Statistics and Evidence

According to the Ramblers Association, 77% of UK adults, (about 38 million of us!), say they walk for pleasure at least once a month. The Office of National Statistics (1997) puts recreational walking as three times more popular than swimming - its nearest competitor.  62% of adults, according to ICM (2003) say that walking is their main form of exercise.

Natural England (1998) estimate that 7 million visitors walk in the British countryside every weekend most taking advantage of the country’s 118,000 miles of Public Right of Way.

Each year, a large number of people across England take part in walking events for charity. The British Heart Foundation, for example, offers a wide range of fundraising walks to suit walkers of all ages and abilities - from tough hikes up the UK’s highest mountains to gentle strolls through beautiful parkland.

According to Visit Britain, 527million walking trips are made in the English countryside each year. Walkers spend somewhere in the region of £6.14billion, generating income in excess of £2billion and supporting up to 245,000 full time jobs.

Information from the Department for Transport (2001) suggests that out of all the walking trips we make per year 16% were ‘just to walk’, including walking dogs. This figure has risen from 12% in 1986.  In parallel the membership of The Ramblers’ Association has risen from 38,000 in 1980 to 111,500 in 1995 and to  over 140,000 today.

Walking for one mile is known to burn up a similar number of calories to jogging one mile – it just takes longer! -  but some people seem unable to fight the desire to walk fast.

Race walking is an Olympic athletics (track and field) event with distances of 20 kilometers for both men and women and 50 kilometers for men only. Look out for Johanna Jackson, our British Hopeful from Middleborough who will be race walking in Beijing later this year.  Previously Britain has won 5 Olympic gold medals for walking (1908, 1932, 1936, 1960, 1964) plus 2 silver and 3 bronze since the Olympics began.

If you have a comment as to why you think we aren’t winning more medals for walking why not join our forum?

An estimated 15,000 people a year are taking up Nordic walking - a powerful way to walk and exercise the whole body using high tech poles. Nordic walking developed from summer training for cross-country skiers.