While the scientific benefits of hiking are numerous and well recorded, I’ve always found it fascinating listening to people’s personal reasons as to why they have a passion for hitting the trail.
For me personally – ever since I was young lad – I love hiking not only for the fitness, but also the mental clarity.
There’s just something incredibly liberating about breathing in that fresh air and losing myself in the wonders of the Great Outdoors!
Almost like a form of meditation, each footstep helps keep me grounded and locked in the present moment.
Hiking is also a great way for me to keep in shape.
I often need to set goals and challenges for myself in order to keep consistent with my training, and I get a real buzz from seeing how far I can push my physical and mental limits.
Perhaps my biggest hiking achievement to date is conquering the UK’s National Three Peaks Challenge; which involves climbing the three highest mountains of Britain in the space of just 24 hours.
Extremely tough but incredibly rewarding; especially considering we managed to raise over £2,000 for charity!
Why do people like hiking? Asking my fellow bloggers
Anyways, enough about me!
In answer to this curious question, I decided to reach out to a handful of my favourite outdoor bloggers & pals to dig deeper into why they’ve chosen hiking as a hobby.
Interested in hearing what they had to say? Let’s get to it 👇👇
Hannah from ‘Get Lost Travel Blog’
“I enjoy walking and hiking as it is an opportunity to experience something new. I am constantly surprised by how many beautiful hidden places I can find practically on my doorstep! Every adventure is a reminder that you don’t have to travel to other countries to experience something new and unexpected. Our own ‘backyards’ are packed with wonder if you go looking for it!”
Sophie from ‘Third Eye Traveller’
“Walking is always something I turn to as it helps me to feel grounded. As a blogger, life can be so hectic and busy at times and so disconnecting and being surrounded by nature helps me to feel free and gives me a sense of peace when my mind feels heavy or cluttered. I rarely do really long hikes but I do like to go off the grid and challenge myself. There are so many spectacular short walks in the UK to choose from.”
Andrew from ‘Rambling Man’
“Why do I walk? It’s hard to pinpoint one single reason. But when I sat down to think about it, I kept coming back to feelings. The feeling when you put your boot down and it scrunches in deep snow, rustles through fallen autumn leaves, or whatever. The feeling when you get to a viewpoint and you can see for miles around. The feeling when you think about how gloriously it is to spend a whole day just to travel ten or twelve miles. The feeling when you realise you really don’t need to think about anything apart from which path to take next. The feeling when you get to the end of a long day and there’s a lovely pub at the end. Not every walk offers all these feelings. Some walks offer none. But the best walks do. It’s the feelings from the best walks that keep me coming back for more.”
Stuart from ‘The Hiking Photographer’
“I guess the thing that first got me into walking was just the attraction of natural landscapes and natures beauty. I’m a graphic designer, with a passion for photography, so visual appreciation is built into me! I went the art college/university route and increasingly I was drawn to natural landscapes as subject matter as it was just unbeatable really compared to anything else. This coupled with an innate sense of adventure and wanting to discover new places just led me into walking and seeking out stunning landscapes for photography. As a child my summer holidays where often spent with my parents in a dodgy old caravan or camping in the Lake District (it was only a couple hours drive away) and I have very fond memories of those times and I just had to explore The Lakes further when I was old enough and is where I go most often even now. (As a side note I think those early holidays as a kid in the Lakes were massively important in sowing the seed of a love of nature for me – and as a parent it’s something I’m trying to do also).
So that’s the reasons why I guess I first got into walking – but more recently the reasons I love it have changed a little bit somewhat. It’s less about photography now for me – and getting that money shot – for me now the most important thing is just experiencing the sheer beauty of being immersed in natural landscapes and the resulting feel-good factor. Studies are now showing time & again how being in nature is good for our well-being and mental health, I’ve definitely felt that for a long time. Being in the great outdoors feels like getting recharged for me and is a great mental boost.
As a result my hobby of hiking has now expanded into wild camping, wild swimming and any other excuse to get outside really. As well as the mental health benefits there’s also the physical health benefits of getting fitter, and I often go on my outdoor adventures with family and friends and so there’s social benefits too! But whether I’m out and about with others or enjoying a bit of solitude – I’m always happy in the outdoors. I have a lot of hobbies but none combine as many benefits as for me as my passion for the great outdoors: mental/physical/social and experiencing that special feeling of awe and connection. All of this has instilled a passion for the outdoors in me – and its the reason I set up my award-winning blog and associated social accounts – to help other people get out into the great outdoors and try and experience these things for themselves and feel the resulting positive benefits.”
Asking my readers – why do YOU like to walk?
If you’re reading my blog, chances are you like walking too! Can you think of the main reasons why you enjoy hiking so much?
If you’d like to share your thoughts, please feel free to pop me an email, I’d love to hear from you!
More resources
While you’re here, why not check out our recent ‘Hiking Essentials’ blog post to prep for your next outing?
Happy walking 🚶🚶