“I walked up Ben Nevis in heels”
ELISE WORTLEY has been fascinated by the stories of early female explorers since she was a teenager. In her early twenties, inspired by the journey of 19th-Century adventurer Alexandra David-Néel across the Himalayas to the Tibetan city of Lhasa, she decided to don historical costume and follow in her heroine’s footsteps. It was the start of a project that has seen her undertake history-inspired adventurers across the globe, always wearing the clothing of the era. Her mission is to understand what female pioneers experienced on their convention-defying journeys and to share their spirit with a modern audience.
Where did the inspiration for your adventures come from?
I read by Alexandra David-Néel when I was younger. I’d never really heard about any women like her before. The explorers I knew of were all men like Shackleton; I didn’t know women had done these things. She always stayed in
