Scotlands

I’ve never been out in the hills with so many other women before. Some 117 of the participants are female, with a further six female celebrities spurring us on. We’re a raucous bunch.

After a scenic lunch overlooking Raasay and the distant Scottish mainland, we tackle the second half of the day’s trek – then bad weather rolls in. As we climb, rain starts falling, thick as smoke. The ground is sodden. Cold water drips from my hood, running down my nose, cheeks and chin. It’s grim. My waterproofs need reproofing and I’m soon drenched right through, like everyone else.

Of the 30 women in my group, most are new to mountain walking. For some, it’s their first time in Scotland. But somehow in these difficult miles across the wind and rain-battered mountain, morale stays high. I don’t need to turn and check where everyone is. I can hear them singing. They’re belting out Bohemian Rhapsody. When we pause, they dance.

Back on the campsite in the village of Uig, our base for the week, we shower, change and eat hot lasagne from Really Delicious, the Glasgow caterer looking after us all week. The event is organised by CoppaFeel! in partnership with Charity Challenge, which specialises in adventure challenges, providing the transport, routes and accommodation, as well as the expert mountain leaders who guide the inexperienced walkers across the island.

Mass participation charity events such as this are growing, and since Covid, Charity Challenge reports a huge increase in demand. From national Three Peaks Challenges to Hadrian’s Wall and overnight ascents of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon), group trekking in the UK has exploded. The events bring a range of benefits. Businesses find them a good way to bring teams together in person, boosting employee morale and mental health. In a tough funding climate, charities gain much-needed income and visibility. CoppaFeel!’s record is exemplary: in 2017, the charity raised £200,000 from trekking; in 2025, it was aiming to reach £2m.

After dinner, we gather in the marquee for the daily debrief – 150 people crowd in, taking shelter from the wind. The ground squelches beneath our feet. Today was tough, a baptism of fire for novice walkers. I expect sullen stares and low spirits, but when the celebrity leaders and CoppaFeel! staff walk in, the tent erupts.

“What a day!” says author and podcaster Giovanna Fletcher, one of CoppaFeel!’s celebrity patrons. The tent falls quiet, as everyone strains to catch her words. We’re two days in, and an intense cohesion is forming. It feels like family. Standing in front of the crowd wearing a giant boob costume, Giovanna reflects on the day.

Tonight, even after the brutal storm, most people are laughing and cheering. She reminds us all to dig deep and remember our personal motivations – our “why” – to get through the week. Giovanna’s is Kris Hallenga, the inspirational woman who founded CoppaFeel! in 2009 after she was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer when she was 23. “Kris is why I’m here,” she says. Kris died in 2024.

Over five days, we complete five different routes around Trotternish, the northernmost peninsula on Skye. It’s stunning. With each hike, we gain different views of the hills of Harris and North Uist, watching the light change on the sea between the mainland and the Outer Hebrides. The days are long and demanding but everyone shows good stamina and determination. By day three, a committed group have drunk the local bar dry.

On our fourth day, we hike from Sligachan to the Fairy Pools and back again. Circling underneath the Black Cuillin (Skye’s highest and rockiest range), the women are awestruck. “It feels like we’re on another planet!” one woman says.

For many, these treks provide a guided entry to adventure. The leaders support everyone on the mountain, covering route-finding and first aid, while CoppaFeel! helps with kit lists, a training plan, regular webinars and online meetups. I watch women who trained in London’s Richmond Park become adventurers, newly comfortable with trekking poles, gaiters and “nature pees”. They all say they will go out and do this again.

Stopping for lunch at the Fairy Pools, a series of natural pools and waterfalls not far from the Black Cuillin, the women pose for photos and make videos. They dip their faces in the clear water and share their experiences on social media to raise awareness and fundraise. Every participant has a target of £2,500.

By this point in the week, we’ve relaxed into each other’s company. Five days is a long time to spend with strangers, but as the week goes on, I come to see that the length of this challenge is part of its power.

“At the start,” Giovanna says, “a week will feel like for ever. But make the most of it. Trust me, by the end, you won’t want to finish.”

Strangers form close bonds and my team becomes deeply supportive. In this safe space, people open up.

Many of the participants have personal experience of breast cancer. For some, it was five, 10 or 20 years ago – while others are now in treatment. Many have also experienced grief. In this context, the challenge is not merely physical: deep, raw emotions are close to the surface.

Walking and talking beside the river underneath the Cuillin, one woman tells me about her life. From chronic illness to having children, her breast cancer diagnosis and treatment, everything flows out in an easy conversational way. Then she falls behind, starts chatting with someone else and that’s how it goes. An hour later, we catch up and she says she cried after sharing those things with me – she realised she had never said them aloud before.

She’s not alone. People change over this week. There’s a mother in my group who has two young children. She has recently finished her breast cancer treatment and is emotionally wobbly. But by the end of the week she is beaming, looking stronger and happier, as if a weight has been lifted. The trek creates a profound space of mass empathy. Stigma is removed and the experience of breast cancer is normalised.

The final day dawns like a festival. Glitter goes on like war paint. There are flower garlands, frilly tutus and giant pink knickers. About 150 of us toil uphill through bog to reach the summit of Beinn Edra. The sun comes out and on the breast of this hill, those who choose to, bare it all.

Back at camp, we cross the finish line, singing, hugging and crying. Looking around, I see new friends for life have been made. Then the CoppaFeel! girls read out the fundraising total. The reach is astonishing. This week, 120 women walking the rough trails of Skye have raised over £500,000. They are a force to be reckoned with.

CoppaFeel! is running four treks in 2026, including two day-long treks in the UK; apply to do a trek or register interest at coppafeel.org/trek