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Why women walk

Women love hiking as much as men do, but their stories are rarely told. Best-selling author Cheryl Strayed and Dr Kerri Andrews are on a mission to change that.

Women throughout the centuries have put their hiking boots on and set out into the great outdoors, but their stories are rarely told. Kim Chakanetsa is joined by two women who, through their own writing and journeys, are helping to change that.

Cheryl Strayed is the author of Wild, a bestselling memoir of her 1100 mile solo hike along the Pacific Crest Trail. Cheryl impulsively embarked on the hike after her mother suddenly died of cancer and her marriage crumbled, without any experience of long-distance hiking. The Oscar-nominated movie adaptation of Wild stars Reese Witherspoon. Cheryl is also the author of Tiny Beautiful Things and Brave Enough. She was the host of the New York Times podcast Dear Sugars.

Dr Kerri Andrews teaches Literature at Edge Hill University and lives in Scotland. Her book, Wanderers, tells the stories of ten female pioneering walkers and writers, from Virginia Woolf to Nan Shepherd. Kerri is also a keen hiker and the co-leader of Women In The Hills, a research network looking at what hinders and what enhances women's experiences of the outdoors.

Produced by Alice Gioia

IMAGE DETAILS:
L: Dr Kerri Andrews (credit Adam Robinson)
R: Cheryl Strayed (credit Holly Andres)

Available now

27 minutes

Last on

Sat 10 Jul 2021 07:32GMT

Broadcasts

  • Mon 5 Jul 2021 03:32GMT
  • Mon 5 Jul 2021 04:32GMT
  • Mon 5 Jul 2021 10:32GMT
  • Mon 5 Jul 2021 21:32GMT
  • Mon 5 Jul 2021 22:32GMT
  • Sat 10 Jul 2021 07:32GMT

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