Our love of walking in the great outdoors has grown during the pandemic and isn’t stopping. 92% of UK adults agree it’s a popular, ‘on trend’ hobby, new research conducted for the Ramblers has revealed.
People have also increasingly enjoyed walking as a way of boosting their health and wellbeing over the past two years, researchers found. Over three quarters (78%) felt their mental health would have suffered had they not been able to walk outdoors in the fresh air. 70% said that the simple pleasures of walking helped them to clear their head. As Britain faced lockdown restrictions, walking also helped over half (56%) to feel less trapped, and provided purpose for 47% of those polled.
More work to do so everyone can walk their way
The new research highlights the value of the Ramblers’ 86 year old aim to open the way so everyone can enjoy walking in green spaces, and to preserve and improve hundreds of thousands of miles of well-loved paths, tracks and trails across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The need for our work to continue and grow is underscored by the research finding that whilst 77% of people feel they have easy, accessible walking routes near where they live, over half (52%) still feel apprehensive about walking in the countryside. The main reason was fear of getting lost (28%), whilst 17% of those surveyed worried about not knowing where they can and cannot walk. This is especially true for younger people. More 18-24 year olds were fearful of getting lost (39%) or not knowing where it is ok to walk (23%), than any other age group. Overall, two thirds of people agreed that routes should be more clearly marked.
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Posted On: 28/01/2022