as long-lost cousins and realising their shared love of walking and nature. “We really didn’t expect it to grow the way it has. It’s been unbelievable,” Shea admits.
The group has gone from an idea over coffee to a fully-fledged community with over 1,300 followers on Instagram in just over a year. Chloe and Shea host two walks a month, with varied difficulty levels, usually ending with a voluntary social event at a nearby café.
“We want to help keep people motivated and connected,” they explain. This is evident in the positive and welcoming environment the pair have created.
When I joined Gurls that Walk on a route around Chatsworth from Beeley, this atmosphere was crystal clear. Despite being on my own, I was greeted with friendly faces and a genuine warmth from the women in attendance.
This sentiment was echoed by the women I spoke to about their experiences with the group. Rachael Spink has been attending the walks with her black Labrador, Bonnie, since the very beginning. “I haven’t got a big group of friends, so it gives me a chance to get out and socialise with people who are like-minded and like the outdoors,” she says. “Chloe and Shea are great girls, they’ve always been so welcoming and they always make the effort to speak to me. I think anyone who’s been to any of the walks would agree.”
Support for the group is strong, with members showing up for walks come rain or shine. Chloe and Shea recall feeling touched when they hosted a walk in the pouring rain and still had a substantial turnout, which they didn’t expect.
The sense of community support within the group extends both ways, benefiting Chloe and Shea too. “I didn’t create the group to make friends, that wasn’t even something I considered, but I have made friends from it,” Shea acknowledges.
She recalls arriving at the starting point for their first walk – she was slightly late, so as she drove past the meeting point to park her car, she saw everyone who had shown up to support this new venture.
She describes this as a turning point that encouraged her to close a negative chapter in her life. The fact people wanted to show support and to get involved in something she and Chloe had created gave her a much-needed change of perspective.
Chloe had previously hosted a mixed-gender walking group in Bolsover, after getting into walking to improve her own mental wellbeing. “I remember thinking that everybody should get to experience this,” she recalls. However, after an uncomfortable encounter with a man in the group, she made the difficult decision to close it down. She and Shea considered starting a women’s-only walking group instead and Gurls that Walk was born – aiming to provide “a safe space for women to experience the benefits of walking in nature.”
“We want to help keep people motivated and connected,”
Many members I spoke to cited the group being a women’s-only space as a key reason for their continued involvement. “Being a woman surrounded by other women feels safe and nurturing,” explains Delanye Neilson who describes a sense of mutual support among the women who attend, and how this creates an encouraging atmosphere for young women who, like her, have just started their careers.
Long-standing member Emma Coleman says: “It feels so comfortable. We talk about all the sorts of things that we girls chat about when we’re together with friends. It’s like a friendship group that you didn’t know you needed.”
Emma works as a Physical Activity Advisor for Live Life Better Derbyshire, so she is no stranger to the barriers preventing people from accessing the mental and physical benefits of walking outdoors. She applauds the judgement-free environment that Chloe and Shea have created: “You don’t have to go and talk to people if you don’t want to; you could kind of just be there and be around people. Chloe and Shea check on everyone, and those at the front wait for those at the back. This makes people feel like they belong and makes them want to go again because they feel comfortable.”
It’s clear Gurls that Walk means a lot to its members. “I think when you’re on your own and you’re feeling down, it’s really hard to give yourself the motivation to actually get outside. But if you’ve got a place and a time and other people are going to be there, then it’s great motivation to get out and do something for yourself,” adds another member, Charlie Smith.
Reflecting on their journey so far, Chloe says: “We are both normal women with normal jobs, so we are proof that if you put your mind to something, you can do it.”
With Gurls that Walk, the sense of connection, the encouragement to get active and the opportunity to appreciate the natural beauty on our doorstep all combine to create something much more than a walking group: a community.
Chloe and Shea post the dates, times, and meeting points for their walks on Facebook and Instagram (@gurlsthatwalk). They can also be contacted by email at gurlsthatwalk@outlook.com. In addition to walks, they are planning fundraising events for Ashgate Hospice, such as a lino printing workshop and walking challenge.