Two friends scale 2,850ft peak in Lake District in four inch HIGH HEELS and dresses to raise money for Women’s Aid
- Emma Woodhall and Corinne Murray climbed Wainwright Blencathra in Keswick
- Pair wore four-inch heels and dresses to raise £508 for charity Women’s Aid
- Experienced hikers, who carried other shoes, completed the feat in 90 minutes
Two glamorous friends scaled a 2,850ft peak in the Lake District in four-inch heels and dresses to raise money for Women’s Aid.
Emma Woodhall, 35, and Corinne Murray, 42, ditched their usual hiking attire to tackle the famous Wainwright Blencathra in Keswick, Cumbria, on Sunday.
The friends tip-toed their way 2,847ft up to Hallsfell top before sprinting the last leg to the glorious summit.
They completed the feat in just 90 minutes and toasted their achievement with a celebratory cooling dip in mountain lake Scales Tarn on the way down.
Fellow hikers warned against trying to tackle mountains in high heels and mountain safety guidance stresses the importance of appropriate footwear.
Emma Woodhall, 35, and Corinne Murray, 42, ditched their usual hiking attire to tackle the famous Wainwright Blencathra in Keswick, Cumbria, on Sunday
The friends tip-toed their way 2,847ft up to Hallsfell top before sprinting the last leg to the glorious summit (above)
But Ms Woodhall was keen to emphasise that they had spare shoes in their bag to change into if they encountered any difficulty.
Ms Woodhall, who is co-founder of women’s only adventure group Wild Wanderers, did the heeled dash to celebrate the Facebook group hitting 14,000 members and to raise cash for Women’s Aid.
The hiker, from Spennymoor, County Durham, said: ‘I’ve not done anything like that in my high heels before – I haven’t worn high heels since before Covid.
‘I did think it was going to be really bad. I taped my feet up and picked a pair of River Island heels that I’ve had for a few years.
‘As they were comfortable enough to dance all night in, I thought I could try walking up a mountain in them.
They completed the feat in just 90 minutes and toasted their achievement with a celebratory cooling dip in mountain lake Scales Tarn on the way down
‘I’d taped my feet up just in case I got blisters from the shoes but ended up taking the tape off.
‘When we got near the top we ran a little bit to push ourselves that bit further.
‘I’ve done Blencathra plenty of times and normally it takes about an hour and 20 mins to get up to the top.
‘It only took us 90 minutes from bottom to top, with a five-minute rest half-way up, so we were over the moon.’
Ms Murray wore a slinky red dress and nude heels, while Ms Woodhall opted for a leopard print Motel dress and yellow high heels.
Ms Woodhall said: ‘We knew it was going to be a nice day and I wanted to wear something comfortable.
‘I picked it too just in case I fell over – I didn’t really want something that was going to bare all to everybody.’
Both women are experienced hikers and agreed not to call out Mountain Rescue if they were to encounter any problems. They were joined by two ‘support team’ friends.
Fellow hikers warned against trying to tackle mountains in high heels and mountain safety guidance stresses the importance of appropriate footwear
The hikers decided to undertake the challenge to raise funds for Women’s Aid, and have currently collected £508
Ms Woodhall said: ‘We both agreed that no matter what happened we weren’t calling out Mountain Rescue.
‘We were more than happy to get off the mountain with a sprained ankle without endangering Mountain Rescue or calling them out unnecessarily.
‘We had our walking boots with us just in case we thought it wasn’t possible and wore them on the way down.’
The hiker decided to undertake the challenge to raise funds for Women’s Aid, and have currently collected £508.
She said: ‘I do a lot of adventure stuff – I hike, wild camp and wild swim by myself and also do a lot of ice and cold water swimming.
‘To celebrate our group hitting 14,000 members in the space of two months one member suggested raising money for Women’s Aid – a charity close to a lot of women in our group.
‘We get messages from women who have experienced domestic abuse and it was massive with our all-women group ethos that we raised money for a women’s charity.
‘We were over the moon that there were no injuries. Our feet were fine and we made it in a really good time – one it normally takes in hiking boots.’
Fellow hikers were overwhelmingly supportive of their fundraising efforts, but urged caution against the high-heeled climb, citing potential safety issues.
One woman wrote: ‘Voice of reason over here reminding people that wearing appropriate footwear in the hills is one of the best things you can do to stay safe.
‘You do you Emma, I hope you don’t hurt yourself, everyone else please remember this is not something that should be encouraged.’
Another added: ‘Honestly think that’s crazy, that’s what walking boots are for please don’t risk yourself an injury.’
A third said: ‘Please be careful. Not only for yourself but also for those poor mountain rescue folk if anything goes wrong.
‘Not to be a party pooper but maybe it’s not a good idea to encourage others to do it too. I’m just thinking of the repercussions on the groups reputation? So much can go wrong on the fells. My comment is only out of concern.’
Ms Woodhall replied that both her and Corinne are experienced, had a support team duo who wore in boots, and she carried boots in her bag in case she encountered difficulties.
However the majority praised the duo’s commitment to raise charity cash for an ‘amazing cause’, while wishing them luck on their journey.
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