Walkers hit the trail in Britain: a growing trend?

Walkers hit the trail in Britain: a growing trend?

The hills of Britain could be busier this summer following another indicator people are opting for holidays at home.

HF Holidays, which specialises in walking and activity breaks, is reporting bookings up by 13 per cent in January, compared with the same month last year. The weak pound and worries over the continuing recession seem to be leading to a surge in holiday spending in Britain.

HF Holidays’ success continues the trend the previous year, which saw nearly 12 per cent more taking holidays with the firm than in 2007.

Trade body the Outdoor Industries Association reported last month that almost half the people in a survey it conducted said they were considering holidaying in the UK. Walking was the most popular activity cited, with 51 per cent opting for the activity and 21 per cent for camping.

HF Holidays’ chief executive officer Brian Smith said: “We have already taken 62 per cent of last year’s total UK holiday bookings – a  considerable achievement in the current market.”

He echoed the findings of the OIA, saying: “Research shows that walking is the number one recreational activity in the UK with 44.5 per cent of adults enjoying a walk of two miles or longer every month.”

HF Holidays, a not-for-profit company, which grew out of the old Holiday Fellowship, a movement with strong ties to the early ramblers’ clubs, has an annual turnover of £19m.

Among activities offered by the firm are guided walks along Hadrian’s Wall and Wainwright’s Coast-to-Coast Walk.