Have you ever wondered how active your local area is? Do you think you and your fellow neighbours are constantly popping down to the park or local beauty spot? Or should you all be getting out and about more?
Well, you’ll find the answers to these questions and more as Winfields Outdoors reveals the most active places in the UK.
What exactly do we mean when we talk about being ‘active’? For the purposes of this article, we’re talking about trips to beaches, national parks, castles, public gardens, campgrounds, dog parks and marinas.
As advocates for the outdoors, we want to see people out and about, getting exercise, improving their health, taking in Britain’s best beauty spots and just generally enjoying the great outdoors.
In other words, we love being active!
But, how did we measure how active each area was?
When the first UK-wide lockdown was triggered in response to the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020, Google began to publicly share mobility data.
This mobility data was created using aggregated, anonymised sets of data from Google users who had turned on the ‘Location History’ setting on their device (predominantly smartphones). It’s worth noting that this setting is off by default.
This mobility data was then segmented into different forms of mobility or ‘trips’.
These segmented trips were as follows:
For the purposes of our study, we looked exclusively at the ‘Parks’ data.
Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for the past 18 months, you’re bound to have seen that the media has been packed with stories about staycations, an increase in the number of people spending time outdoors and people generally trying to get fitter.
And, that’s a good thing!
But, we wanted to see if the media depiction matched the reality.
So, we gathered all of the Google Mobility for ‘parks’ across the UK during the months of May, June, July, and August 2021 to create an average level of activity for each part of the UK.
Based on this data, and comparing to the initial baseline, we were able to find those parts of the UK that saw the biggest increases in trips to the park, beaches, marinas, and public gardens etc during this period.
What did we find? Keep reading to find out…
The 10 areas of the UK that saw the biggest increase in trips to outdoor locations during this summer were:
As you would expect, some of the places that made the top 10 list are places which are home to national parks and packed with outdoor beauty spots.
So, it’s clear that people have taken heed of calls to get out and get active!
Whilst we were looking at the 10 most active places of the UK this summer, we also took the opportunity to look at the places that saw the smallest increases (or even decreases) in trips outdoors.
The 10 areas of the UK that saw the smallest increases (or even decreases) in trips to outdoors locations during summer 2021 were:
Whether you live in a particularly active area, or one that’s less so, you should take this autumn and winter as an opportunity to get out and about!
Of course, before you head off into the hills, parks and lanes of this land, you should first make sure you’ve got the right kit. And, you’ll find all the kit you need at great prices here at Winfields Outdoors.
When you’re out walking this autumn and winter, it’s important that you have a suitable jacket. Explore our range of waterproof, windproof, insulated and softshell jackets and gilets from brands such as Trespass, Columbia, Mountain Equipment, Berghaus and many more now.
You won’t get far if you don’t have a good set of quality, sturdy walking boots on your feet.
For any kind of long distance hiking or walking on rocky or uneven terrain, a pair of walking boots can be invaluable. Plus, if you’ll be exploring the countryside during the autumn and winter, things can get wet and muddy quickly.
So, explore our range of hiking and walking boots from brands including Hi Tec, Karrimor, Regatta, Berghaus, Merrell and more today.
How many times have you had an enjoyable walk spoiled because you’ve had to traipse around in soaking wet jeans or pants because of an unexpected downpour? If you’re serious about getting out and about this autumn and winter, then invest in a good pair of quality walking trousers.
Luckily, we have a large range of comfortable, durable walking trousers from Regatta, Craghoppers, Trespass, Berghaus and many more.
Nothing makes a long winter walk more enjoyable than being able to relax with a thermos of tea or coffee and a couple of sandwiches. If you want to be able to do just that on your next walk or hike, then you’ll want to invest in a rucksack.
Our range of rucksacks includes models with built-in hydration pouches, additional storage pouches, bungees and more.
We hope you’ve enjoyed reading our guide to the most active places in the UK. If you want to ensure you’re fully prepared for the outdoors this autumn and winter don’t forget to check out the rest of our walking and hiking accessories!
