BLACK GIRLS HIKE
– creating a pathway for diversity in the great outdoors When Rhiane Fatinikun decided to take up hiking, she found fitness, friendship and much, much more – as Fiona Stubbs discovers.
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s Rhiane Fatinikun travelled through the Peak District by train just over a year ago, little did she realise what a momentous journey she was about to embark on. Glancing out of the train window, she was struck by the stunning scenery of the National Park... and vowed to discover more by taking up hiking. A call-out on Instagram for others to join her resulted in 14 women turning up for the first walk in March 2019 – and Black Girls Hike UK was born. Since then, the group has quickly grown and developed, capturing headlines and earning widespread recognition for challenging stereotypes. “I can’t actually believe what we’ve achieved in a year,” says 33-year-old Rhiane, a civil servant from Bolton. “Even though I don’t live far from the Peak District, I’d never thought of going there. But I’d been on a course in Barnsley and, as I was travelling back on the train, I started thinking how I really wanted to start hiking. “I have plenty of free time, so it was about trying something new and different – something more productive. I wanted to get out more and also to create a safe space for other black women.”
The best thing is the friendships which are being made Rhiane’s first experience as a walk leader was also her own first-ever hike. “I didn’t know how to read a map, so googled walks in Greater Manchester and tried to memorise a route for our first walk,” she recalls. “I was just winging it! Since then I’ve learned hill and mountain skills and learned to navigate and plan routes. OS Maps also 14
www.peakdistrict.gov.uk
Black Girls Hike preparing for a caving trip. Founder Rhiane Fatinikun.
gave me their mapping app, which makes it easier to help people prepare for walks and know what to expect.” Most walks, so far, have been in the Peak District, though Rhiane has also led a hike on Snowdon and taken a group on a caving expedition. This year, Black Girls Hike will try rock climbing and gorge walking, and the group will face its toughest test yet by tackling the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge in June. Rhiane is also encouraging more women to gain mountain skills qualifications, with a view to setting up walking groups elsewhere. A new group has already been launched in Coventry and arranges walks in the Midlands. “I’d no idea Black Girls Hike would grow like this – I thought it was just going to be a little walking group,” says Rhiane. “But some
