Bestie Walking Club: How Cork Women Found Friendship & Wellbeing on Foot
- When Edel Marples found herself battling isolation, she didn’t just seek a solution for herself – she built one for the women of Cork.
- Marples, a Cork city-based tutor, translator, and events organiser, explained the impetus behind the club.
- “I’d seen a lot of run clubs and I felt, oh, they’re having all this fun.
When Edel Marples found herself battling isolation, she didn’t just seek a solution for herself – she built one for the women of Cork. What began as a personal need for community blossomed into the Bestie Walking Club: Cork, a rapidly growing group fostering connection and wellbeing through simple, accessible exercise.
Marples, a Cork city-based tutor, translator, and events organiser, explained the impetus behind the club. “I have a lot of friends who emigrated to Australia and everywhere else,” she said. “And I also work for myself, so I felt like I didn’t have the opportunity to make friends at work. I was looking for a community to be a part of.”
Existing options didn’t quite fit. “I’d seen a lot of run clubs and I felt, oh, they’re having all this fun. But I’m not much of a runner myself.”
The opportunity arose in February 2025 when a wellness brand sought community organisers to host walks in their local areas. Marples seized the chance. “I said, right, I’ll set up the Bestie Cork City Walking Club!”
The initial strategy was simple: an Instagram page to spread the word and a WhatsApp group populated with contacts. The first walk, held in February 2025, departed from the Marina Market and followed the Marina Promenade. While attendance was modest – a handful of women – momentum quickly built.
“It’s funny because it’s actually very few people that I know myself,” Marples noted. “The membership grows mainly just through word of mouth, Instagram, and through people bringing their friends.”
Initially focused on city walks – the Marina, the Lee Fields, Fitzgerald’s Park – the club expanded its scope based on member feedback. This led to a rebranding as the Bestie Walking Club: Cork, signalling a willingness to venture beyond city limits.
The first county walk, held in January 2026 in Crosshaven, demonstrated the growing appeal of the club, attracting over 30 women – a significant increase from the initial Marina walk.
The walks themselves are designed to be inclusive. Each walk typically covers between five and six kilometres, taking approximately an hour to an hour and a half. However, pace is entirely self-directed. “The goal would be to do six kilometres at a six-kilometre (per hour) pace to increase your fitness,” Marples explained, “but honestly, any pace is fine and you can build up to a six-kilometre pace.”
The club’s appeal extends to a diverse demographic, attracting women across Cork from their early twenties to late sixties, with varied backgrounds and motivations. “We definitely have a lot of women who have just moved here for college or work for whatever reason. They’re looking to join a community and make some friends. And then you have people who are looking for something to do on a Sunday afternoon, and people come with their friends,” Marples said.
Livia Cosmai, originally from Italy and now living in Ballincollig, discovered the Bestie Walking Club through Instagram last summer and quickly became a regular participant. She highlighted the benefits of walking as a low-impact exercise. “It is very accessible and you can train at low impact while being out in the fresh air. It also helps clear my thoughts. Since I sit at my desk about eight hours a day due to my job and I work from home, I think walking is essential for my daily routine to keep healthy, both physically and mentally.”
Beyond the physical benefits, Cosmai emphasized the social aspect. “It is a very fun group of people, and there is no pressure. Most walks are suitable for every level of fitness and sometimes we go for coffee afterwards.”
While participation in walks is flexible, many members, like Cosmai, become regulars. Marples has been gratified by the social connections forged through the club. “The biggest – and nicest – feedback is that people have been making friends. They’re meeting each other socially, which is really nice.”
The club’s success has also provided a personal boost for Marples. “It’s been so nice and it’s really motivating. You know, it gets me out of the house on mornings where I wouldn’t particularly want to!”
Walks are typically held once a month on Sundays, with details shared on the Instagram page and WhatsApp group. The next walk is scheduled for this Sunday, , at Tracton Woods. Interested individuals are encouraged to join the WhatsApp group via the Instagram page for meeting point details.
Participation in the walks is free, although the club occasionally hosts ticketed events. The next event, a ‘Steps and Sweat’ outing, is planned for in collaboration with the Hoco Sauna in Cork city’s Black Market.
Looking ahead to 2026, Marples is optimistic about the continued growth of the Bestie Walking Club: Cork. She believes the strong female bonds fostered by the group will be key to its ongoing success. “The walks create a nice space for women in Cork to be vulnerable and to be together,” she reflected, adding that “it’s the women walking who make the club so special. Something I always say is that when women come together, something kind of beautiful happens.”