Outdoor Spaces Perceived as Unwelcoming for Larger Individuals

Yorkshire, with its diverse landscapes from coastal paths to Dales routes, appears ideal for walking enthusiasts. However, a campaign group asserts that not all individuals feel encouraged to participate in outdoor exploration. To understand the experiences of plus-size individuals in outdoor settings, we accompanied Claire Wood, from Manchester, and Clare Birnie, from Bradford, on an autumn walk at Swinsty Reservoir near Harrogate. Both women are members of the Yorkshire division of Every Body Outdoors, an organization focused on enhancing outdoor accessibility for plus-size individuals. Ms Wood stated, “There is no competitive element, we’re not racing, we’ve got no target.” She further explained, “It’s literally just because outdoor spaces are traditionally not welcoming for those of us in bigger bodies.” Ms Wood, aged 45, has engaged in walking throughout her life, having been raised with dogs. She mentioned her reluctance to join “traditional” walking groups, citing concerns that she would impede the pace of others and require breaks while the group continued. Ms Birnie, 40, who identifies as a “comfortably fat woman,” recounted an instance where she attempted to join a walking group. She stated, “I’m actually quite an experienced walker with my husband, we’ve been going out for 15 years, but I wanted to go on a group hike.” She informed the organizer, “By the way I’m in a bigger body, I am capable and happy walking a distance and I can absolutely achieve what we’re looking to do, but I just will be slower.” Reflecting on a subsequent walk with the group, she angrily remarked, “It felt like they didn’t even look at what I’d written.” She added, “Within the first 200m they had just bounded off with the rest of the group and it made me feel very unwelcome.” Ms Birnie concluded, “It made me feel very excluded and I got very upset during the day.” Subsequently, she found the Every Body Outdoors group and has since become a volunteer. The organization presently operates 26 walking groups throughout the UK and intends to broaden its activities to include pursuits like climbing in the coming years. Additionally, it advocates for appropriate clothing, equipment, and visibility for plus-size individuals within the outdoor community. Ms Wood highlighted the scarcity of outdoor apparel for plus-size individuals. She commented, “We have money to spend, there’s money to be made, we want to buy these things, we need these things.” Ms Birnie, who established a company specializing in plus-size sewing patterns, explained that the challenge of finding suitable outdoor clothing led her to create her own. She stated, “I made waterproof over-trousers, actual walking trousers, some gaiters, which are the lower leg protection – because I couldn’t get waterproof trousers that would fit my body.” Rebecca Dawson, a co-founder of Every Body Outdoors, launched the clothing company Vampire Outdoors in 2022, driven by her frustration over the unavailability of appropriate outdoor clothing for plus-size individuals. A dedicated hiker for over a decade, she affirmed, “It’s 100% a problem. There is a size bias to people doing outdoor activities.” She further noted, “A lot of clothing manufacturers and retailers don’t recognise that people in bigger bodies want to do outdoor activities, including the more adventurous things like long-distance hiking and mountaineering.” Ms Dawson indicated that while some entry-level clothing is available in larger sizes at certain retailers, options for more advanced gear are “severely lacking” beyond a size 20. Topsy Curvy, another small family-operated business located in Manchester, was founded by Jo Frost in 2013. At the age of 25, Ms Frost encountered difficulties purchasing well-fitting clothing both in physical stores and online. She asserted that there was “definitely” a problem for plus-size individuals in obtaining suitable outdoor apparel, particularly waterproof items. She remarked, “Outdoor clothing and especially waterproof clothing is on our radar and is something we’re hoping to do as a tiny family-run business. If we can do it, why can’t the corporations?” Angela Horner, who serves as an associate director at Browns of York department store and is a co-founder of York Fashion Week, commented, “Retailers are operating to such tight margins, they tend to just operate in the size 8 to 16 market.” She elaborated, “The more size ranges you sell, the more it costs. Some manufacturers don’t even make bigger sizes, so it’s hard to get the stock.”