“Left for dead” on Snowdon by white hiking group: Rural racism is not a myth
Half of ethnic minority Brits have reported “negative experiences” in nature because of their racial identity, according to new research shared exclusively with The Lead.
When Shukura Babiye and her friend signed up for a guided hike in Snowdonia in November 2023, she was hoping for a memorable experience in a mountain range she had always longed to see. Instead, as the only Black women in a large group led by white men, they found themselves left to fend for themselves and fearing for their lives.
“They made us feel like we were encroaching on their space. It felt like they didn’t see us as humans with any value,” Shukura tells The Lead. “I would even prefer if they were honest and just said Black people aren’t welcome – that would be less harmful than what actually happened,” the 25-year-old adds. “It probably sounds dramatic, but they left us for dead.”
Her experience is not an isolated one. Almost half (48 per cent) of minority ethnic Brits say they have had negative experiences in nature because of their identity, according to a new study shared exclusively with The Lead. The Second Nature report – produced by The Mix Global – reveals that four in 10 ethnic minority Britons (38 per cent) say they avoid rural spaces altogether for fear of how they’ll be treated, while 54 per cent prefer to spend time in nature with people from their own background.
Shukura tells The Lead she has always loved the outdoors. “My mum encouraged me,” she explains, “she never wanted me to think that because I’m Black I can’t access certain spaces.”
Born in the UK but spending her childhood in Uganda, Shukura returned to study at The University of Kent in 2018, but experienced racism that left her feeling isolated. Nature became her escape, but the scary incident in Snowdonia left Shukura questioning if she would ever hike again.
As soon as they arrived, Shukura sensed “the vibes were off.” They were the only Black people in a group of 50. Nobody spoke to the young women during the journey, and when they got to Snowdonia the pace of the hike was immediately challenging. The pair quickly found themselves so far behind that at points they were running to keep up, and no one checked to see if they were OK. At the top of the summit, the group took a photo without them and started walking back down before Shukura and her friend had reached them.
“We felt extremely unwelcome,” says Shukura. On the way back, one of the leaders directed them to take a short cut on their own. But the route wasn’t clear and soon the pair were lost – with no phone signal on the mountain – and the sun was starting to set.
“It was getting really dark, really fast and we had no idea where the coach was,” Shukura recalls. She had packed a headlight, but her friend hadn’t. As they were plunged into darkness with sheer cliff drops on one side of an unfamiliar path, Shukura worked hard to keep her fear in check as her friend began to panic.
“We thought we were going to die. If we had slipped, it would have been fatal,” she says. “No one could hear us screaming. I just kept thinking – ‘if we die here, no one will find our bodies.’ We were stranded in the dark for three hours.”
The terrified women eventually came across local residents who helped them find their way back to the group. On their return they were met with indifference, despite being visibly shaken. They were offered a refund for their tickets, but no further apology.
“I have never experienced such little regard for my life, for human life,” says Shukura. “We were traumatised. I didn’t hike after that for quite a few months. My friend and I made a vow that we would never again go on something like that if it was white-led. They didn’t care if we lived or died.”
The research suggests that incidents like this are not anomalies, leading many from minoritised communities to be put off from accessing these spaces altogether. According to the Second Nature report, while 63 per cent of non-white Brits do feel “naturally attuned” to nature, this connection is undermined by feelings of exclusion.
Who ‘belongs’ in the countryside?
The realities faced by minority groups in rural spaces in the UK are frequently downplayed, or vehemently denied. Two years ago, we at The Lead reported on the issue of rural racism faced by Black and brown hiking groups, and were met with angry backlash and threatening messages from right-wing sympathisers. Amid the context of St George’s flags adorning public spaces, swelling anti-immigrant rhetoric, and Tommy Robinson supporters emboldened to take to the streets in their thousands, it’s no wonder the landscape is no less hostile today.
A report last month [September] by the University of Leicester concluded that “racism in rural England is getting worse,” pointing to tight-knit communities, isolation and low levels of visible diversity as key. In response to the findings, Tim Bonner, chief executive of the Countryside Alliance, which took part in the study, argued that “unfounded allegations of rural racism only create further barriers.” But denials of rural racism always have one thing in common – a frustrating lack of nuance.
Last year, Suella Braverman was quick to use her own positive experiences of fruit-picking as a child to prove that the “countryside is not racist” after more than 80 wildlife organisations submitted a report that said rural spaces in the UK are influenced by “racist colonial legacies.” The former Home Secretary added: “just because there are more white people than non-white people somewhere does not make it racist,” but this argument is a willful misinterpretation of what the report actually concluded.
The British countryside, long mythologised as a neutral, pastoral space, can not only reflect but amplify this country’s deep-rooted inequalities. The homogeneity of rural populations is an unavoidable reality – no one is arguing that a majority white space is inherently racist – but the inability to accept minoritised groups can experience harm in these spaces is a problem. The insistence that rural racism is a “myth” and doesn’t exist in any form, is the real barrier to progress.
“There is a perception of ‘green and pleasant lands’, and encountering people of colour in those spaces is seen as an intrusion,” Beth Collier, psychotherapist, ethnographer and founder of nature-based community group Wild in the City, told The Lead in 2023. “The idea that [people of colour] were a blight on the landscape and needed to be removed in order for these landscapes to be pure and to be enjoyed. I think unconsciously, and sometimes consciously, that mindset still exists.”
This issue doesn’t only affect people who visit rural spaces to access and enjoy nature, but residents who call the British countryside their home. Only 4 per cent of people living in rural areas identify themselves as belonging to an ethnic group other than “white”, according to the latest figures from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, compared to 16 per cent in urban areas outside London and 46 per cent in the capital. For that small minority, daily life can be tough. Exacerbated by an unwillingness to acknowledge the problem.
The two-year University of Leicester study revealed concerns that racism in rural schools had become “not only frequent but normalised.” The report noted “numerous” accounts of children suffering racism at school, with parents saying they feel “voiceless and vulnerable” and reporting a lack of racial literacy among teachers – meaning racism is either ignored or actively played down.
“The distribution of these nature disparities is not an accident,” adds Shanna Edberg, director of conservation programs at The Hispanic Access Foundation. “It was a choice, made over generations, from redlining, to choosing to exclude minorities from certain neighbourhoods, and choosing to pave over communities of colour to build motorways and coal plants.”
Reclaiming the outdoors
After her experience on Snowdon, Shukura set up Moja Collective – an outdoor initiative for people from underrepresented backgrounds. Now, she leads diverse groups on hikes and nature retreats, with a focus on inclusivity and connection.
“It has been healing. Launching the group helped me process and move forward from what happened,” she says. “I can now tell this story without getting really emotional, which I couldn’t do before.”
Shukura joins a growing cohort of diverse organisations pushing to reclaim a sense of safety and belonging in the British countryside. From Black Girls Hike, to Flock Together, Peaks of Colour and We Go Outside Too, their voices paint a picture of resilience and a determination to enjoy the outdoors on their own terms. But this fight to improve access and experiences in rural spaces can’t be entirely on the shoulders of a vocal, hardworking minority, they need support.
“The onus really is on white people – outdoors organisations that are white-led, or majority white – to improve things for everyone,” says Shukura. “It is these people who hold the power to make things happen, to make these spaces more accessible, more welcoming. My fear is that there isn’t the will, that people just don’t care. I hope to be challenged on that assumption. Hopefully hearing stories like mine will make people sit up and listen.”
“What we’re seeing in these collectives is powerful: people are reclaiming their relationship with the outdoors and showing the rest of us how it can be more inclusive,” Tash Walker, founder of The Mix Global tells The Lead.
“Being outdoors should be a universal right – a place to connect, recharge and feel at home. But for many, cultural barriers and fears of prejudice still make nature feel off-limits.”
The recommendations from the 2025 Rural Racism Report include reducing fear with better reporting mechanisms for racist incidents, and more robust training for rangers, guides, and recreational organisations to respond effectively. The report also notes that cost and lack of transport are barriers to rural access, with suggested solutions including subsidised travel and better transport links, as well as discounted admission to national parks. The recommendations for residents are focused on community engagement – making sure minoritised communities have a voice in the local planning of rural spaces to ensure their perspectives are built into how services are run.
A more inclusive countryside is possible, and it’s already beginning to take shape through the efforts of those, like Shukura, who are reclaiming their place in nature. But lasting change will take more than individual resilience; it requires institutions, policymakers, and rural communities to acknowledge the problem and push for change.■
About the author: Natalie Morris is our Senior Editor here at The Lead. Elsewhere, she is a freelance writer, journalist and host covering social justice, inequality, health and community, writing in the Guardian, the Independent, Metro, Grazia, Stylist, Glamour, Cosmopolitan and more.
Reading us for the first time? Welcome. We are The Lead. Get to know us and find out more about our story here. If you liked this article, please comment, share and spread the word. We always love to hear your feedback, or if you have own experience to share – of rural racism, or another story that we should be shining a light on – email natalie@thelead.uk.
In the UK the countryside is culturally coded as white and middle-class. And some (white middle-class) people find self-worth in outdoor competence and rural identity. Clearly not-particularly-competent newcomers who are also walking while being black in those spaces sets off zero-sum thinking - your intrusion in my precious space devalues the space and my ownership of my identity.
In the event described here it’s pretty clear that whoever was responsible for the group was unprepared, unprofessional and unwilling to be a leader. But the larger problem of racial hostility is cultural and ingrained.
The brilliant Muslim Hikers group is another resource. See Instagram, Eventbrite