With new walking trends emerging every other week and a mass shift to embrace slower-paced and lower-impact exercise, it’s no wonder that hiking has been a hit among those of us keen to keep fit while savouring time outside.

A 2020 survey revealed that 23% of Brits would call themselves hikers, and at the start of 2024, 15% said that they intend to hike at least monthly this year. It’s clear there’s a growing enthusiasm to reap the rewards of hiking regularly – of which there are many.

A study from 2016, published in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, called the activity a ‘cost-effective intervention that encourages people to be physically active while spending time in nature’. It goes on to suggest that the benefits of hiking can be immediate – including decreased blood pressure and stress levels, enhanced immune system functioning and restored attention – and there are those that happen over time, such as decreased depression.

Can hiking help you build muscle? We ask the experts