Creator OF THE MONTH
Hillwalker and Mountain Rescue volunteer Carys is spreading the word for women outdoors
“YOU CAN TAKE THE GIRL out of Carmarthenshire but you can’t take Carmarthenshire out of the girl,” Carys Rees tells The Great Outdoors.
Bannau Brycheiniog is her adre – home. It’s a place this 42-year-old office worker feels comfortable, sometimes more so than under her own roof in Cardiff.
“I feel a longing for the mountains when I’ve been away too long,” she says. There are more epic peaks, Carys admits, but she loves the familiarity of the rolling hills she’s been encouraged to explore since she was a child.
“My 76-year-old father hikes Llyn y Fan – our favourite – with me and he’s quicker on those inclines!”
Carys still finds new wonders in this place of myth and legend “with dragons living in our hills and ladies in our lakes.”
She is calmed as she swims under South Wales’ waterfalls, finds laughter and joy paddleboarding with friends, and finds peace when she wild camps on her favourite peaks after other walkers head home.
Whilst she understands the reservations some have regarding solo adventures and laments the dangers that women disproportionately face, Carys became an advocate for women outdoors when she started providing routes and advice via This Girl Walks.
She thinks deeply about her social responsibility but is inspired by other women who embolden her to do what she loves without fear.
“I won’t sit here waiting for someone to become available before I leave the house. I will not surrender my independence,” she concludes
