Strong Women Trek Lake District Review

From canoeing across Lake Windermere to tackling the assault course, here’s everything you need to know before booking the Strong Women Trek.

Quick Facts

📍 Location: YMCA Windermere, Lake District
🥾 Distance: Approximately 10km
🛶 Activities: Canoeing, hiking, assault course, optional rock climbing and abseiling
⏱️ Duration: Full day
💷 Price: £53 for the day ticket
⭐ My rating: 10/10

How I Ended Up Booking the Strong Women Trek

I had actually never heard of the Strong Women Trek until I saw a message in one of the women’s hiking groups I’m part of. A woman was selling her ticket because she could no longer make it, so just a couple of days before the event I decided to buy it.

I’m so glad I did.

I joined nine other women from the hiking group for the Strong Women Trek. I soon found out it was a 10km outdoor adventure organised by Stylist, in partnership with Intrepid Travel. The route would take us across Lake Windermere and include canoeing, hiking, rock climbing, abseiling and an assault course.

For the first time that year, they also offered optional overnight tickets. However, the hiking group I went with had already booked our own accommodation. We stayed at YHA Windermere, where we’d booked two bell tents from Friday to Sunday, with the trek taking place on the Saturday.

Travelling to the Lake District

On Friday morning I left Lincoln at 5am to make the journey north. I stopped in Preston, where I worked for the day, before continuing on to Windermere after work.

I arrived at YHA Windermere that evening and met up with the girls from the hiking group. Everyone was so excited for the Strong Women Trek the following day, and after settling into our bell tents, we got an early night ready for the adventure ahead.

Arriving at the Event Village

Our start time was 11:15am, so we arrived at YMCA Windermere at around 10:30am to give ourselves plenty of time to park and register.

There was loads of parking available in a nearby field, and it was only a short walk to the registration area.

Once we’d registered, we explored the Event Village, which was packed with freebies. There were free snacks, drinks, an Intrepid passport to collect stamps throughout the day, free Polaroid photos and plenty of opportunities to take our own photos too.

The atmosphere was amazing. Everyone was excited to get started, and you could really feel the buzz around the Event Village.

Half an hour flew by and before we knew it, it was time to start the trek.

Setting Off

There were various start times available from 9:00am through to 11:30am, with groups setting off every 15 minutes.

In total, 10 groups took part, with around 10 people in each group. You could either sign up on your own and be placed into a group, or attend with friends and make up your own group.

We were Group 9, with an 11:15am start time.

Before heading out, we had a quick briefing from the canoe instructors before being let onto the water. Our group split into two canoes, with six people in one and four in the other to keep everything balanced.

Canoeing Across Lake Windermere

Our first challenge was a 2km canoe across Lake Windermere.

The weather couldn’t have been better. The sun was shining, the lake was calm and it was the perfect way to start the day.

After about a kilometre our arms were definitely starting to ache, and our bums had gone completely numb from sitting for so long, but before we knew it we’d reached the other side.

Once we arrived, we were shown where the toilets were before being pointed towards the start of the hiking route and left to continue the adventure.

Not long into the walk we were lucky enough to see one of the famous Windermere steam trains passing by, which was a lovely surprise.

As we continued hiking, there were marshals spread all along the route. I have to say the event was incredibly well organised. There were always volunteers nearby, so the whole trek felt really safe and well supported.

The Intrepid Checkpoint

We soon reached the Intrepid Travel checkpoint, which was roughly halfway along the hiking route and definitely one of my favourite stops of the day.

We were treated to an Intrepid smoothie, more free snacks and loads of drinks, including Tenzing, Jimmy’s Coffee and DASH Water, plus plenty of other options.

The checkpoint itself was set up as a really cosy outdoor picnic area, making it the perfect place to stop, refuel and chat.

We ended up getting completely carried away eating snacks, chatting and enjoying the atmosphere, which meant we fell a little behind.

But honestly, none of us minded.

We weren’t racing anyone, and the whole day was about having fun, meeting people and enjoying the outdoors.

With our energy topped back up, we set off once again towards our next challenges.

Rock Climbing and Abseiling

The second half of the hike went by so quickly. We were busy chatting, getting to know each other better, stopping at viewpoints, taking lots of photos and, of course, enjoying our free snacks from the Intrepid checkpoint.

Before we knew it, we arrived at the first rock climbing and abseiling activity. Unfortunately, it was really busy, so we decided to carry on hiking to the second climbing point instead.

However, when we got there, it was just as busy.

A bottleneck had formed, with lots of people waiting to have a go. As we were starting to run out of time, our group made the decision to skip both the rock climbing and abseiling and head straight to the assault course instead.

If we’d had more time, we definitely would have done both activities, but we didn’t want to spend a large part of the afternoon queueing.

The Assault Course

We headed straight to the assault course, and honestly, it was so much fun.

It took around 10–15 minutes to complete and included a variety of different obstacles. It was challenging enough to make you laugh, but it also felt really well organised and safe.

Once we’d finished, it was only a short walk to the finish line.

Crossing the Finish Line

We were so happy to reach the finish line.

As we crossed, we were given a finisher’s medal and a postcard showing all of the free rewards we could collect around the Event Village.

The first stop?

Free pizza.

We headed straight over to Blooming Dough, where we were treated to a freshly made wood-fired pizza.

I can honestly say...

It was Blooming good.

So. Many. Freebies.

After refuelling with pizza, we made our way around the Event Village to collect all of the freebies.

For drinks, I picked up:

Jubel beer
Two wine spritzes from All Shook Up
More Tenzing
DASH sparkling water
Eau Yes sparkling water

There were also plenty of snacks available, including:

Burts Crisps
Tony’s Chocolonely
KIND bars
Good4U protein balls
Wild Thingz sweets

I then headed back over to the Intrepid tent to collect my final passport stamp, which earned me a free outdoors book.

At this point I honestly thought we’d collected everything...

But I was wrong.

The Goody Bag

After all of those freebies, I finally collected the official event goody bag, and I couldn’t believe there was even more inside.

It included:

Acai socks
Intrepid notepad
Dr Organic cosmetic bag
Dr Organic body wash
Paw Paw lip balm
Healing Alternatives Epsom bath salts
Phizz electrolytes
TrueStart coffee
Goldwell Sun Reflect spray
Weleda Sport Cooling Gel
Juice Plus+ Superfood Powder
Super Seeds salad topper

Honestly, I have never been to an event where we received so much. By the time we left, our bags were absolutely stuffed with snacks, drinks and products.

Was the Strong Women Trek Worth It?

Absolutely.

For just £53 for the day ticket, I genuinely couldn’t believe everything that was included.

A 10km guided challenge, a 2km canoe across Lake Windermere, an assault course, optional rock climbing and abseiling, incredible event organisation, free pizza, unlimited snacks and drinks throughout the day, a medal, a goody bag packed with products, and the chance to meet so many amazing women.

The atmosphere was incredible from start to finish. Everyone was supportive, friendly and there simply to enjoy the outdoors.

I’d 100% do it again, and I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for next year’s event.

Final Thoughts

One of my favourite things about the Strong Women Trek wasn’t actually the activities. It was the people.

From the moment we arrived, everyone was welcoming, encouraging and genuinely excited to be there. It never felt competitive; it simply felt like a day spent outdoors with an amazing group of women, trying new things and making memories together.

If you’re looking for a unique day out in the Lake District that combines adventure, hiking and a fantastic community atmosphere, I couldn’t recommend the Strong Women Trek enough.