A HEALTH, fitness and body confidence coach will be seen enjoying the great outdoors as she takes part in BBC2 programme 'Take a Hike'.

Zara Groves, of Llandudno, features in the series alongside five other hikers: Piers Braybrooke, Gareth Pugh, Mike Taggart and Laura Chapman. The programme pits the five hikers against each other to find Britain’s best walks. 

North Wales Pioneer: Zara Groves takes her group up the Great Orme!Zara Groves takes her group up the Great Orme! (Image: Submitted by Zara Groves)

Zara chose Llandudno’s Great Orme for her trek and a threw in a spot of paddleboarding "for good measure".

"I loved the show Take A Hike, it was just such an amazing experience, and I loved every minute of it," Zara said. 

"The five contestants and I hit it off from the moment we met and literally laughed the whole time. In fact, we got told off a few times as we kept forgetting that we had mics on. The crew were absolutely amazing too, and there was so much banter and laughter the whole time."

Filming took place in June 2022. The show is made by Cardiff Productions. 

Zara said: "I have had to keep it a secret for so long, only being able to talk about it in December. The walks were spaced over two weeks and mine had to be rearranged as we had a weather warning for my day. Even though we were in the summer, the weather seemed to be cold or rainy on filming days. You actually see me get fatter each filming day as I am putting on more layers.

North Wales Pioneer: Zara and the four other contestants hit it off from start.Zara and the four other contestants hit it off from start. (Image: Submitted by Zara Groves)

"I have always loved the outdoors and especially beaches but only in the warm weather. I started going in the sea most days in lock down and once I had got used to that level of cold, I realised that I loved being outdoors all year round."

Zara, who was able to return home in October 2022, six months after a fire had devastated her property, regularly walks on the Orme. 

"In fact, more often than not, I run around it," Zara added. 

"In lock down I started going over it with friends and just wandering around and taking in the breathtaking views. I wanted to end up on the beach as being on a beach, no matter what the weather, is my happy place.

"The walk should normally take about 90 mins but with filming, there is a lot of stopping and starting. The day actually took 13 hours."

When Zara's fellow contestants found out about the paddle boarding, they were a bit sceptical apart from Laura who was already a fan of the activity. 

Zara added: "Once we were in the water, it was hilarious. Chris from Stand Up Paddle Boarding (SUP) was amazing though giving us all a lesson first."

During the week, viewers will see Laura guide the group on a walk up to Cwm Idwal, the location of Wales’s first national nature reserve; Gareth who takes the contestants on a walk at Bala Lake; Police officer Mike, of Rhyl, who carries out his walk, starting at the famous Pen-y-Pass and Pier who treats the group to a "creative" walk starting at Nefyn beach. 

Zara said: "I absolutely loved every walk and found it very hard to vote as they were all so different from each other. Because we all got on so well, I wanted us all to win.

"I am so lucky to live where I live and have all of this beauty on my doorstep. I now want to be on more shows sharing it with the world."

The programme airs on BBC2 at 6.30pm every day this week (Monday to Friday). Zara's hike airs on Thursday (January 19).