Skye excessive: pleasure, tears and camaraderie on a charity trek throughout one in all Scotland’s most lovely isles | Isle of Skye holidays

I’ve by no means been out within the hills with so many different girls earlier than. Some 117 of the contributors are feminine, with an additional six feminine celebrities spurring us on. We’re a raucous bunch.

After a scenic lunch overlooking Raasay and the distant Scottish mainland, we deal with the second half of the day’s trek – then unhealthy climate rolls in. As we climb, rain begins falling, thick as smoke. The floor is sodden. Cold water drips from my hood, operating down my nostril, cheeks and chin. It’s grim. My waterproofs want reproofing and I’m quickly drenched proper by means of, like everybody else.

Of the 30 girls in my group, most are new to mountain strolling. For some, it’s their first time in Scotland. But one way or the other in these tough miles throughout the wind and rain-battered mountain, morale stays excessive. I don’t want to show and test the place everyone seems to be. I can hear them singing. They’re belting out Bohemian Rhapsody. When we pause, they dance.

Back on the campsite within the village of Uig, our base for the week, we bathe, change and eat scorching lasagne from Really Delicious, the Glasgow caterer wanting after us all week. The occasion is organised by CoppaFeel! in partnership with Charity Challenge, which specialises in journey challenges, offering the transport, routes and lodging, in addition to the knowledgeable mountain leaders who information the inexperienced walkers throughout the island.

Mass participation charity occasions corresponding to this are rising, and since Covid, Charity Challenge stories a enormous improve in demand. From nationwide Three Peaks Challenges to Hadrian’s Wall and in a single day ascents of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon), group trekking within the UK has exploded. The occasions convey a spread of advantages. Businesses discover them a great way to convey groups collectively in individual, boosting worker morale and psychological well being. In a tricky funding local weather, charities acquire much-needed earnings and visibility. CoppaFeel!’s file is exemplary: in 2017, the charity raised £200,000 from trekking; in 2025, it was aiming to succeed in £2m.

After dinner, we collect within the marquee for the every day debrief – 150 individuals crowd in, taking shelter from the wind. The floor squelches beneath our toes. Today was robust, a baptism of fireplace for novice walkers. I anticipate sullen stares and low spirits, however when the celeb leaders and CoppaFeel! employees stroll in, the tent erupts.

“What a day!” says creator and podcaster Giovanna Fletcher, one in all CoppaFeel!’s celeb patrons. The tent falls quiet, as everybody strains to catch her phrases. We’re two days in, and an intense cohesion is forming. It seems like household. Standing in entrance of the gang sporting a large boob costume, Giovanna displays on the day.

Tonight, even after the brutal storm, most individuals are laughing and cheering. She reminds us all to dig deep and keep in mind our private motivations – our “why” – to get by means of the week. Giovanna’s is Kris Hallenga, the inspirational lady who based CoppaFeel! in 2009 after she was recognized with stage 4 breast most cancers when she was 23. “Kris is why I’m here,” she says. Kris died in 2024.

Over 5 days, we full 5 totally different routes round Trotternish, the northernmost peninsula on Skye. It’s beautiful. With every hike, we acquire totally different views of the hills of Harris and North Uist, watching the sunshine change on the ocean between the mainland and the Outer Hebrides. The days are lengthy and demanding however everybody reveals good stamina and willpower. By day three, a dedicated group have drunk the native bar dry.

On our fourth day, we hike from Sligachan to the Fairy Pools and again once more. Circling beneath the Black Cuillin (Skye’s highest and rockiest vary), the ladies are awestruck. “It feels like we’re on another planet!” one lady says.

For many, these treks present a guided entry to journey. The leaders assist everybody on the mountain, masking route-finding and first help, whereas CoppaFeel! helps with package lists, a coaching plan, common webinars and on-line meetups. I watch girls who skilled in London’s Richmond Park develop into adventurers, newly snug with trekking poles, gaiters and “nature pees”. They all say they’ll exit and do that once more.

Stopping for lunch on the Fairy Pools, a collection of pure swimming pools and waterfalls not removed from the Black Cuillin, the ladies pose for images and make movies. They dip their faces within the clear water and share their experiences on social media to boost consciousness and fundraise. Every participant has a goal of £2,500.

By this level within the week, we’ve relaxed into one another’s firm. Five days is a very long time to spend with strangers, however because the week goes on, I come to see that the size of this problem is a part of its energy.

“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 type shut bonds and my staff turns into deeply supportive. In this protected area, individuals open up.

Many of the contributors have private expertise of breast most cancers. For some, it was 5, 10 or 20 years in the past – whereas others are actually in remedy. Many have additionally skilled grief. In this context, the problem isn’t merely bodily: deep, uncooked feelings are near the floor.

Walking and speaking beside the river beneath the Cuillin, one lady tells me about her life. From power sickness to having youngsters, her breast most cancers prognosis and remedy, the whole lot flows out in a straightforward conversational approach. Then she falls behind, begins chatting with another person and that’s the way it goes. An hour later, we catch up and she or he says she cried after sharing these issues with me – she realised she had by no means stated them aloud earlier than.

She’s not alone. People change over this week. There’s a mom in my group who has two younger youngsters. She has lately completed her breast most cancers remedy and is emotionally wobbly. But by the top of the week she is beaming, wanting stronger and happier, as if a weight has been lifted. The trek creates a profound area of mass empathy. Stigma is eliminated and the expertise of breast most cancers is normalised.

The remaining day dawns like a competition. Glitter goes on like warfare paint. There are flower garlands, frilly tutus and big pink knickers. About 150 of us toil uphill by means of bathroom to succeed in the summit of Beinn Edra. The solar comes out and on the breast of this hill, those that select to, naked all of it.

Back at camp, we cross the end line, singing, hugging and crying. Looking round, I see new pals for life have been made. Then the CoppaFeel! women learn out the fundraising complete. The attain is astonishing. This week, 120 girls strolling the tough trails of Skye have raised over £500,000. They are a drive to be reckoned with.

CoppaFeel! is operating 4 treks in 2026, together with two day-long treks within the UK; apply to do a trek or register curiosity at coppafeel.org/trek