News / Hiking
The mum bringing child-friendly hiking to Bristol
What started as a simple idea—bringing mums together for outdoor walks with their little ones—has grown into a thriving community of over 2,300 members across South Wales and now Bristol.
Born from the desire to stay active, enjoy nature and parent without the pressure of finding childcare, this group has become a lifeline for many mums seeking connection, movement and the joy of the outdoors.
The saying ‘it takes a village’ is very much true and this village is taking on mountains with babes in arms.
is needed now More than ever
Hiking Mums Wales was started a mere one-year-ago but its success has seen it expand to take on four volunteers and a new sibling branch in Bristol.
Lucianna Biggs says it all began out of a desire to be active and be outdoors without the burden of having to find appropriate childcare as it isn’t always possible.
So, she decided it was time to incorporate kids into the mix by taking their kids with them.
“We all go together, we explore our local forests, mountains and we are just constantly outdoors,” she says.
“I thought there’s got to be other people in that same situation where they don’t have access to childcare.”
She adds that its also “just nicer” to be spending time with the family outdoors, she says its “easier to parent outdoors than it is inside.”
The kids are often so busy taking in the sights and sounds of their surroundings, or looking for sticks and insects that the walks are far more relaxed than a walk through a busy city centre.
The topic of phones and games come up – with nine in ten children owning a mobile phone by the time they reach the age of 11 according to Ofcom – phones seem to be the go-to to entertain children.
“We’re trying to discourage indoor time whenever possible and getting away from the screens, but it’s sad because it is just so easy to get stuck in that trap, especially for working parents.”
It also brings them great joy to “be able to offer children this life that is active and that they are happy and healthy in.”
They’ve raising a generation of children who feel confident and at home in the outdoors.
Hiking Mums Bristol is led by Justyna Kloc
The group isn’t just about getting fresh air and some exercise, its also about community.
Lucianna says that they’re discussions validate that they aren’t alone in the “trials and tribulations” of parenting.
She laughs as she describes the experience of parenting: “It just makes you feel like an alien.
“To have these moments of acknowledgement is so nice.”
She recounts a moment recently where they were up a mountain, Lucianna had her toddler but she had forgotten to pack their sandwiches.
Nobody hesitated to offer them snacks and bits of their food.
She says you need that community spirit especially as a parent to be honest.
“It’s like the idea of having a village – I feel like we’re really creating for a lot of women here.”
Nowhere better is this illustrated than by the story she tells me off the mums in the group. She says a lot of the mums in the group aren’t from the UK and the group is often the first place that they find community.
“The mums who are from other countries, they’ve really struggled to kind of integrate into a community and find friends with similar interests.
“I’ve had so many women say to me, I’m so grateful to this group and for what you’ve offered because I’ve got friends.”
Some of the mums have even arranged to see each other outside of the group’s activities.
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They do a variety of hikes to suit different abilities, the common one is what they call the ‘toddler led hikes.’ On these hikes because the little ones are just starting to kind of walk or walk longer distances, they are very short and slow hikes.
They tend to be only a one or two kilometres that are more social orientated, involving plenty of breaks and coffee.
Other hikes are like a seven kilometre mountain hike, which is where they will be baby wearing.
Occasionally the bigger kids come along, like Lucianna’s six and seven-year-old who can now manage a big mountain hike.
She says: “We’re very careful in the way that we advertise our hikes, making sure that we are very detailed about how long it is going to be and the difficulty.
“We also do some pram and wheelchair friendly walks as well, so that we can be inclusive as members who maybe have accessibility issues but also some people don’t have carriers.”
Accessibility is an integrated part of their groups, they offer an outdoor clothing and gear scheme too so that isn’t a barrier. They encourage lift sharing where possible too.
The groups are for mums only, but not wanting to exclude anyone, they do offer specific walks on the weekend labelled as ‘family walks,’ where people are encouraged to bring their partners.
She says they’re conscious that the main hikes should be a safe space for mums.
She explains, “We have lots of women who are single mums or have come from some pretty traumatic experiences in relationships.”
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For when the mums need a break from the kids, they also organise mum-only socials like yoga, beach day or an outdoor sauna trip.
Hiking Mums Bristol, led by Justyna Kloc, has hosted several events already with 50 members joining in the last few months.
Lucianna’s advice for mums wanting to venture into the outdoors: “Start small, sometimes it can be so intimidating.
“Go to your local park or outdoor space or walk for half an hour. You keep up a routine, you’ll see that you’re out all day.
“You don’t need a lot of fancy equipment, you don’t need to spend a lot of money. You just need a few warm layers, take a packed lunch and just go and go and see what is in your local area.”
All photos: Hiking Mums
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