Outdoors For All: A manifesto for the outdoor sector
Thirty six leading national governing bodies and environmental organisations have joined together to support an Outdoors For All manifesto, seeking to extend responsible access to more green and blue landscapes.
The Outdoors For All coalition is calling for new legislation to open up more of our countryside, including waterways, woodland, riversides and downland for public enjoyment.
A new bill will create opportunities for people to enjoy more land and water for activities including cycling, walking, climbing, horse riding, caving, swimming, flying and paddling.
The UK ranks lowest of 14 European nations on connectedness to nature. It also ranks 11th out of 15 European nations on levels of physical activity. Nations that rank higher than the UK, have far more freedom to enjoy their outdoor spaces.
Signatories include representatives from paddlesport, swimming, horse riding, climbing, rambling, wheeling, flying and many more. The manifesto also has the support of National Trust, The Canal & Rivers Trust, The Wildlife Trust and Campaign For National Parks.
The government has set its sights on getting 3.5 million more people active by 2030, through its Sporting Future Strategy. It has also committed to giving the public access to green and blue spaces within a 15-minute walk of home, through its Environmental Improvement Plan.
The Outdoors For All manifesto argues that to meet these targets, rights to responsibly access the outdoors must be expanded.
Less than 4% of rivers in England have an uncontested public right of access. The path network is frequently inaccessible and 19.6 million people do not live within a 15-minute walk of green and blue spaces.
Access land which gives us our current and limited right to roam covers just 8% of England. This right extends only to those on foot and excludes others such as equestrians, paddlers and cyclists.
Physical inactivity is associated with 1 in 6 deaths in the UK and is estimated to cost the country £7.4 billion annually (including £0.9 billion to the NHS). Our population is 20% less active than in the 1960s and is forecast to be 30% less active by 2030. It is estimated that good access to green and blue spaces would save an astonishing £2.1 billion in health spending every year.
Earlier in the year, alongside the launch of the BMC’s EDI strategy, we also demonstrated that a range of barriers can prevent those who need it most getting outside: economic barriers; working long hours, lack of private transport, expensive equipment – and cultural barriers. Our outdoor spaces lack diversity compared to the country as a whole.
Dr Catherine Flitcroft, Senior Policy and Campaigns Manager, British Mountaineering Council said:
“The outdoors really is for everyone and the past few years have demonstrated this. And yet those in power have yet to fully realise the huge health, economic, and social benefits of this – for too long access to our green and blue spaces has not been seen as a priority and it’s heart-warming to know that so many of us believe this needs to change. The BMC is proud to support this partnership vision for action.”
Following the launch of the document, signatories will then be attending a Westminster event early in Spring 2024 to talk to Ministers and MPs from across the country to highlight the importance of the outdoors to the health of the nation and the need for new legislation to focus efforts and ensure progress.
WATCH: Outdoors For All
Studies and evidence have shown that economic barriers; working long hours, lack of private transport, expensive equipment – and cultural barriers; no family or community traditions of the outdoors, lack of role models – as well as someone’s age, health and other factors, has tilted the land in favour of wealthier demographics. Our outdoor spaces lack diversity compared to the country as a whole.
Working alongside people with lived experience, we have created a film to illustrate this:
Related Content
Hill Walking Articles
The health and well being benefits of physical activity are numerous. Apart from the obvious physical benefits, there are many mental health and social perks to hillwalking and climbing too.
Hillwalking Skills
Camping ‘wild’ is a different way of spending the night outdoors but it isn't allowed everywhere - with a responsible approach however, there are many remote areas where you can still rest your weary head under a star-filled sky.
Hill Walking Articles
Having a duvet day or a quiet night in? We've got you covered. There's nothing better than a day in the hills - but we think planning a day in the hills comes in pretty close second. If you're looking for inspiration for your next on-foot adventure, check out our lineup of ten of the best mountaineering, hiking and hillwalking films from the BMC TV YouTube channel.
Indoor Climbing Gear
We take a look at the culture of tight climbing shoes. Just how tight is too tight - and are we creating problems for the future?
Governance
On this page, you will find links to recent BMC annual reports and annual accounts.
Rock Climbing Articles
ClimbOut, the UK’s first queer climbing festival is what happens when outdoor climbing meets queer joy.
Hill Walking Articles
Diversity conversations in the outdoors can’t leave anyone out. At ESEA Outdoors UK we’re celebrating the fact that East and Southeast Asian people go outdoors too, in spite of historical erasure and lack of representation in outdoors media. Here’s what you need to know:
Mountaineering
The Julie Tullis Memorial Award is a small grant to assist deserving female mountaineers or any disabled climbers or mountaineers, both male and female, to achieve their climbing or mountaineering ambitions.
Mountaineering Articles
An introduction to BMC and MEF mountaineering grants
Mountaineering Articles
Are the Alps falling down? IFMGA Mountain Guide Andy Perkins has a stark warning about the impact of climate change on the Alps: “I don’t have children but if I did I wouldn’t persuade them to be mountain guides. I’d be saying ‘Get your yacht sailing ticket...'" Katy Dartford interviews Andy to find out more.
As part of LGBTQ+ history month we asked members of the BMCs Equity Steering LGBTQ+ sub-group to share their stories about getting into climbing and walking.
Access & Conservation
As the general election date draws nearer, the British Mountaineering Council (BMC) have reviewed the manifestos from each party to help you make a more informed choice when it comes to protecting the landscapes and crags that we love to walk in and climb on.
News
As the world’s garment manufacturing industry moves to a more sustainable business model, what we’re wearing in the hills in three years time will be very different to today’s unsustainable, un-recyclable, polluting garments, predicts Mike Parsons from the Outdoor Gear Coach. But why is change needed? And what is going to happen? Mike explains in this article.
Access & Conservation
The Labour Party has announced three policies to help connect people with nature. The British Mountaineering Council has advocated for greater access to nature for many decades and welcomes action to promote this – we’ve therefore taken a look at each policy individually.
Here’s a rundown on ten of the best places to boulder outside for beginners.
Article
In National Walking month this May we’ve teamed up with BMC Official Retail Partner Cotswold Outdoor to bring you all the info and advice you need to care for and repair your favourite pair of walking boots. Not only does this save you money, it also saves the environment - the less we consume and throw away, the better.
News
BMC member Madalin Cristea, known as Cris, from Romania, has become the first person to summit both Aconcagua and Kilimanjaro from sea level and back again. He is currently attempting to be the first person ever to climb up and down each of the world’s seven summits (the highest mountain on each continent) from sea level - climbing every metre of the mountains up and down.
News
BMC member Wayne Andrews from Bettws, South Wales has started a hill walking group for people who suffer with their mental health or an addiction, called Forever In The Hills.
News
This May is National Walking month, so to celebrate the power of a good old stomp around the UK’s countryside, nine of the BMC staff have shared their favourite hike. From fossil-hunting in the Peak District and airy Scottish scrambling to the Via Alpina in Switzerland, one of these is bound to tickle your fancy this spring or summer. Better still, with the BMC collaborations with Komoot and HotelPlanner, you can plan and navigate your route and find your accommodation for your trip for less!
News
Did you know that we have a BMC Community Liftshare site? The Liftshare site is also able to connect you with others going to the same BMC event or Mountain Training course. The beauty of a community like the hillwalking/climbing/mountaineering BMC community is that many of us are often moving in the same direction. This lends itself to the Liftshare infrastructure which can allow us to move in the same direction – together. Greener, and cheaper!
News
On the 16 April we have the last opportunity to lobby for the 2024 ban on the sale of peat in bagged compost for horticultural use by supporting a Ten Minute Rule Bill speech by England in Conservative MP for Chipping Barnet Theresa Villiers.
News
The BMC have been hard at work presenting the Outdoors For All Manifesto to parliament, kick-starting a new addition to The Climate Project, arranging re-bolting, cleaning up crags and consulting on access across England and Wales. Here are the highlights as we swing into spring.
Hill Walking Skills
Dogs are a great companion for a hike in the hills, but here are a few things to think about before taking your pooch for a mooch.
Of course, there are many more great beginner hills, but here are seven to get you started.
Hill Walking Skills
Outdoor writer and photographer Chris Townsend presents this series of hill walking how-to films. In this episode Chris shows you how to use walking poles.
Access News
Fresh breeze on your face, boots crunching up paths well-known and new, the distinctive song of the skylark and the beautiful green-hill views. Every BMC member, from hill-walker to climber, knows how important the outdoors is for our mental and physical well-being. But with only 11% of England and Wales’ wild spaces currently legal for us to wander through, and many city-dwellers having insufficient access to nature and the outdoors, it’s time for us to take this campaign further.
The Cwm Idwal Winter Monitoring system is now back live and with new equipment and software. Ready for you to head up the hills in the best wintery conditions.
Hill Walking Articles
Based in the North York Moors, Rob Mitchell is a mountain leader for Outdoor Lads, a UK-wide community who run a range of sociable outdoor activities for gay, bi and trans guys. In this episode, Rob, a gay man, talks about discrimination linked to homophobia. He also talks about the importance of a supportive community to help individuals deal with stress and life challenges.