Rolling green hills, sparse moorland, craggy rock-strewn vistas and waves crashing against the coastline – the British countryside has it all. And more and more of us are seeking it out.
Migration to cities has been ongoing since the industrial revolution, but now an ever-increasing number of young people are looking to escape the urban sprawl to adventure in the great outdoors. Country walks have long been considered something for old people: a pastime for Regatta-clad National Trust members. However, recent years have seen a change in thinking. Hiking’s hit the mainstream.
Even around our concrete jungles you see brands associated with rural adventure. The North Face, Patagonia and Columbia have gone from outdoor essentials to fashion staples, and luxe-boutique brands like Louis Vuitton have incorporated walking boots onto the catwalk.
But is fashion behind the increase in popularity of hiking? Far from it. There are plenty of reasons why you’re now as likely to see a group of young people climbing a summit as you are 60-year-olds. Chief among them is the rise in the understanding, and dialogue, about mental health.
“I started to appreciate hiking more when I fi nished university and began to tire of partying every weekend,” says Matt Clementson, a keen hiker who discovered it in his early twenties. “Among my friends and peers it’s something that more of them enjoy now than would have ever been the case fi ve years ago.”
SOBERING NEWS
Statistics suggest an increasing number of young people are drinking less; turning their backs on revolving every social occasion around drinking, with the dangers and costs of regular alcohol consumption now widely known. Sobriety, like many areas of wellness, has become more accepted, with trends such as ‘Dry January’ highlighting a shift in attitudes.
University College London’s researchers reported in 2018 that 25 per cent of young people classifi ed themselves as ‘non-drinkers’, while those drinking over the recommended government limits fell from 43 per cent in 2005 to 28 per cent in 2015.
Above: Sam Latter reaches Everest Base Camp; here he enjoys a slightly warmer walk