Number of long walks tumbles over decade

People in England are taking fewer long walks a year than they did a decade ago, figures show. Statistics released by the Department for Transport indicate that the average person takes 255 hikes a year on foot, but only 63 of these are over one mile.

In 2008, men and women were walking less frequently (242 times on average), but longer (73 times over a mile). In 2012, people were taking 67 longer walks a year, which also dropped to 63 a year in 2016 and 2017.

The figures also show that, in 2017, men made almost three times as many cycle trips as women (24 compared to nine), and cycled 95 miles compared to 25 miles.