27 September 2024

Enjoy a BIG WALK with OS on National #GetOutsideDay

Where would we be without the good people at Ordnance Survey? I suppose ‘lost’ is an easy answer but it’s fair to say they’ve done more than their fair share when it comes to helping us along the way. So it feels only fair that we pay them back by joining in on their ‘Big Walk’ this Sunday which is designed to take the pulse of the country’s walking behaviour. Appropriately happening on National #GetOutsideDay this Sunday the walking census will play a vital part in underpinning future developments designed to meet everybody’s different outdoor needs.

So download the OS Maps app if you haven’t already then decide where you want to go on your walk this Sunday then all you need to do is click start then click end and the rest will go to OS’s data wizards to analyse the nation’s walking habits. The idea being that OS will use the data collected from the exercise to understand the science behind walking in 2024, particularly around people’s walking speeds, walk preferences and the reasons why they go for walks in the first place. This follows on from some interesting data that OS have already collected on our walking habits that included the following:

  • 36% of the public describe themselves as a steady walker – normal pace.
  • 27% say they are a relaxed walker: going slow and easy to enjoy their surroundings;
  • 14% claim to be speed walkers: quick and efficient, walking with purpose;
  • 7% say they are social walkers: more focused on chatting than walking;
  • 7% feel they are daydreaming walkers: busy thinking, not paying attention to surroundings; and
  • 6% describe themselves as keen hike and trek walkers: love going offroad.
  • two in five (41%) of us monitor our step count at least a couple of times a week, but only a quarter (25%) of us accurately recognise how many steps there are in a mile or how quick the average person walks. People struggle to judge distance by steps, and struggle to guess how fast they walk.
  • Three quarters of us in Britain admit to walking at least once a week.
  • The number one motivation for walking is to improve physical health, mental wellbeing and relaxation.
  • Worryingly one in 15 people never ever go out for a walk.

Find out how you can take part in the Big Walk on National #GetOutsideDay this Sunday (29.09.24) HERE oh and if you fancy joining us, we’ll be having a BIG Walk up to Kinder Scout this Sunday with Haglofs have a read of this HERE.