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If you think our hills and mountains have felt busier in the last few years, you’re right. Mountain walking is experiencing a boom, but why? What is it that draws us again and again to the hills?
Hillwalking is big. I mean, if you’re reading this, you already know that: big mountains, big views, big dinners at the end. But it’s also getting bigger. A report by Sport England published this year states that hill and mountain walking has grown more than any of the other 80 sports or activities measured – including running, swimming and tennis, and less predictable outliers like goalball, boccia and skittles.
Since 2015-16, mountain and hillwalking has seen a 2.2% increase, with the next highest figure 0.4%, for both fell running and interval sessions. 2.2% might not seem very much but take for example the 600k people a year that summit Yr Wydffa (Snowdon), that’s an extra 13,200 people. Walking as an overarching category has seen a strong upward trend too, with 4.6m more walkers than 6 years ago.
So why? What is it about being in the hills that makes it so alluring? On a sunny day that’s easy to answer, but many hillwalkers’ summit shots show them standing in a boulderfield grinning out of cloud, raindrops jewelling their jackets. Mountains can be glorious but they are also frequently challenging, uncomfortable and dangerous. Going up one, you would not be unreasonable to expect chilled hands, blistered feet, aching shoulders and sore legs, and every time you must weigh the balance of ability, route and weather in order to proceed and return safely. Given all that, why does the chance to be in the hills light a spark of excitement in the bellies of so many?
Pulling power of peaks
“The reason I walk is to reconnect to the wild parts of myself. Nothing will make me feel as present in the current moment, as alive in my body, as standing on a hillside with the wind hitting my face and ripping through my hair. In that moment I feel so connected to myself, to my heritage and to the rest of the world around me,” says Frankie Dewar, founder of the Purposeful Adventure Club. Powerful reasons indeed.
In their report, Sport England tried to examine what it was that people got out of their chosen activity, enquiring into five broad categories: physical and mental wellbeing, and individual, social, and economic development. They also dedicated a whole section each to loneliness and attitude.
Let’s check these off one by one. Physical wellbeing? Hillwalking demands a full day of movement, about half of which is a strenuous uphill and the other half a careful descent through rocky, rough ground. For that you need balance, agility and stamina. If you’re
