WHO ARE WE?
Girls on Hills Ltd was originally founded by Keri Wallace and Nancy Kennedy in 2018. The team now also comprises a number of qualified and experienced female guides.
Meet The Team!
Nancy Kennedy
Nancy Kennedy is a hill runner with Lochaber AC and has lived in Glencoe for the past 30 years. Nancy has been volunteering with the Glencoe Mountain Rescue Team since 1989. She has competed in over 100 hill races in Scotland, and has also raced in other notable events such as the Sierre-Zinal alpine trail race, Snowdon race, Scafell race and has completed the Ben Nevis race six times. She enjoys running all over the world, from the Alps to Yosemite.
In 2019 she raced the Drei-Zinnen in the Dolomites, Italy and in 2020 the Skyrace® des Matheysins.
Other interests include climbing, wild-swimming and walking the dog. Nancy is an ex-international hockey player, a British Athletics/FRA certified guide and possesses an outdoor first aid certificate. She is also a whizz with Gaelic hill names!
Keri Wallace
Keri Wallace is a mountain runner, rock climber and freelance writer. She is Summer Mountain Leader (SML) and Rock Climbing Instructor (RCI) qualified - and is mother to two little ones!
In 2018 Keri represented the UK Skyrunning Team and came 12th in the GORE-TEX® Transalpine-Run. Other top finishes include 1st V40 in the Skyline Scotland Glen Coe Skyline, 5th F in the Ben Nevis Ultra, 3rd F in the 2019 Pinnacle Extreme, 7th F in the Cheviot Goat Ultra 2022, 3rd F in the Pilgrim's Ultra in 2023 and 5th F (2nd V40) at the Ultra Tour Monte Rosa (UTMR) 2023. She also finished 3rd F in the Uk & Ireland Skyrunning Series that same year.
Keri holds the female FKT for the Winter Tranter's Round, Glencoe Round, the OKT for the Glencoe Corbetts Round and completed the first Glencoe Classic Rock Round in under 24h with her partner Ben.
Nicky Spinks
Nicky Spinks is an Inov-8 athlete and Alpkit ambassador with an impressive list of achievements to her name across trail, ultra and fell-running.
Nicky has completed ten 24-hour rounds and has held the record for the ladies Lakaland 24-hour round and all three of the big UK rounds; Bob Graham 18.06, Paddy Buckley 19,02 and Ramsey Round 19.39. In 2016 she broke the record for the Double Bob Graham round finishing in 45.30 hours and in 2018 attempted a Double Ramsey Round but was thwarted by extreme high temperatures, but went on to complete in 55.56 hours.
In more recent years Nicky has raced the Spine Race, Arc of Attrition and Barkley Marathons, as well as achieved top finishes in some of the world's most notorious alpine races, including the UTMR, Tor des Geants, Tor des Glaciers and Eiger Ultra Trail. Aside from being an elite athlete, Nicky is a qualified coach and one of our run guides.
Raeanne Miller
Raeanne mainly uses fell running to train for triathlons in the Highlands at sprint, middle/standard, and longer distances. Last year she achieved a long-term goal, placing 4th lady in the Celtman Extreme Triathlon. Raeanne has also raced many mountain marathons and enjoys fell racing in the Scottish hills.
Her favourite races include the Jura Fell Race and the Cape Wrath Marathon. In 2019 she plans to compete in the Glentress Trail Marathon and the Salomon Ring of Steall Skyrace. Raeanne’s triathlon experience includes the Celtman (4th), Arran Man (2nd), Highland Warrior (3rd) and Ben Nevis Triathlon (2nd).
She is a British Athletics/FRA certified guide and a scientist with a PhD Marine Biology. Last year Raeanne joined a women’s Homeward Bound research expedition to Antactica.
Ella Wright
Growing up in Africa, adventure was a way of life, and it was no surprise that by the age of 17, Ella had discovered a passion for mountaineering at altitude. Over time, she honed her leadership skills by meticulously planning, executing, and reviewing numerous mountain bike and high-altitude expeditions worldwide, while also gaining experience in river rafting and kayaking in Kenya and Uganda. In 2016, she made the decision to relocate to Scotland to pursue British mountain qualifications.
Today, she is a qualified Mountaineering and Climbing Instructor in Summer and a Winter mountain leader. Her love for running however, started at a younger age, representing the South African provincial side in 400m and 200m sprints. But as she got older her love for the mountains and running came together. Ella loves moving in technical rocky ground, so Scotland has become her play ground since moving here.
Cat Cameron
Cat is a qualified Summer, Winter and International Mountain Leader, Rock Climbing and Paddlesports Instructor who’s been helping people enjoy safe adventures for over two decades across 6 continents.
She grew up on the edge of the Bannau Brycheiniog where she’d often head out alone exploring, and developed a love of mountain walking and running adventures using a map and compass. She has since run in far flung places such as Nepal, along the shore of Lake Titicaca in Peru, and the Altai Mountains of Western Mongolia, but the rolling hills, undulating coastline and majestic mountainscapes of the UK are what nourish these endeavours daily.
Cat loves sharing the skills, tips and tricks she’s learned over the years to help other women feel safe, capable and empowered to pursue their own adventures - whatever the mode of travel, season, weather or climate.
Saki Nakamura
Saki is originally from Japan but grew up in England. Although she spent her early years on a horse farm, her love for the outdoors really started when she moved to Scotland 13 years ago.
Saki joined an outdoor activities club in Glasgow and discovered a love for the mountains, munro-bagging, rock climbing and trail running.
In her spare time she likes spending time with her dog and is usually training or racing ultra-distance running events or adventure-seeking here there and everywhere!
Saki won the Jungle Guruguru Max 80km outright in 2023 and has lots of other top finishes to her name including the WHW 2022 2nd F & 2023 4th F, Summer Spine Challenger South 2019 1st F, Jedbrough 2019 1st F, Highland Fling 2019 4th F and she is even a Tor des Geants 330 finisher!
Emma Pearce
Emma has worked in the outdoors for 30 years. She is a Winter Mountain Leader and Rock Climbing Instructor - not to mention having qualifications in paddling, sailing, mountain biking and wild swimming!
Emma has been a practicing member of the Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team since 2004 and has climbed all the Scottish Munros. She has raced the famous Ben Race 15 times and her favourite hill race is the SHR classic Meall a'Bhuachaille!
If she's not up a mountain, you can find Emma somewhere wild, easing aching muscles with swimming and yoga!
_edited.jpg)
Jess Williams
Jess is a keen mountain runner, climber and skier who has performed at a high-level since she took to these sports at a very young age. She is now a Summer Mountain Leader and a Winter ML and trainee Rock Climbing Instructor, having only turned to outdoor instruction (from a career in science) in the last few years.
Jess ran competitively when she was younger (representing North Wales in cross-country, track and field competitions). She more recently competed in the Salomon Ring of Steall Skyrace in 2022 but most enjoys skiing steep faces or tackling long and technical routes in the mountains solo or with pals.
Jess is happiest when out in the wild and loves sharing her enthusiasm for the outdoors with others!
Penny Clay
Penny is a Summer ML and Open Water Swim Coach and loves combining time on her feet in the hills with a wee dip in cold water. She is also a keen mountaineer with over three decades of experience climbing all over the world. As well as hillwalking and trail running, Penny loves sharing her knowledge of mountain safety and navigation, encouraging women to develop the confidence and independence to craft their own adventures in the outdoors. A self-confessed map geek she loves planning wild camping trips in out of the way places and bivvying out under the stars.
Penny is happiest on foot in the mountains but is also an experienced open water swimmer and can be bribed with cake to reveal her favourite remote swim spots (although you might be sworn to secrecy!). Penny is also a Yoga teacher; her favourite pose after a big day on the hill is Viparita Karani or Legs Up The Wall. If you don’t see her on the mountain, you’ll find her on her yoga mat!
%20(1).jpeg)
Rosie Watson
Rosie is one of our Lake District guides and started off life as an orienteer before moving over to fell running and becoming a Summer Mountain Leader. She is also an experienced rock climber and loves big mounatains with technical running terrain.
Most recently she raced the Kima Extreme SkyRace 2024 in Val Masino Italy, one of the most technical running circuits in the world.
Her biggest challenge to date was running 4800km from the UK to Bulgaria, interviewing climate and social activists on the way! (see New Story Run film HERE)
Lizzie Buchanan
Lizzie is one of our winter mountain leaders. She holds a great enthusiasm for winter in the Scottish Hills, always looking forward to getting the axes out for Scottish winter and ice climbing opportunities.
Lizzie used to live on Knoydart and is happiest when in quiet glens and high on obscure rocky peaks on the West Coast - as far as she’s concerned, the more remote and rugged, the better!
Hannah Godden
Hannah is our Operations Manager, the face behind the inbox, as well as one of our running and walking guides. She is a keen hill and skyrunner. Recent races include the Ochill 2000’s, Trotternish Ridge, Ring of Steall and Pinnacle Ridge Extreme, as well as completing the Lochaber Traverse and the Mamores Round. Her favourite days in the hills combine a run with a scramble or climb, cooling off with a cold water dip!
Hannah has over 5 years experience operating as a qualified summer mountain leader and rock climbing instructor. She is also a qualified open water swim coach with lots of summer and winter dipping experience.
Her supportive and encouraging nature enables people to get the most out of their adventure, gain confidence and feel excited about working towards their next goal. She is a strong believer that we are much more capable than we realise and works hard to help others reach their full potential.
.jpeg)
Nicola Mason
Nicola is a Summer Mountain Leader based in the Cairngorms. She has been running in the hills since she was a teenager, only turning to racing later in life.
Nicola won both the Saunders Mountain Marathon and OMM (medium score, both mixed and overall team) in 2017, then the Grampian Mountain Challenge A category in 2018. She has undertaken several long expeditions including walking 580 miles across the Pyrenees as a trainee leader and six week trip through the Canadian Yukon!
She is also a Canoe and MTB Leader and a trainee Rock Climbing Instructor (RCI). When not teaching in the classroom (her day job!) she’s looking to escape up the hills or into the Loch for a wild swim!
.jpg)
Georgia Tindley
Georgia started running in her early twenties and immediately caught the bug. She gradually progressed from road and cross-country running to mountain and Skyrunning. Getting into running proved to be a gateway to a life in the outdoors: now she lives in the Cairngorms and loves to be outside running, climbing, skiing or biking. She had completed (and won!) some of the most technical races, such as Glen Coe Skyline and Tromso Skyrace. She has represented Great Britain and finished 4th in the Skyrunning World Series 2021. Georgia is a trainee ML, qualified teacher and juggler of many hobbies. When she’s not outside she can normally be found reading a book or playing backgammon.