WELCOME
“AND THE BEST BIT?” the hillwalker boasts over their pint. “We had the summit all to ourselves!” A familiar exchange, no doubt.
Despite being a walker who revels in human interaction hillside, abiding by greeting etiquette with gusto, even I’ve been known to echo pro-solitude sentiment. This past weekend saw the last snowfall before meteorological Spring, so I dashed off to the Howgills. A kindly woman from Sedbergh TIC whispered to me conspiratorially, “You hardly ever see a soul this side of the M6 – don’t tell anyone!” If you’re reading this, dear stranger, I apologise – and my dog thanks you for the treats.
Many of us are guilty of describing solitude as the cherry on the mountain cake. Yet, isolation outdoors can feel like a futile pursuit in an age when almost a quarter of the British public consider themselves ramblers (23% in 2020: up from 16% in 2018, according to a Mintel survey of almost 2000 UK residents). The latest Sport England Active Lives report of April 2023 – the first to cover a period without any coronavirus restrictions – shows that hillwalking continues to grow, with 2.6m more walkers than before the pandemic. This compares to our islands’ 6.4m cyclists, 5.9m runners and 3.8m swimmers in total.
We’ve picked a popular horse to back!
As addressed by James Lloyd, who recounts walking Great Britain’s coastline solo on page 40, the lone figure in the great outdoors is an image from a bygone Wordsworthian age. We may seek peace and quiet on occasion, sure! It’s good for us. Time alone hones our decision-making and independence. But it’s also worth checking in with ourselves to ensure those desires to be alone outdoors don’t take seed and sprout into something more mistrustful of others out there seeking those very same things.
