Tough Girl Podcast

Stephanie Boon: Solo Hiking on a Budget – Building Resilience and Tackling the West Highland Way at 60

Feb 25, 2025

41:28

Stephanie Boon, also known as Stephie, is a solo hiker, backpacker, and writer based in Cornwall, UK.

As the creator of the blog Ten Mile Hike, she shares practical and candid guides to hiking trails, offering inspiration for anyone looking to explore the outdoors on a tight budget. Hiking has been a lifeline for Stephie, helping her build resilience while managing lifelong bouts of depression.

Now 60, Stephie continues to challenge herself and inspire others, recently fulfilling a bucket-list goal by hiking the iconic West Highland Way. Through her honest storytelling, she encourages women of all ages and abilities to embrace solo adventures, proving that lack of money or experience should never be a barrier to exploring the beauty of nature.

In this episode, Stephie shares her journey, the challenges she faced on the West Highland Way, and her advice for anyone dreaming of their own solo adventure. Listen now to be inspired by her story!

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Show notes

Stephanie Boon also know as Stephie
Being based in Cornwall, UK close to the South West Coast Path
Qualified Lowland Leader
Having a blog - called “Ten Mile Hike” that is an inspiring and practical resource for anyone who wants to get into hiking in the UK
Honest articles about how nature, being outside, hiking and backpacking has helped her with her mental health
Suffering with long periods of depression since 23
Now 60 years old
Wanting to inspire other people of a similar age to get outside and go hiking
Growing up in North London
Moving to Cornwall when she was 19 to go to art school
Why Cornwall is home and has been for 40+ years!
How walking became a much larger part of her life
Going to the South Downs and doing Youth Hostelling at 16 and how it changed her perspective on what she could do
Getting into solo hiking
The end of a long term relationship
The experience of being alone in nature
Creating the blog (Ten Mile Hike) and website and sharing more of her journey
How hiking has helped her mental health
Wanting to show women that it is possible to hike and go outside solo and why lack of money and experience shouldn’t hold you back
Turning 60 and wanting to walk the West Highland Way (a bucket list hike)
Not having a lot of money available to go hiking
Doing the hike with her son who had never done a backpacking trip before
Why turning 60 has been terrifying
Losing a good friend
Don’t waste a day, and enjoy every moment.
What if I’ve only got 10 years of good health?
Being stuck for years and wanting to unstick herself
Needing to book things in and make a commitment to yourself
Challenges on the West Highland Way
Starting walking at 1pm and walking into the dark
Cold, rain, mice and dealing with a broken tent!
How to connect with Stephie
Starting her Youtube Channel
Final words of advice and wisdom
Don’t be afraid to take small steps
Don’t compare yourself to anyone else