‘Hot Girl Walks’ is a phrase you’ll be all too familiar with if like me, you spend far too much of your time on Tik Tok. It’s one of the healthier trends that the app pushes, encouraging people to go on walks for their mental health. Contrary to popular belief for anyone who isn’t familiar with the phrase, it has nothing to do with your temperature nor how conventionally attractive you are. It is a simple walk, with optional feel-good elements such as getting yourself a coffee, wearing a cute work out set or practicing gratitude while you stroll. 

So where does Falmouth & Exeter University come into this…? 

As a University Student, I felt in my experience – especially in first year – I lacked a lot of social socialisation. I found myself in a toxic cycle of going out to socialise with friends, being hungover all day, only to recover just in time for the next night out. Don’t get me wrong, I love an occasional night out as much as the next person! But I remember so desperately wishing there were more opportunities for daytime socialisation. Because whether you like it or not, the “Uni Culture” we’ve created in the UK has a terrible drinking problem! 

So join a society?! I hear you say… For me personally, I am hopeless at surfing, and I don’t have a competitive bone in my body to join any type of sports society, so I was left with a lack of options to meet new people outside of the mangos girl’s bathroom! One Government statistic from 2023 found that almost all students have experienced loneliness (92%), and unfortunately, I found through my own primary research that this number is even higher at Falmouth and Exeter (95.3%).

I have always loved walks, as I find they really clear my head and getting out of the house has been really helpful when I’m feeling down. A “Hot Girl Walk” followed by a coffee and cake date with a friend is so underrated. And after years of feeling there was a “gap in the market” for people who are more interested in that type of socialisation than a night out, I set up a Tik Tok and Instagram for project ‘Hot Girl Walks Falmouth’, to see how many people felt the same way. I feel very lucky to say the project was really well received, averaging with about 3k views per Tik Tok and over 300 Instagram followers before the first walk was even announced. I was also incredibly lucky to have been introduced to the ‘Social Action Project’ with the Student Union, something I never knew existed. I collaborated with Gylly Beach Café and arranged for the Student Union to fund the group’s coffee and cakes. I organised for two walks, and due to budget, there were 22 tickets for each day available. Incredibly, all 44 free tickets ‘sold out’ within the day. 

The walks were a great success, both days I met the most friendly, lovely girls, and it was so interesting to hear their own individual experiences, and how they felt a simple, social group like Hot Girl Walks was something we all needed, yet there was nothing similar available for people to join at the moment. Government research found that nearly half (42%) of people who joined a club or society said it was the most helpful intervention they had tried for feeling lonely. I’m in no way saying a walk and a coffee is going to solve all student loneliness… But if I can help even one person who needs a good chat, I’m happy :)

I hope to run some more walks before I depart this weird and wonderful seagull infested town (as I am in my final month of third year now!), and I’d love to see you there! But hopefully… This is just the beginning of Hot Girl Walks Falmouth- So keep your eyes peeled!

Alicia Vickery :)