Her on a Hill

Her on a Hill is a women's walking company launched in spring 2019. Our aim is to get more women outdoors enjoying the countryside with all the health benefits that this can bring. We aim to provide a relaxed and enjoyable guided walking holiday or navigation course where you will feel welcomed and well looked after. We know that without happy customers we wouldn’t have a business and we put a huge emphasis on your enjoyment while you are walking or learning to navigate with us. We know that your leisure time is important to you and we want you to get the most out of your time away. In order to achieve this, everything is organised with care and attention. You don’t have to worry about a thing so once you have booked you can sit back, relax and look forward to some great guided walking and /or learning with a small group of women who want similar things from their break. Her on a Hill offers a range of guided walking holidays, navigation courses, guided day walks and workshops, some with additional activities, but all with walking at the heart of things. We aim to provide different levels of walking and learning to suit most women; from leisurely strolls through to mountain hikes and multi-day treks. Our start up programme is intentionally small but we plan to expand our list in line with your feedback and input so do get in touch if you want to help shape Her on a Hill. About Clare Kelly I am a qualified Mountain Leader and National Navigation Award Scheme Course Director and have worked in the outdoor industry for over 20 years. I began my outdoor career working as a walking guide for Exodus, one of the UK's most respected adventure travel company. While with Exodus, I led guided walking holidays in Italy, as well as Nepal, Morocco, Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Austria, and Spain. Between 2007 and 2018, I worked as a walking guide for Walking Women, guiding holidays in the UK and beyond. From 2012 to 2018, I was employed as office manager at the same company and combined this role with my guiding. In 2016, I set up Navigation for Women to help women develop new skills, gain confidence in their map and compass reading and put these skills into practice in the hills of the UK. I gain a huge amount of personal satisfaction from passing on the outdoor knowledge that will open up a whole new world of walking to the women who come along. In 2019, I embarked on the next chapter in the form of Her on a Hill. I have long dreamt about running my own walking company for women and I’m really pleased to have taken this huge step. It has been exciting and at times daunting and, now that it is a reality, I am enjoying providing a varied programme of memorable guided walking activities. I hope you’ll join me! Nepal – Where It All Began… In the 90's I lived a fairly sedentary life, living and working in London until one day a friend invited me to join her on a trek in Nepal. At the time, I wasn’t a walker at all but I did enjoy travelling and played squash once a week which, to my mind, meant that I was “fit”. So, of course, I said yes and promptly started training. My idea of training for a Nepalese trek was somewhat ill conceived – wandering the footpaths of Kent and Sussex on a Sunday afternoon really didn’t cut it! In Nepal, I struggled day after day, up and down those trails, cursing and sweating. And then, the mountains worked their magic and very soon it all made sense. The rose-tinted spectacles came out and my life changed forever. I was hooked on walking and on Nepal. The grandeur of the mountains, the wonderful people, the adventure of crossing rivers on rope bridges, the pure scale of the landscape around me, the joy of the simple routine of getting up, walking, eating and sleeping. Reaching Annapurna Sanctuary was simply amazing – to stand in a glacial basin at 4,000m and be surrounded by 7,000m peaks. Indescribable! I’ll never forget the sound of the glacier moving and cracking below as I tried to sleep.