Whether you’re hitting the trail for a hike, running a 5k, or taking a leisurely Sunday afternoon walk, picking the right walking songs can make a big difference to your outdoor experience.
At Winfields Outdoors, we want to encourage more people to explore the world around them. So, to help you make the most of your listening, we’ve put together a selection of our favourite running songs and walking podcasts to help you get started.
But first, what makes a good walking playlist? To help you understand the essential aspects of choosing the best walking songs for you, we’ve broken each element down to explain how they can affect your mood and rhythm when you’re out and about.
The first thing you need to consider is pace, or temp as it’s usually called in music. This term describes the beat of a song, and is measured in beats per minute (bpm). The pace dictates how fast the song will be, and how much you will naturally move along to it.
For example, have you ever been at a party and started tapping your foot to the beat, sometimes without even noticing? This is exactly what we mean, as our bodies are predisposed to move to the beat and in time with what we hear. So, when it comes to choosing good workout songs, you want something that fits the pace of your walk or run.
Another essential aspect to consider is the theme of your playlist. Most good workout songs are upbeat, and have positive messages to help you continue pushing through the exercise. The best running songs are similar, because they stop you concentrating on the miles to go and just enjoy the experience.
Alternatively, you might want to choose a calm, relaxed playlist for early morning or lazy afternoon strolls. By theming your walking playlists, you’ll be able to find the right vibe to match your mood whenever you want to go out.
Song order is a big one when it comes to creating running or hiking playlists. We recommended starting and ending your playlist with calmer songs to help you warm up and cool down at a reasonable pace.
In the middle, you want an upbeat selection of songs to accompany your progress along the trail. You could even include specific songs at certain times in your run or walk to give you a needed boost – like Eye Of The Tiger by Survivor, or I Am the One and Only by Chesney Hawkes (they’re cheesy, but perfect to lighten your mood halfway through a hike).
Choosing a genre you actively enjoy is a great way to discover new songs by unfamiliar artists, and can be the perfect way to find new walking songs. Faster, upbeat genres like house, trance, pop, and disco make for some of the best running songs because they encourage you to move to the beat.Â
Alternatively, you might want to choose some country classics, or jazz and blues for a more sedate walk through the countryside.
The last element to consider is how long you want your walking playlist to be – after all, the last thing you want is to run out of tunes halfway through the trail.
We recommend trying to make any playlist slightly longer than you think a walk or hike will take you. This ensures you get the maximum amount of songs, without any repeats, to last you throughout your journey.
For running playlists, these should be specifically timed to match your plan for your run, especially if you’ve picked enough songs to include a warm up and cool down. This will help you stick to schedule and remind you when it’s time to slow down.Â
With all this in mind, how should you go about creating a new walking playlist for your needs? In this section, we’ve included some of our top tips to help you choose the best walking songs for your next playlist.
If you’re not sure where to start, one way to make a walking playlist is to rearrange one of your favourite albums by the bpm of each song. Not only will this help you measure the pace of your walk, but you get to experience the album in a different way than you may be used to.
So, say your favourite album is Joanne by Lady Gaga. Instead of the regular order, one way you could listen to the songs is as follows:
By building up the tempo, then cresting down, you can increase and decrease your pace along with the music to get a varied experience.
If you’re still stuck with how to create your own playlist, why not start by customising one that already exists? Music services like Spotify and Apple Music are full of creative and inventive playlists made by other people and through algorithms.
So, you could simply choose one of these that’s full of your favourite running songs. With these as a starting point, it’s really easy to add and remove songs as you feel until you have a walking playlist that suits your style.
Alongside having a bank of excellent pre-existing walking playlists, music streaming services like Spotify have the option to ‘smart shuffle’. By choosing this, you allow the algorithm to include new songs into your playlist based on the other music you’ve been listening to.
This is a fantastic way to introduce new artists and find some new favourites to add to your regular walking or running playlists.
Top tip – if you find a song you don’t like, skip it easily by keeping your phone handy in a Travel Bag.
Whilst listening to the same music over and over is comforting (and something we’re all a little guilty of), when it comes to making a walking playlist you want to include some variety into the mix.
A wide variety of songs and genres will help to keep your walk interesting, especially if you regularly shuffle the order. By not knowing what song will come next, your brain stays engaged with your music, and the world around you, whilst you’re out and about.
When it comes to choosing the best running songs, you need to consider what motivates you. This is because the pace of a song can have a serious impact on how you move along to it (as we mentioned above).
For a relaxed walk, or as part of a warm-up, you should aim for songs with a bpm of between 90-120. For example, you could include the following in your walking playlist:
If you want to pick up the pace and get moving into a moderate walk, songs that are between 120-140 bpm will help you maintain an even speed. For running songs, you can look at remixes of your favourite songs, or check out new artists who reach 140 bpm+ to help you shift gears into a faster pace.
Note – some of our suggestions may be a little on the nose, but that doesn’t stop them from being fantastic walking songs.
On the other hand, you may prefer to sink into a podcast when you’re out and about on a walk or run. Podcasts are a wonderful way to engage with your favourite shows, books, games or TV personalities in a more conversational way. Or, you may want a podcast to teach you something new, or learn about the world we live in. Whatever your interests, there’s bound to be a podcast for you – it’s simply a matter of finding it. Below, we’ve included a couple of our favourites to help you get started, so why not give them a listen?
For those of you keen on learning more about exercise whilst you exercise, check out the Runner’s World UK podcast. Across the episodes, you can learn more about strength and conditioning techniques, marathon racing tips, and loads more from plenty of amazing experts.Â
At an average of 20-30 minutes, these perfect bite-sized episodes are ideal to have in the background whilst you run.
A firm favourite amongst history lovers, You’re Dead to Me brings together a professional historian with a professional comedian to talk about subjects throughout history. Led by Greg Jenner (the self-described former ‘chief nerd’ from the Horrible Histories TV series), this is a funny, interesting, and thought-provoking romp through world history.Â
Ranging from the romantic poet Lord Byron to one of the most successful pirates Zheng Yi Sao, this is a great podcast to immerse yourself in on your outdoor adventure.
If you’re a foodie, or just enjoy hearing people talk about their favourite meals and experiences, The Off Menu podcast with Ed Gamble and James Acaster may be the one you need to get you walking and exploring your local area.
Set in a magical, mythical restaurant where anything is possible, guests on the show choose their favourite three course meal, with an accompanying side dish and drink. With personalities including Dawn French, Judi Love, and Kiell Smith-Bynoe, be prepared for a fantastic listen wherever you are.
If you’re a keen adventurer, the Dirtbag Diaries is full of interesting and emotional stories about people who love the outdoors as much as you do. Whether you love hiking, running, climbing, or paddling, or wish to live vicariously through others, this podcast will take you to places all over the world from the comfort of your own local area.
Presented by outdoor writer Fitz Cahall, you can listen to experts and adventurers recount their journeys and experiences in everything from finding shooting stars to training as an ultra-runner.
If you’re looking for a more science-based podcast, Sliced Bread Presents could be just the walking podcast for you. From health fads and diet pills, to energy drinks, to manuka honey, Sliced Bread Presents looks at whether these trends really are the ‘Next Best Thing’, or whether the effects fail to live up to the hype.
Plus, when the main podcast is taking a break, you can explore Toast – which looks at the spectacular flops from businesses and products throughout the years.Â
You may not think there’s any kind of knack to listening to your favourite walking songs or a new podcast when you’re out and about, but there are some important things to consider before loading up your playlists.
Whilst you no doubt want to enjoy your favourite tunes, others may not be as excited to hear them. So, we recommend investing in a good pair of headphones over blasting your running songs out loud.
Top tip – avoid playing your music too loudly through your headphones as this could damage your hearing. You should also make sure people can get your attention if they need to in an emergency.
Additionally, whilst loading a playlist full of your favourite tracks may tempt you to sing along, try to avoid the urge if you can. You don’t want to scare off the animals, and you should always be mindful of other people on the trail.
If you’re using your phone to listen to music when hiking, be careful of your phone battery. The last thing you want is to check your GPS or maps and find your battery is on 1%, so use your phone sparingly or take a portable charger with you so you can give it some emergency charge.
Whilst listening to music when hiking can be fantastic, sometimes it’s nice to just unplug and enjoy the serenity. If you come to a stop for lunch, or even just a rest, why not take some time to remove your headphones and take in the area around you?
Got your playlist sorted, but need some comfortable, stylish gear to help you enjoy the outdoors? Explore our Walking & Hiking Clothing and Footwear range to find the perfect outerwear for your next trip.
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