Spirit of Sally Wainwright's Riot Women found in WILD:her Hebden Bridge escapes in the woods and moors
Kate Henderson wants to show women that, even if they have stopped thinking about adventure, there is plenty available.
And there is plenty of it to be had in the Calder Valley town of Hebden Bridge specifically.
Late last year she set up WILD:her, offering gentle outdoor events which allow women to come together for “time out, fresh air, food and fun”, aimed at people who do not necessarily want to “push themselves to the to the limit” but would like to get active, have a change of scene and spend time with others.
Her Day Tripper events involve a ramble through the woodland and moors surrounding Hebden Bridge but the group will only go as fast as the slowest walker. Participants will be given tips to plan their own walks and are also invited (not forced, stresses Kate) to take part in what some call ‘contrast therapy’ – a sauna and cold plunge.
They can then back down to Hebden Bridge for a pub meal before enjoying a wander around the town, guided by Kate, who is working with her friend and colleague Nina Grimes.
Workshops (“more about chinwags than masterpieces”) might also be involved.
Kate, 48, says: "I am very active and one thing I've noticed is there's a lot out there for women that are already active, so women-specific groups for mountain biking, for women's hiking groups and things.
"But I realised that there isn't really much out there for women that want to get back out into nature, or even for the first time, and haven't really done it. I'm setting this up (for) women that have either had a career or brought up families (and) you get to the age of menopause, you lose your confidence, you lose your spirit for adventure.
"All these things happen. Some of them are part of just life exhaustion and not having done (exercise) for a long time, or whatever, and some of it is actually down to the symptoms of menopause.
“It's creating experiences where we can get women together, get them out on little hikes that aren't massive, give them some advice on navigation and planning their own little adventures at some point. And each experience will also include going to the sauna so you can experience that, and the cold experience, and then sitting around a fire and having a coffee, going for a pub tea. So it's not a retreat, we like to call it a bit more of an escape.”
Of course, Sally Wainwright’s latest television show, Riot Women, was about a group of women experiencing menopause who start a punk band, and Kate couldn’t help but point to the similarities.
"Yeah, I've gone and jumped on that bandwagon and I’ve done a blog article for my website,” she says.
"It's totally relevant because (the business is) something I've been talking about for ages, that's partly why I went ‘Right, I’m doing it right now’, making it more public because it was just great timing.”
For more information about the next Day Tripper events (£100), visit: www.wildher.uk