Fredi Chohan is a sports enthusiast and advocate for embracing new challenges, proving it’s never too late to take on something extraordinary. At 54, she became an Adventure Queen Grant winner, using the support to embark on her first-ever multi-day hike: the 268-mile Pennine Way.
Growing up with a passion for sports like hockey and football, Fredi carried her love for physical activity into adulthood, playing hockey at the club level and coaching under-7s football. After losing her mother and finding herself at a crossroads in life, she was inspired by a friend to step into the world of long-distance walking.
The Adventure Queen Grant gave her the push she needed to train, plan, and undertake this life-changing journey.
Starting from Kirk Yetholm and walking south, Fredi faced both triumphs and challenges, including overpacking, embracing her slow pace, and navigating the outdoors solo as an Asian woman. While a family emergency initially prevented her from completing the final two days, Fredi later returned to the trail with friends to finish her Pennine Way journey and celebrated her 55th birthday with a renewed sense of purpose and accomplishment.
In this episode, Fredi reflects on her Pennine Way experience, how she captured it in a documentary with Frit Films, and her advice for women—of any age or background—who are dreaming of taking their first steps toward adventure.
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Show notes
Who is Fredi?
Growing up and being into sports (hockey, football) from a young age
Going walking with her friends
Wanting to do a challenge for herself
Carrying on sports into adulthood
Playing hockey to club level
Her passion for cricket and football
Being encouraged to play sports by her family
Being a football coach and working with the under 7s
Thinking about the Pennine Way and wanting to take it on as a walk
Being at a crossroads in her life
Losing her motivation
Loosing her mum and working a zero hour contract job, with no direction
Being inspired by a friend to do a long walk
Learning about the Adventure Queen Grant
Meeting the filmmaker and the sponsors from Sprayway
54 years young
Planning to finish on her 55th birthday
Getting £500 plus other benefits from the grant
Gaining new skills and starting to train
Starting from Kirk Yetholm walking from the North, down to the South
Being a very slow walker
Wanting to be out in nature and seeing the beauty
Overpacking at the start!
Filming the challenge and making it into a documentary
The difficult parts of filming
Dealing with a challenging family situation and needing to leave the walk 2 days before the end
Sharing her adventure with friends
The Pennine Way - Step by Step, Side by Side
Finishing the walk
Highlights and magical moments from the walk
Being an Asian woman and walking alone in nature
Advice for Asian women who want to take on a solo adventure
Starting small, with baby steps
Walking on a regular basis
Watch the film on Youtube
Being new to social media
Why age is a number
Make it your adventure
Social Media
Instagram @fchohan66
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