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A YOUGOV POLL commissioned by the National Trust found more than two-thirds of Brits are looking forward to celebrating summer with a walk in nature – and almost half are planning to go barefoot.

Having endured months of restrictions since the start of the pandemic, it appears the nation’s new-found appreciation of the great outdoors has not waned.

More than a quarter of adults say the outdoor simple pleasure they are looking forward to the most is walking, followed by listening to the sound of the sea.

Asked where they often or always like to go barefoot, 55% of adults said on the beach, while 41% chose gardens.

Annie Reilly, Experience Development Manager at the National Trust, said:

“Going barefoot is one of those simple pleasures that forces you to be more aware of your surroundings and is a really great way of connecting with nature. With people’s desire to reconnect with family and friends, and enjoy time outdoors and the simple life, we will be concentrating on ensuring families can do just that, by providing safe spaces to enjoy.”

This summer, more than 100 National Trust places are ready to ‘Get Set Go’ with a range of active, sensory, playful activities to appeal to the young and young at heart, thanks to funding from Sport England.

Families are encouraged to get outdoors with 24 activities, such as ‘go barefoot’, ‘make a splash’ and ‘work together’, and to ‘hit the back of the net’ – stretch those lockdown legs, exploring and reconnecting with nature. For further information, visit nationaltrust.org.uk/get-set-go.