British Mountaineering Council

Analysis of Results of Outdoor Survey 2015-16

November 2016

i

Contents

1. Introduction 1

1.1 Background 1

1.2 Methodology 1

1.3 Limitations of the methodology 2

2. Survey findings 3

2.1 The ‘Total population’ 3

2.2 Representativeness of the sample 4

2.3 Memberships 4

2.4 Activities undertaken 5

2.5 Locations visited 8

2.6 Distances walked and time taken 13

2.7 Weather during visit 14

2.8 Frequency of visit 15

2.9 How decision was made to visit 17

2.10 Distances travelled to area visited 19

2.11 People involved in the visit 22

3. Spending 26

3.1 Introduction 26

3.2 Accommodation 26

3.3 Spending over the weekend 27

3.4 Spending over the previous 12 months 34

3.5 Extrapolation of annual spend 35

List of Tables and Figures Table 2.1: Percentage of the Welsh population taking part in activities relevant to BMC 3 Figure 2.1: Membership of clubs 5 Figure 2.2: Participation in main activities by number 6 Figure 2.3: Participation in main activities by percentage 6 Table 2.2: Levels of multiple participation (%) 7 Table 2.3: Other destinations mentioned 5 or more times by respondents 10 Table 2.4: Other destinations mentioned 5 or more times by climbers 12 Figure 2.7: Distances walked (based on sub-sample of 200 responses) 13 Figure 2.8: Weather conditions in area visited 14 Figure 2.9: Weather conditions in area visited by listed activity 15 Figure 2.10: ‘Other’ weather conditions in area visited 15 Figure 2.11: Frequency of visits to the area in previous 12 months 16

ii

Figure 2.12: Frequency of visits to specific named areas in previous 12 months 16 Table 2.5: Areas with highest and lowest by category of visit frequency 17 Figure 2.13: How decision made to visit area, by type of main activity (%) 18 Figure 2.14: Characteristics of areas visited which influenced decision to visit 19 Figure 2.15: Total distances travelled to go walking/climbing (miles) 20 Figure 2.16: Total distances travelled to go walking/climbing, by activity 21 Figure 2.17: Modes of transport used 21 Figure 2.18: Distances travelled by different mode of transport 22 Figure 2.19: Nature of respondents’ companions 23 Figure 2.20: Nature of respondents’ companions by type of activity 23 Figure 2.21: Number of males/females in groups 24 Figure 2.22: Representation amongst stated age ranges in respondents’ groups 25 Figure 3.1: Type of accommodation used by respondents who stayed away 27 Figure 3.2: Weekend spending by respondent and his/her group (all categories) 28 Figure 3.3: Weekend spending by respondent and his/her group (Parking) by type of activist 29 Figure 3.4: Weekend spending by respondent and his/her group (Accommodation) by type of activist 30 Figure 3.5: Weekend spending by respondent and his/her group (Total travel) by type of activist 30 Figure 3.6: Weekend spending by respondent and his/her group (Food and Drink bought outside

area visited) by type of activist 31 Figure 3.7: Weekend spending by respondent and his/her group (Food and Drink bought in area

visited) by type of activist 31 Figure 3.8: Weekend spending by respondent and his/her group (Clothing/equipment) by type of

activist 32 Figure 3.9: Weekend spending by respondent and his/her group (Hiring charges) by type of activist 32 Figure 3.10: Weekend spending by respondent and his/her group (Maps/guides) by type of activist 33 Table 3.1: Estimated average spending over a weekend (by respondent and his/her group) 33 Figure 3.11: Estimated spending by respondent in previous 12 months 35 Table 3.2: Estimates of total spend 35 Figure A2.1: Weekend spending by respondent and his/her group (Parking) 41 Figure A2.2: Weekend spending by respondent and his/her group (Accommodation) 41 Figure A2.3: Weekend spending by respondent and his/her group (Total Travel) 42 Figure A2.4: Weekend spending by respondent and his/her group (Food and drink) 42 Figure A2.5: Weekend spending by respondent and his/her group (Clothing/equipment) 43 Figure A2.6: Weekend spending by respondent and his/her group (Hire charges) 43 Figure A2.7: Weekend spending by respondent and his/her group (Maps/guides) 44

Appendices Appendix 1 Questionnaire

Appendix 2 Spending by type of expenditure

1

1. Introduction

1.1 Background

Between August 2015 and August 2016, the British Mountaineering Council (BMC) undertook

an on-line survey with the aim of it being completed by hillwalkers, climbers and mountaineers.

The BMC is keen to understand the visitor patterns and experiences of climbers and hill

walkers, and their contribution to local services. The expectation is that the data will allow it to:

- Build a profile and evidence base of the types of visitor patterns at various locations;

- Understand the decision making process as to why some areas might be more popular

than others throughout the year;

- Explore trip characteristics such as transport use, accommodation and activities

undertaken;

- Build a picture of what hillwalkers/climbers/mountaineers spend on average per visit to

hills, crags, cliffs and mountains.

This survey aims to provide up to date information so that the BMC can contribute more

directly to research and evidence relating to the impact of outdoor recreation. This will help

build a more compelling case to Government of the real value of outdoor recreation, specifically

climbing and hill walking.

1.2 Methodology

The survey was conducted using Survey Monkey on a monthly basis for the 13 months starting

in August 2015 and ending in August 2016. During this period, anyone wishing to complete the

survey was able to access it via the BMC website. To take part, respondents were asked to

complete a questionnaire, which is included in Appendix 1.

The questionnaire was designed to allow completion within a target time of 5 minutes. As a

result, many questions were multiple choice, with respondents selecting from a pre-set list of

options. The intention was to gather data relevant to the respondent’s activities on the weekend

prior to them completing the survey, plus some questions about their annual spending and their

club membership(s).

There were no restrictions on the number of times that a respondent could complete the

questionnaire, nor was the survey limited to BMC members only. The on-line survey remained

available throughout the first or last week of the month, although the dates of the ‘previous

weekend’ probably differ for different respondents.

For the analysis, the results for the year from September 2015 to August 2016 were downloaded

and collated into a single excel file. This provided 4,198 separate records which were analysed

as a single dataset, with limited cross-tabulations due to the reducing confidence in results that

arise when sub-samples get smaller. Details of the key findings are included in the subsequent

sections of the report, below.

2

1.3 Limitations of the methodology

There are some limitations to the method used that should be taken into account when viewing

the results:

- To take part in the survey, an individual respondent needs to be aware of the survey and

have access to the internet. It is not possible to state the level of awareness of the survey

amongst the target audience but it is likely that it is the more active individuals and

BMC members who were aware of the survey, and not the casual/occasional visitor to

the hills, cliffs, crags and mountains of UK and further afield. However, the Office for

National Statistics stated1 that, in 2013, 83% of households in the UK had access to the

internet, suggesting this is a lesser limitation.

- BMC covers England and Wales and it is likely that most of the respondents are from

these two countries. If so, this means that hillwalkers/climbers/mountaineers from

Scotland and Northern Ireland are probably under-represented in the sample.

- Using the email address provided by most respondents (3,581; 85% of all responses) as

a unique identifier, it can be seen that some completed the survey every month, whereas

others did so only once. This again could introduce a bias towards the keener

respondents who completed the survey more often and may have a different activity

profile from the less keen.

- Some of the responses allowed for responses that are implausible or, in theory at least,

mutually exclusive (for example, responses to the questions about spending should elicit

only one answer – say £6-£10 – but in practice some provided several responses to this

question).

- A number of the answers are self-defining. So, for example, the responses to questions

about the weather conditions may be answered differently depending on the individual’s

perceptions, possibly shaped by their experience.

As a consequence, the sample of hillwalkers, climbers and mountaineers contained in the survey

results are not necessarily representative of BMC members as a whole, nor of the total

population of hillwalkers, climbers and mountaineers in England and Wales or, indeed, the UK

as a whole. The representativeness of the sample is discussed further in the next chapter.

1 See:

http://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/householdcharacteristics/homeinternetandsocial

mediausage/bulletins/internetaccesshouseholdsandindividuals/2013-08-08 (visited 12th September 2016)

3

2. Survey findings

2.1 The ‘Total population’

The total population for the purposes of this survey is all those engaged in outdoor activities of

direct interest/relevance to the BMC, namely, hillwalking, rock climbing and mountaineering.

Of course, these can be sub-divided into various forms and the survey focuses on:

- Traditional (aka ‘Trad’) climbing;

- Sport (aka ‘bolted’) climbing;

- Bouldering;

- Scrambling;

- Hillwalking (sub-divided into walks of under or over 2 hours).

The Active People Survey2, conducted by Sport England, showed that in the year from April

2015 to March 2016, an estimated 280,200 individuals of 16 years of age and above resident in

England took part in mountaineering activities3 at least once in the 28 days prior to the survey

interview. Within this subset, 32,600 individuals took part in mountaineering activities at least

once a week. If the demographic is extended to those of 14 years of age or older, the numbers

reported in the Active People Survey taking part rise to 301,300 and 42,600 respectively.

The most recent data for Wales is from the Active Adults Survey4 (which is a survey of Welsh

residents of 15 years of age and above). The results are presented in the form of the percentage

of the sample who had taken part in particular activities in the previous 28 days. Data are split

between male and female, and provided for the sample as a whole. The results are provided in

Table 2.1 below, expressed as a percentage of the population.

Table 2.1: Percentage of the Welsh population taking part in activities relevant to BMC

Activity All Males Female

Climbing 0.6 0.8 -

Mountaineering//Rock Climbing 1.1 1.6 0.6

Walking (more than 2 hours) 41.7 40.2 43.2

Climbing and Mountaineering/Rock Climbing 1.5 2.0 0.9

2 See documents available on: https://www.sportengland.org/research/who-plays-sport/by-sport/ (visited

12th

September 2016)

3 The survey defines ‘mountaineering’ as: climbing indoors, climbing rock, mountaineering,

mountaineering high altitude, hill trekking, hill walking, mountain walking and bouldering. Note that it

excludes ice climbing.

4 See: http://sport.wales/research--policy/surveys-and-statistics/active-adults-survey.aspx (Visited 12

th

September 2016)

4

The categories used in the Welsh survey appear to overlap (e.g. ‘Climbing’ and

‘Mountaineering/Rock Climbing’). Perhaps the most relevant is the last category listed –

‘Climbing and Mountaineering/Rock Climbing’, although this may not include easier hill walks.

According to the UK Population website5, the current population of Wales is 3.06 million.

Assuming the same percentage of the population take part in mountain related activities now as

did so in 2012, then the total population of individuals of relevance to the survey is around

45,900 (1.5% of 3.06m).

Combining the results from the two surveys, it seems that the total number of people (aged mid-

teen or older) living in England and Wales engaged in activities of relevance to the BMC at

least monthly is about 350,000 or more (due to the failure of the Welsh sample to include

hillwalking).

Obviously, not all these people will be members of the BMC. Recent estimates suggest that the

total membership of the BMC is over 81,0006 as of March 2015 (up from around 62,000 in

20107).

2.2 Representativeness of the sample

Ideally, the sample should be selected at random and be as large as possible to increase

confidence levels. The ‘test’ of randomness is that any member of the target population should

have an equal chance of being included in the survey. As noted above, this is not the case.

Consequently, the sample is not totally representative. Nonetheless, it is possible to gain some

understanding of the portion of the total population represented.

Using the email address provided by 85% of respondents, it is possible to estimate the number

of individuals who have contributed to the survey. Of the 4,198 records, 3,581 (85%) had email

addresses. Of these 3,581, just under a half (44%, n=1,576) were unique. If it is assumed that

the same proportion applies to those respondents who did not provide an email address, then

these represent a further 271 individuals (4,198-3,576 x 44%). It can be estimated, therefore,

that the sample comprises responses from 1,847 individuals.

This, in turn, represents about 2% of the total BMC membership and about 0.5% of the total

potential target audience. The subject of membership was addressed at the end of the

questionnaire but is reported here as it has some relevance to representativeness.

2.3 Memberships

Respondents were asked whether they were members of the BMC and, in addition, what other

clubs. The Mountaineering Councils of Scotland (MCofS) and Ireland (MCofI) were given as an

option of ‘A Climbing’ and/or ‘A Walking’ club. More than one response was allowed, which is

appropriate given that many active hillwalkers/climbers/mountaineers are members of several

clubs including both climbing and walking clubs. The responses are expressed graphically in

Figure 2.1 below.

5 See: http://ukpopulation2016.com/wales (Visited 12

th September 2016)

6 Personal communication.

7 Sports Structures (2010). Membership survey 2010. Final report for the BMC.

5

Figure 2.1: Membership of clubs

It was possible to provide further information about memberships but the responses are difficult

to analyse. However, a scan through the responses reveals that most of the leading clubs are

represented.

2.4 Activities undertaken

Respondents were asked what type of activity they had undertaken over the weekend in

question, with a prompt of six different categories of hill/mountain based activities and a catch

all ‘Other’ category which allowed respondents to state what other outdoor activities they had

undertaken. More than one response was allowed. Results for the six main activities are shown

in Figure 2.2 below. The figures are expressed as a percentage (see Figure 2.3). A total of

4,504 responses were received covering the six activities. Hillwalking for more than 2 hours

was by far the most common activity reported (n=1901, 42%). Trad climbing came in second,

with nearly a thousand respondents (n=964, 21%) having done this. The other activities had

similar levels of participation of around 400 (7%-11%).

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

BMC MCofS MCofI Another climbingclub

A walking club

Nu

mb

er

givi

ng

this

re

spo

nse

Club/Type of club

6

Figure 2.2: Participation in main activities by number

Figure 2.3: Participation in main activities by percentage

A further analysis was done to show what range of activities people recorded. Table 2.2 shows,

for example, which of the remaining five listed activities were also done by those who said they

went Trad climbing. So, continuing the example of Trad climbers, 11% also went Sports

climbing, whereas 26% of Sports climbers also did Trad climbing.

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

2000N

um

be

r p

arti

cip

atin

g in

act

ivit

y Main activities

Trad Climbing

Sports Climbing

Bouldering (presumablyoutdoors)

Scrambling

Hill walking (<2 hrs)

Hill walking (>2 hrs)

7

Table 2.2: Levels of multiple participation (%)

Activities Trad Sport Boulder Scramble HW <2 HW >2

Trad climbers who also went: 11% 10% 10% 7% 18%

Sports climbers who also went: 26% 13% 6% 9% 11%

Boulderers who also went: 23% 12% 5% 9% 10%

Scramblers who also went: 29% 7% 7% 12% 66%

Hill walkers (<2 hrs) who also went: 15% 8% 10% 8% 10%

Hill walkers (>2 hrs) who also went: 9% 2% 3% 11% 2%

Although there is considerable cross-over, hillwalkers out for more than 2hrs are least likely to

do any other activity, with scrambling the most commonly done (11%) compared to other

activities – between 2% and 9%. Looked at from the other aspect, around two-thirds of

scramblers also went walking for more than 2 hours, although they may be referring to the

walk-in (as may other multiple activity responses). Trad climbing seems to be the activity most

commonly undertaken as part of a multi-activity weekend.

As noted earlier, respondents could also list ‘Other outdoor activities’. This was an open

question and responses (n=863) came in many varied forms that defy easy analysis.

Consequently, responses have been grouped into related activities (e.g. water sports, airsports)

and results are shown in Figure 2.4. Non-physical activities and ‘Work’ have been excluded.

Running was by far the most commonly listed of the other activities (n=292). This term was

used to cover fell/mountain running, orienteering, trail running events). Low level walking

(including coastal, countryside, canal, dog and city walks) came a distant second (n=115).

Biking (road as well as mountain), ice/winter climbing and indoor climbing were roughly equal

additional activities.

Figure 2.4: Participation in other types of physical activity

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

Nu

mb

er

par

tici

pat

ing

in a

ctiv

ity

8

2.5 Locations visited

Respondents were next asked to state which area(s) they had visited over the weekend in

question. Eighteen popular mountain/climbing areas in Great Britain were listed, together with a

catch-all ‘Other’. The number of responses for each of the 18 listed areas is shown in Figure

2.5. Respondents were able to provide more than one response. The most commonly visited

areas were the Peak District (n=847), Lake District (n=576) and Snowdonia (n=469).

In addition to the 18 named areas, 980 respondents listed other areas. However, the question

imposed no restriction on answers, so analysing results is more difficult as spellings may differ

or the same destination referred to in different ways (for example “Skye” or “Isle of Skye”; or

“Alps”, “The Alps”, “Swiss Alps”, “French Alps” and “Italian Alps”). Where feasible, these

different references to the same destination have been combined, but not in all cases. Of these

980 responses, 505 relate to places mentioned 5 or more times. These destinations, and the

number of responses for each, are shown in Table 2.3.

There is clearly scope for misinterpretation in the way this ‘Other’ option is exercised and there

may be some overlap with some of the named destinations. That possibility aside, the popularity

of Dorset as a destination for respondents is clear (n=85) (making it the 11th most popular

destination amongst the named destinations). Taking the ‘Pennine’ destinations as a whole, this

too represents a relatively popular ‘Other’ destination (n=50).

9

Figure 2.5: Number of visits to the 18 listed areas

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900

Yorkshire Dales

Wye Valley/Cheddar

West Highlands

Southern Sandstone

Southern Highlands

South Downs

Snowdonia

Scottish Borders

Pembroke

Peak District

Northumberland

North York Moors

Lake District

Gower

Dartmoor

Cornwall

Cairngorms

Brecon Beacons

Numbers saying they had visited this area

10

Table 2.3: Other destinations mentioned 5 or more times by respondents

Destination

No. of mention

s Destination No. of

mentions

Alps 16 Malverns 5

Anglesey/Gogarth 18 Manchester 6

Berwyns 6 Mendips 8

Cannock Chase 6 Mountains of Mourne 12

Cheshire 17 New Forest 7

Chilterns 16 North Downs 6

Clwyd/Clwydian Hills 15 North West Highlands 22

Cotswolds 25 Northern Highlands 5

Derbyshire 7 Ochill Hills 6

Devon/N Devon 13 Pennines 11

Donegal 5 Pennines (North) 5

Dorset (Portland/Swanage) 85 Pennines (South) 19

Exeter 6 Pennines (West Moors) 15

Exmoor 7 Shropshire Hills 14

Fife 5 Skye 12

Fontainbleau 11 South Wales 5

Forest of Bowland 5 Spain 12

France 8 Staffordshire 9

Lancashire 18 Surrey Hills 6

Leicestershire 8 Wiltshire 6

London 8 Yorkshire 9

The range of areas visited by respondents has been broken down by type of listed activity

undertaken when at this destination. The results of this breakdown are shown in Figure 2.6.

Hill walking is the most common activity in all listed areas visited where there are hills to climb

(i.e. areas like Pembroke and Southern sandstone attracted no hill walkers). Likewise, areas with

few or no crages attracted no Trad climbers, Sports climbers or Boulderers (e.g. South Downs,

Brecon Beacons, Southern Highlands). In contrast, the most common areas visited catered for

all forms of listed activity. Many more visitors to the Lake District and Snowdonia went

hillwalking for more than 2 hours than went Trad climbing. In contrast, in the Peak District

numbers of Trad climbers fell short of hill walkers (>2hrs) by only a small margin.

11

Figure 2.6: Visits to the 18 listed and ‘other’ areas by main type of activity undertakem

0 100 200 300 400

Other

Yorkshire Dales

Wye Valley/Cheddar

West Highlands

Southern Sandstone

Southern Highlands

South Downs

Snowdonia

Scottish Borders

Pembroke

Peak District

Northumberland

North York Moors

Lake District

Gower

Dartmoor

Cornwall

Cairngorms

Brecon Beacons

Number stating they had visited this area

Trad

Sports

Boulder

Scramble

HW <2

HW >2

12

HW<2 = Hill walking for less than 2 hours; HW>2 = Hill walking for more than 2 hours

Respondents who went climbing were asked to say which crag(s) they had visited. Again,

complications in the analysis arose due to variations in spelling and/or descriptions (e.g. “Carreg

Wasted”, “Carreg Wastad” and “Wastad”) but this has been accommodated as far as is

reasonably possible. Results are given in Table 2.4 but only for those crags mentioned 5 or

more times. The popularity of the Peak District edges is evident from this analysis.

Table 2.4: Other destinations mentioned 5 or more times by climbers

Destination No. of

mentions Destination No. of

mentions

Almscliffe 10 Harpur Hill 5

Australia (slate) 5 Harrison's 11

Awesome walls 5 Higgar Tor 5

Baggy Point 5 Holyhead 6

Bamford 8 Horseshoe Quarry 10

Ben Nevis 9 Hound Tor 6

Birchens 12 Idwal 15

Black Rocks (Borrowdale) 5 Indoors 39

Blacknor 6 Kyloe 6

Bonehill 7 Lawrencefield 8

Bosigran 16 Llanberis 6

Boulder Ruckle 5 Malham 8

Bowden Doors 7 Milestone Buttress 6

Bowles 9 Millstone 8

Brimham 9 Portland 6

Buchaille Etive Mor 5 Ramshaw 5

Burbage 35 Roaches 26

Carrel Wastad 6 Sennen Cove 6

Castle Naze 8 Sheep's Tor 8

Cheddar Gorge 6 Shepherd's 11

Cheedale 10 St Govans 5

Coire an t'snaechda 13 Stanage 90

Cummingstone 5 Stoney Middleton 6

Curbar 15 Subliminal 7

Dancing Ledges 5 Symonds Yat 12

Dewerstone 9 The Cuttings 6

Dinas Cromlech 6 Tremadog 20

Dinorwic 7 Tryfan 12

Dow Crag 5 Wildcat 7

Froggatt 7 Windgather 6

Giggleswick 5 Winspit 5

Gimmer 10 Wintour's Leap 9

Gogarth 12 Wyndcliffe 8

13

2.6 Distances walked and time taken

A question was then asked for information about distances travelled. No set responses were

offered and so some answered with distances walked in miles (or kilometres) and others

answered with a period of time. Some provided answers for several days’ walking. As a result,

it was practically impossible to sort the data using excel. Consequently, only the first 200

responses were looked at, and so results provided in the figure below (Figure 2.7) are expressed

as percentages but should be interpreted with care.

Figure 2.7: Distances walked (based on sub-sample of 200 responses)

Although the most commonly mentioned distances lay between 5 and 10 miles (a third of

responses), those saying they walked between 10 and 15 miles were almost as numerous (29%),

and nearly a quarter (23%) walked even further.

0 to 5 miles 14%

5-10 miles 34% 10-15 miles

29%

15 miles or more 23%

14

2.7 Weather during visit

Respondents were then asked to describe the weather where they were climbing/hill walking,

selecting from a list of six options, plus an opportunity to add to this using an ‘Other’ field.

Clearly, there is scope for subjectivity in the response, as one respondent’s breeze may be

another respondent’s windy. Further, as is often noted by safety guidance, weather conditions

can change rapidly in the mountains. Hence, respondents were able to give more than one

response. The responses given are shown in Figure 2.8. ‘Sunny’ and ‘Cloudy’ between them

account for over half of the weather conditions quoted by respondents.

Figure 2.8: Weather conditions in area visited

Of course, there may be some feedback loop involved with some activities; for example, a

decision to go Trad climbing may be predicated on an expectation of dry rock and so a bias

towards doing this in the absence of showers. In contrast, hill walkers may be less sensitive to

such conditions. Figure 2.9 gives a breakdown of conditions encountered during the visit by

type of listed activity. This analysis shows that, indeed, a higher proportion of Trad climbers

encountered sunny conditions and least wind at the area they visited relative to the other

activities, with hill walkers out for more than 2 hours enjoying the lowest level of sunniness and

the highest windiness.

A wide range of responses were given as ‘Other’. Figure 2.10 shows the four most often

mentioned ‘Other’ types of weather. Mistiness and variants of this were the most commonly

mentioned. Other common themes were:

- Flood/flooding;

- Hot/warm;

- Cloud inversions;

- Sleet;

- Light rain.

Sunny

Cloudy

Showers

Heavy Rain

Snowing

Windy

Other

15

Figure 2.9: Weather conditions in area visited by listed activity

Figure 2.10: ‘Other’ weather conditions in area visited

2.8 Frequency of visit

The next question posed to respondents was “In the past 12 months, how often have you visited

the area?” A number of set responses were available and the frequency with which these

answers were selected is shown in Figure 2.11. The most common response was “Several times

each year” (42%, n=1,546).

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

HW >2

HW <2

Scramble

Boulder

Sport

Trad

Conditions encountered (%)

Sunny

Cloudy

Showers

Heavy Rain

Snowing

Windy

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Nu

mb

er

givi

ng

this

re

spo

nse

16

Figure 2.11: Frequency of visits to the area in previous 12 months

If broken down by the area itself (using the 18 suggested destinations), the results differ by

destination. Figure 2.12 shows visit frequency by different area visited.

Figure 2.12: Frequency of visits to specific named areas in previous 12 months

Daily 4%

First time 27%

Monthly 18%

Several times/yr

42%

Weekly 9%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Yorkshire Dales

West Highlands

Southern Highlands

Snowdonia

Pembroke

NY Moors

Lakes

Dartmoor

Cairngorms

First time

Daily

Weekly

Monthly

Several times/yr

17

The table below (Table 2.5) shows the areas with the areas with the highest and lowest visit

frequencies (when expressed in percentage terms) – the weight of shading increases with visit

frequency.

Table 2.5: Areas with highest and lowest by category of visit frequency

Frequency Highest Lowest

Area % of those visiting the area

Area % of those visiting the area

First time Pembroke

Cornwall

West Highlands

44

41

40

Peak District

Snowdonia

Lake District

14

17

18

Daily Dartmoor

Scottish Borders

Cornwall

8

6

5

Wye Valley

West Highlands

Southern Sandstone

Pembroke

0

0

0

0

Weekly Peak District

South Downs

Gower

25

22

19

West Highlands

Southern Sandstone

Southern Highlands

2

4

4

Monthly Southern Sandstone

Dartmoor

Scottish Borders

33

24

22

West Highlands

Pembroke

Southern Highlands

8

10

11

Several times per year

Southern Highlands

West Highlands

Snowdonia

53

51

51

South Downs

Gower

Cornwall

30

31

31

Perhaps not surprisingly, the three most popular locations (Peaks, Lakes and Snowdonia) have

the lowest percentages of first time visitors, whereas those areas with high frequency first time

visitors tend to be areas that have relatively low numbers of visitors. Daily visits are usually a

very small percentage of the visitors, with Dartmoor getting the highest proportion. Destinations

in Scotland tend to have few frequent visitors but feature more prominently in the less frequent

categories (e.g. over half of the visitors to the Southern and West Highlands do so ‘several times

per year’).

2.9 How decision was made to visit

The next question sought to explore to what sources of information respondents turned when

choosing the area they visited that weekend or reasons influencing their decision. A variety of

set answers were available, with a catch-all response of ‘Other’. Respondents could give more

than one response but there was no scope within the questionnaire to link individual source/

reason with individual activity. The responses were analysed by type of main activity (i.e. the 6

main types of activity offered for selection in Question 1) and are shown (in percentage terms)

in Figure 2.13.

18

Figure 2.13: How decision made to visit area, by type of main activity (%)

It seems from this analysis that a high proportion of Hillwalkers who walk for more than 2

hours seek out information and from a wide range of sources, maps being the most commonly

quoted source and guidebooks the least frequently mentioned. Trad climbers are also more

likely to draw on sources of information but for them guidebooks are a key source, with weather

a key factor in their decision (see also Section 2.5 above).

In comparison, Sports climbers, Boulderers, Scramblers and Hillwalkers who walk for less than

2 hrs use relatively few sources of information to inform their decision on choice of destination.

Within this reduced level of consultation, key sources varied between groups – for example,

Sports climbers and Boulderers used friends and guidebooks, whereas Scramblers used maps

and newspapers/magazine; Hillwalkers under 2 hrs relied most frequently on ‘Other’ sources.

Amongst the whole sample, common themes for ‘Other’ sources were (in no particular order of

priority):

- Live/work nearby

- Family/friends live nearby

- Specific features of interest (e.g. archaeological remains)

- Event/competition happening

- Accommodation available in the area

- Bagging a summit in a list

Another influence on the decision to visit a specific area will be the area’s characteristics.

Question 8 sought to find out what characteristics were significant and to what extent. As in

other questions, respondents were able to choose from a list of set responses, with the ability to

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Tradclimber

Sport Boulder Scramble HW <2 HW >2

Previous visit

Friends

Guide book

Maps

Newspaper/magazine

Website

Weather conditions

Part of organised group

Location of training course

Other

19

provide more than one answer and to provide further details under an ‘Other’ response. Figure

2.14 lists the number of responses provided for each of the set answers.

Figure 2.14: Characteristics of areas visited which influenced decision to visit

‘Scenery/setting’ and ‘Nature of terrain’ were the most frequently cited reasons, mentioned

around 2,200 times each. In contrast, ‘An event’ and ‘Good for groups’ were the least frequently

cited characteristics. The themes most commonly referred to in the ‘Other’ responses mirrored

those given in response to how a decision to visit was made.

Another source of information is the Regional Access Database (RAD). Created and managed

by the BMC, it provides up-to-date information about crags and the access situation. It would be

reasonable to suppose that many climbers would consult it prior to visiting a crag, especially if

it is one with which they are not familiar. A question was therefore asked (of climbers only)

whether they had used RAD. Of the respondents who went Trad, Sports of Boulder climbing

who gave an answer, over four fifths said that they did not consult RAD.

It may be expected that BMC members would be more inclined to use RAD, and so the answer

to this question from BMC members only were counted. Perversely, perhaps, an even lower

percentage (11%, n=301) of BMC members had consulted RAD than when the sub-sample of

respondents to this question is taken as a whole.

2.10 Distances travelled to area visited

Respondents were given a series of fixed mileage ranges and asked to select which best

described the distance they travelled to reach the area they visited that weekend and asked

“Approximately how far (total) did you travel to where you began your walk in/walk to go

climbing/hill walking?” It has to be assumed that the question was seeking to establish the

distance travelled in one direction, although this is not entirely unambiguous. Logic dictates that

0

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there should only be one response per respondent but, in practice, it was possible to offer more

than one response and some did so. In the analysis, no attempt has been made to eliminate any

responses.

Firstly, the total number of responses by distance range was obtained and the results are shown

in Figure 2.15. All categories of distance were listed with broadly equal frequency – between

12% (for 6-10 miles) and 16% (for distances of 0-5 miles). This differs quite markedly from

many other sets of survey data analysed by the author, in which the shorter distance categories

(e.g. 0-5 and 5-10 miles) dominate. For example, in a recent survey of national trail users8,

interviewees who had travelled less than 10 miles to the start of their day’s activities comprised

43% of the sample: those travelling over 200 miles comprised only 9% of the total. It could be

suggested that people engaged in a specialist activity (such as Trad or Sports climbing) are

obliged to travel to wherever there is scope to do that activity, whereas hillwalkers have a much

wider choice of destinations.

Figure 2.15: Total distances travelled to go walking/climbing (miles)

In order to explore this, distances travelled were disaggregated into responses from different

activities (the six named activities and ‘other’). The results are shown in Figure 2.16 below.

This reveals that Boulderers, Hillwalkers under 2 hours and ‘Other activities’ tend to travel

shorter distances than the other groups. Scramblers are at the other extreme and most of them

travel over 100 miles to reach their chosen destination.

8 TSE Research (2015). National Trails 2014 Visitor Survey. Final report for Natural England.

16%

12%

14%

15%

15%

15%

13%

0-5 6-10 11-25 26-50 51-100 101-200 Over 200

21

Figure 2.16: Total distances travelled to go walking/climbing, by activity

Linked to this question is the mode of transport used. Q10 asked what mode people had used to

reach their destination. As with other questions, respondents could choose from a prescribed list

and ‘Other’ and could give more than one response (which is not unreasonable, given that

several modes of transport might be used by some). Figure 2.17 provides an analysis of all

responses given and shows that ‘Car/van’ is the mode of choice for a vast majority of

respondents (84%, n=3,314). Of the rest, ‘On foot’ is the most commonly quoted.

Figure 2.17: Modes of transport used

A further analysis was performed on the responses to this question – a cross-tabulation between

mode of transport used and distance travelled. The results of this cross-tabluation are given in

Figure 2.18. Given the dominance of car/van use, it is to be expected that all distance categories

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Trad climbing

Sport climbing

Bouldering

Scrambling

Hillwalking under 2hrs

Hillwalking over 2hrs

Other activity

Dis

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rave

lled

(m

iles)

0-5

6-10

11-25

26-50

51-100

101-200

Over 200

Rail 3%

Bus or Coach

3%

Car or Van 84%

Motorbike 0%

Bicycle 1%

On foot 5%

Other 4%

22

are mentioned and the spread is fairly uniform across all categories. Also not surprisingly, those

who used ‘On foot’ and ‘Cycle’ tended to travel short distances only (mainly 0-5 miles). Rail

transport, although not used often, was mainly used for longer journeys (25 miles and above).

Amongst ‘Other’ modes, air flights featured fairly regularly so journeys of over 200 miles was

the most commonly quoted distance for this group.

Figure 2.18: Distances travelled by different mode of transport

2.11 People involved in the visit

Several questions were used to determine the demographics of the groups of which respondents

had been part. The first of these asked about who accompanied the respondent. Yet again, a list

of prescribed answers was provided, along with ‘Other’. Respondents could give more than one

response but this led to an anomaly amongst some responses, where respondents in some cases

simultaneously answered ‘No-one’ and then one of the other categories of companion; clearly

this is not logically consistent unless explained by the respondent answering for different days

during the weekend visit or regarding ‘you’ as being ‘your group’ (such as a husband and wife

team). In the analysis, every response has been included (apart from several which are clearly

suspect).

Figure 2.19 shows the responses for the whole sample. Respondents were most commonly

accompanied by an ‘Other adult’ (32%, n=1,553) with ‘Spouse/partner’ almost as common

(28%, n=1,336). Children did not feature very commonly: 5% (n=232) of respondents were

accompanied by their own children and 3% (n=128) by other people’s children. Not many (4%,

n=184) were accompanied by members of an organised group.

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Rail

Bus/Coach

Car/Van

Motorbike

Cycle

On foot

Other

Mo

de

of

tran

spro

t

0-5 miles

6-10 miles

11-25 miles

26-50 miles

51-100 miles

101-200 miles

Over 200 miles

No answer

23

Figure 2.19: Nature of respondents’ companions

The same responses were disaggregated by type of activity, differentiating between the 6 named

activities and ‘Other activities’. The results of the analysis are shown in Figure 2.20 below.

Figure 2.20: Nature of respondents’ companions by type of activity

They show some patterns that are perhaps not unexpected. Trad and Sports climbers tend not to

climb solo but with an ‘Other adult’ and not their children (or anyone else’s). Trad climbers are

less inclined to climb with their ‘Spouse/partner’ than Sports climbers. Hillwalkers and

Nobody 12%

Spouse/partner 28%

Your own children

5%

Other adult 32%

Other children 3%

Members of club/association

10%

Part of organised group

4% Other

6%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Trad

Sport

Boulder

Scramble

HW <2 hrs

HW > 2 hrs

Nobody

Spouse/partner

Your own children

Other adult

Other children

Members of club/association

Part of organised group

Other

24

Scramblers are more likely to go out on their own and, if a short hillwalk, to be accompanied by

their spouse/partner. Although not a major form of company, Trad climbers, Scramblers and

Hillwalkers walking for over 2 hrs are more likely to do so as member of a club/association than

other activists.

Another question enables the gender split to be established and linked to group size, although in

some cases the answer defied quantification (e.g. in response to question of group size, some

said ‘Loads’ or ‘Lots’) and so had to be excluded. From the respondents who provided the

required information, they were part of groups that collectively comprised nearly 18,500

individuals, split 62.5% male and 37.5% female. Figure 2.21 shows the spread of gender by

group size. So, for example, over 300 respondent groups contained no females, whereas only 64

groups were female only.

Figure 2.21: Number of males/females in groups

A further question asked about the age distribution of the group, namely “Including you, which

of these age groups did the people in your group contain”. More than one response was possible

but the answers did not allow numbers within each age range to be recorded; all that can be

inferred from the response is that there was at least one member of the group who fell into the

age range mentioned. The results are shown in Figure 2.22.

People aged between 26 and 55 were most likely to be found in the respondents’ groups, each

accounting for about 20% of the responses. The younger (0 to 15 years of age) and older (66

and above) groups were least well-represented – 8% and 6% respectively.

0

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3000

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

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Female

Male

25

Figure 2.22: Representation amongst stated age ranges in respondents’ groups

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

0-10 11-15 16-25 26-35 36-45 46-55 56-65 >66

Pe

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Age range (years)

26

3. Spending

3.1 Introduction

An important characteristic of behaviour of hillwalkers, climbers and mountaineers is their

propensity to spend money in the areas visited, thus benefitting local businesses and helping

maintain services of value to visitors and locals alike. Consequently, a number of questions

were asked that relate to spending – both during the weekend that is the main subject of the

questionnaire and estimates for a 12-month period. Because of the importance of this series of

questions, it is made subject of this separate section.

3.2 Accommodation

For those who stayed away overnight in the area visited, respondents were asked to indicate the

main type of accommodation they used. A list of options was provided, together with an option

for ‘Other’. As with most of the other questions, respondents could give more than one response

and so this would allow someone to report that they camped one night and then stayed in a B&B

the next. All answers have been included in the analysis, including two that seem to be not

realistic.

Although the question specified that only those staying away should answer the question, ‘Did

not stay away’ was given as one of the options and this aswer was given by nearly half of the

respondents (48%, n=1,820). The other 52% of responses are shown in Figure 3.1. As can be

seen, a range of accommodation types were used, with ‘Camping on a site’ being the most

common response (19%, n=384). Other forms of rented accommodation (Hotels etc.; B&B etc.;

Bunkhouse; Youth Hostel; and Rented self-catering but excluding club huts) collectively

accounted for 13% of nights away. Mountaineering huts accounted for only 9% of nights away

(n=176). What might be considered the extremes of overnight accommodation – wild

camping/bivvy and second home – accounted for 8% and 2% respectively.

27

Figure 3.1: Type of accommodation used by respondents who stayed away

3.3 Spending over the weekend

The survey asked respondents what they/their group spent over the weekend and a range of

values provided to facilitate answering. It is possible that some respondents answered on the

basis of their own spending, whereas others attempted an assessment for their group. It is likely

that as group size increases, the response will relate more towards individual rather than group

spending. As with other questions, more than one response was possible, meaning that some

inconsistencies were evident in some responses (i.e. someone cannot claim that they spent both

between £0-£5 and £25-£50 over the same weekend – it has to be one or the other).

The question about spending was actually broken down into a variety of types of spending and

the answers have been analysed by type. Figure 3.2 shows the responses combined.

7% 4%

8%

8%

6%

9%

19%

8%

6%

11%

2% 12%

Hotel/Inn B&B/Farmhouse/Guesthouse

Rented self-catering Caravan/Campervan

Bunkhouse Mountaineering club hut

Camping on a site Wild camp/bivvy

Youth Hostel Friends/Family

Second home Other

28

Figure 3.2: Weekend spending by respondent and his/her group (all categories)

In Appendix 2, the different types of spending are shown individually in a series of graphs

(Figures A2.1 to A2.7).

Figure A2.1 shows information about spending on Parking. The majority of respondents spent

nothing (n=2,696) with £0-£5 being the most common response amongst those who had actually

incurred a cost. The numbers spending more than this declined rapidly.

Figure A2.2 shows information about spending on Accommodation. The majority of

respondents spent nothing (n=2,509). However, when accommodation has to be paid for, it

tends to have a high unit cost and the most commonly quoted range is £21-£50, although this

was not a particularly pronounced peak.

Figure A2.3 shows information about spending on Total travel. The pattern of spend differs

markedly from Parking and Accommodation, as the answers were spread much more uniformly.

Just under 300 respondents said they spent nothing. The most commonly quoted range was £21-

£50 but its ‘lead’ over other categories was not high, with £0-£5; £6-£10 and £11-£20 gathering

almost as many responses. Beyond £50, numbers declined rapidly but a small number (n=75)

spent over £300.

Figure A2.4 shows information about spending on Food and drink. Respondents were asked to

make a distinction between spending within the area visited and spending outside the area and

taken into it. In both cases, the majority of respondents spent nothing. However, differences

emerge between those who did spend money on food and drink. Those spending outside the area

tended to spend relatively small sums (the numbers answering £0-£5 and £6-£10 were both

0

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4000N

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Accommodation

Parking

Total Travel

Food/Drink taken

Food/Drink bought in areavisited

Clothing/equipment

Hire charges

Maps/guides

29

greater for the spending outside the area); in contrast, the numbers spending higher sums (above

£11) were greater within the area visited than outside.

Figure A2.5 shows information about spending on Clothing/equipment. Overall, the vast

majority spent nothing on clothing/equipment. Spending is thus restricted to relatively few

individuals, although when spending did occur, it can be fairly high (the most commonly cited

amount was £101-£200).

Figure A2.6 shows information about spending on Hire charges (e.g. guide or training

instructor). Overall, the vast majority spent nothing on hire charges. Spending is thus restricted

to relatively few individuals (n=72) and spending is spread across all the ranges, with a skew

towards the lower levels.

Figure A2.7 shows information about spending on Maps/guides). Spending follows the same

pattern as the previous two categories – with very few people spending money on these items

(14%, n=497). When spending did occur, it tended to be below £50.

A wide array of responses was given under the ‘Other’ category, including items such as race

entry fees, donations and souvenirs (e.g. a picture, a rare book).

In order to explore the patterns further, spending was disaggregated by type of main activity to

see if there were any apparent differences. As before, spending was split by category. Figures

3.3 to 3.10 show each category of spending but split between Trad climbers; Sports climbers;

Boulderers; Scramblers; Hillwalkers (< 2hrs); and Hillwalkers (> 2hrs). Commentary relates to

the differences in spending between types of activist rather than absolute levels. In order to

facilitate comparisons, figures are expressed as a percentage of the sub-sample giving this

response; however, it should be noted that the number of responses varies so the level of

confidence of the findings will vary.

Figure 3.3: Weekend spending by respondent and his/her group (Parking) by type of activist

0%

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Amount spent by you/your group during weekend (£)

Trad Climbers

Sports Climbers

Boulderers

Scramblers

Hill walkers (<2hrs)

Hill walkers (>2hrs)

30

With reference to Figure 3.3, there seems to be little difference in spending on Parking between

different types of activist.

Figure 3.4: Weekend spending by respondent and his/her group (Accommodation) by type of

activist

With reference to Figure 3.4, the general pattern is similar for all types of activist apart from

Scramblers, who seem to be reluctant to spend between £21-£50 on accommodation. This may

be simply a function of this dataset as there does not seem to be any logical explanation for this

anomaly.

Figure 3.5: Weekend spending by respondent and his/her group (Total travel) by type of activist

Figure 3.5 relates to spending on Total travel and this shows a much wider variety of spending

between activists. There are two peaks of spending reported, with Hillwalkers (under 2 hours);

0%

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Scramblers

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Hill walkers (>2hrs)

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Trad Climbers

Sports Climbers

Boulderers

Scramblers

Hill walkers (<2hrs)

Hill walkers (>2hrs)

31

Boulderers and Sports climbers clustering around a low peak of £0-£5, and Scramblers, Trad

climbers and Hillwalkers (over 2 hours) clustering around a higher peak of £21-£50. Of the six

main activities considered, Sports climbers have the most uniform spread of spending on Total

travel.

Figure 3.6: Weekend spending by respondent and his/her group (Food and Drink bought outside

area visited) by type of activist

With reference to Figure 3.6, there seems to be little difference in spending on Food and drink

bought outside the area visited between different types of activist.

Figure 3.7: Weekend spending by respondent and his/her group (Food and Drink bought in area

visited) by type of activist

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

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30%

35%

40%

45%

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Amount spent by you/your group during weekend (£)

Trad Climbers

Sports Climbers

Boulderers

Scramblers

Hill walkers (<2hrs)

Hill walkers (>2hrs)

0%

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Trad Climbers

Sports Climbers

Boulderers

Scramblers

Hill walkers (<2hrs)

Hill walkers (>2hrs)

32

Insofar as spending within the area visited is concerned (Figure 3.7), there also seems to be

little difference in spending on Food and drink bought in the area visited between different types

of activist, although Scramblers have a greater frequency of paying £21-£50.

Figure 3.8: Weekend spending by respondent and his/her group (Clothing/equipment) by type of

activist

With reference to Figure 3.8, there seems to be little differnce in spending on

Clothing/equiipment between different types of activist.

Figure 3.9: Weekend spending by respondent and his/her group (Hiring charges) by type of

activist

0%

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40%

60%

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100%

120%

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Trad Climbers

Sports Climbers

Boulderers

Scramblers

Hill walkers (<2hrs)

Hill walkers (>2hrs)

0%

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Amount spent by you/your group during weekend (£)

Trad Climbers

Sports Climbers

Boulderers

Scramblers

Hill walkers (<2hrs)

Hill walkers (>2hrs)

33

Similarly, there seems to be little differnce in spending on Hiring charges between different

types of activist (see Figure 3.9).

Figure 3.10: Weekend spending by respondent and his/her group (Maps/guides) by type of activist

And finally, with reference to Figure 3.10, there seems to be little difference in spending on

Maps/guides between different types of activist.

A further analysis can be performed to provide an estimate of the average spend over a weekend

by respondents and their companions. However, to perform this, it is helpful to take the mid-

point of each range as the amount spent (so, for example, the mid-point in the range £6-£10 is

taken as £7.5). The ‘Over £300’ presents some difficulty and, for the purpose of the analysis, a

figure of £400 is used for those who claim to have spent more than £300. The results of the

analyses is shown in Table 3.1. Given the use of the mid-point of the range, it would be sensible

to regard these figures as being within a confidence range of +/-50%.

It would be useful to have some sort of estimate of typical daily spend by a hillwalker /climber/

mountaineer. Arriving at a reliable estimate is made complicated because of the use of the

spending period as being a vaguely defined period (a weekend) and by lumping together

spending by individuals and groups. Further, mathematically, it is not entirely correct to make a

sum of the averages for different categories of spend, as they are based on different sub-

samples. However, casting aside these concerns (by summing the averages, dividing the amount

by two to adjust the figures to approximately a single day, and ignoring the individual-group

issues), the average amount spent by a hillwalker/climber/mounaineer was £60. However,

ignoring those who spent nothing at all, then, on the same basis the amount spent was around

three times as much - £180.

Table 3.1: Estimated average spending over a weekend (by respondent and his/her group)

Category of spending Total spend (£)

Average spend – all respondents (£)

Average spend of those spending something (£)

Parking 5,200 1.4 5.6

Accommodation 105,800 28.8 90.6

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

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80%

90%

100%

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Amount spent by you/your group during weekend (£)

Trad Climbers

Sports Climbers

Boulderers

Scramblers

Hill walkers (<2hrs)

Hill walkers (>2hrs)

34

Total Travel 150,600 40.0 43.1

Food/Drink taken 42,900 11.6 18.8

Food/Drink bought in area visited 78,200 21.4 33.9

Clothing/equipment 45,300 12.9 84.4

Hire charges 4,400 1.3 61.5

Maps/guides 10,200 2.9 20.5

Note – see comments in earlier comment about group spending estimates

It can be seen from the figures that, for example, the average spend on Hire charges is low

(£1.3/person) on average because many people do not incur such costs, but when they do, the

costs are much higher (£61.5/person). Another interesting feature is the similarity between

average spend on Total travel between everyone and those only who incurred such costs (£40.0

vs £43.1), which suggests that nearly everyone incurs travel costs.

Evidence from this initial survey suggest that each of the BMC’s 83,000 members could spend

in the order of £60 on each day of a weekend visit to go hillwalking, climbing or

mountaineering. This adds up to nearly £10m if each BMC member spent only one weekend

staying away per year. The actual annual spend by hillwalkers, climbers and mountaineers in the

UK is much higher than this because of multiple visits by BMC members and spending by

people who are not BMC members. It is hoped that subsequent surveys will be able to more

clearly demonstrate spending habits.

3.4 Spending over the previous 12 months

In addition to spending over the previous weekend, respondents were asked to estimate their

spending over the previous 12-months. However, if comparisons are made between multiple

responses by the same respondent (as identified by their email address), they tend to vary.

Nonetheless, the figures given are probably of the right ‘order of magnitude’ and so are of some

value.

As with other questions, respondents were asked to select from a pre-determined range of

spending. The number of responses received for each category is shown in graphic form in

Figure 3.11. Although a few respondents reported that they tended to spend less than £100

(with the exception of spending on food and accommodation, of which many – n=450 – spend

between £51 and £100), and a small number who spend more than £1,000 on each of the three

categories, the majority of respondents spend between £101 and £1,000 annually on each of the

three categories – Clothing/Equipment; Travel and Food/Accommodation. However, the

distribution within these categories varies with type of spending. The most common response

for spending on Clothing/Equipment is £501-£1,000, with a smaller peak at £201-£300. A

similar pattern emerged with respect to Travel. As regards annual spending on

Food/Accommodation, £101 to £200 is the most common response, with a lower peak at £501-

£1,000.

35

Figure 3.11: Estimated spending by respondent in previous 12 months

3.5 Extrapolation of annual spend

It is possible to use the data obtained in the survey and combine it with the estimates of the total

population of regular hillwalkers/climbers/mountaineers and produce some broad brush

estimates of annual spend. However, the figures produced have to be issued with caution.

Firstly, as with weekend spending, it is helpful to take a mid-point of the range for use in

calculations. The upper range (which is without limit) has been taken to be £3,000. For this

question, no option was provided of ‘Nothing’. However, no replies were provided by 450 to

480 respondents (slight variation between categories) and it may be that these were people who

spend nothing but this seems unlikely – it is more likely to be the case that they chose not to

make an estimate. Consequently, the analysis ignores these non-responses.

Using the individual estimates as a base, and working with the estimated population of

hillwalkers/climbers/mountaineers in England and Wales of 350,000 (see Section 2.2), total

annual spending by this sector can be estimated – albeit it with heavy caveats regarding

robustness (for example, it is likely to be an underestimate, as it excludes children under 16 in

England and 15 in Wales). The results are shown in Table 3.2.

Table 3.2: Estimates of total spend

Category Average individual spend (£) Total spend (£m)

Clothing and equipment 576.6 201.8

Total travel 509.0 178.1

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Clothing andequipment

Travel

Food andaccommodation

36

Food and accommodation 405.5 141.9

Total

521.9

It is difficult to gauge whether this figure is credible without some sort of comparison. Clothing

and equipment are, in reality, the only one of the three categories that is likely to have been

studied. A quick internet search brought to light a recent report by Pragma9. This is not an ideal

comparator as it covers the whole of the UK and the market examined will attract customers

from many segments of outdoor activity (e.g. leisure wear, sports etc.). Despite this, it does

provide some context. Pragma report that the total UK market size of the outdoor retail market

was of the order of £1.45bn in 2014. If the estimates arrived at using this survey’s data are

reasonably accurate, then hillwalkers/climbers/mountaineers account for about 14% of this

market.

9 Pragma (2015). Market Snapshot – UK Outdoor Retail 2015.

37

Appendix 1 Questionnaire 4 Pages

The BMC is conducting a survey of climbing and hill walking activity over the weekend of

…………. to try to understand the visitor patterns of climbers and hill walkers and their

contribution to local services. The survey should take less than 5 minutes to complete and will

help to demonstrate the recreational importance of our crags and hills across England and

Wales as well as the contribution visitors make to the local economy.

This survey will be repeated throughout the year so we can assess patterns across each month.

Keep an eye out for future surveys and increase your chances of winning more BMC goodies -

you can complete the survey each month.

1. What activity have you undertaken this weekend?

− Trad climbing

− Sport climbing

− Bouldering

− Scrambling

− Hill walking (under 2 hrs)

− Hill walking (over 2 hrs)

− Other (please specify)

2. Which area(s) did you visit this weekend?

− Brecon Beacons

− Cairngorms

− Cornwall

− Dartmoor

− Gower

− Lake District

− North York Moors

− Northumberland

− Peak District

− Pembrokeshire

− Scottish Borders

− Snowdonia

− South Downs

− Southern Highlands

− Southern Sandstone

− West Highlands

− Wye Valley / Cheddar / Avon Gorge

− Yorkshire Dales

− Other (please specify)

Question 3: If you went climbing, which crag (s) did you visit this weekend? If you were hill

walking, please go to question 4.

38

Question 4: If you went hill walking, where did you go and how far did you walk?

Question 5: What was the weather like where you were climbing / hill walking?

− Sunny

− Cloudy

− Showers

− Heavy Rain

− Snowing

− Windy

− Other (please specify)

Question 6: In the past 12 months, how often have you visited the area?

− Daily

− Weekly

− Monthly

− Several times a year

− First time this year

Question 7: How did you make the decision to visit the area / crag?

− A previous visit

− Friends/relatives/recommended

− Guide book

− Maps

− Newspaper/magazine article

− Website

− Weather conditions

− Part of an organised group or club

− Location of training course

− Other (please specify):

Question 8: What were the main characteristics of the area that made you want to visit? (Tick

one or more)

− Type of climbing (sport / trad / multi pitch etc.)

− Grade of climbing

− Nature of terrain

− Good for groups

− Scenery and / or setting

− Nature & Wildlife

− Accessibility

− Parking

− Peace and quiet

− A particular event (please specify)

− Weather

− Time of year

− Other (specify):

Question 9: Approximately how far (total) did you travel to where you began your walk in / walk

to go climbing / hill walking?

39

− 1 – 5 miles

− 6 -10 miles

− 11-25 miles

− 26-50 miles

− 51-100 miles

− 101-200 miles

− Over 200 miles

Question 10: What was the main method of transport used to travel over the weekend?

− Rail transport

− Bus or coach

− Car or van (own, friends, firms?)

− Motorcycle

− Bicycle

− On foot

− Other

Question 11: Who accompanied you over the weekend?

− Nobody

− Husband/wife/partner

− Children (under 16)

− Other adults in group

− Other children in group

− Members of club/association

− Part of organised group

− Other (please specify)

Question 12: Including you, which of these age groups did the people in your group contain?

− 0-10

− 11 - 15

− 16- 25

− 26 – 35

− 36 – 45

− 46 – 55

− 56 - 65

− 66 +

Question 13: How many in you group were:

− Male

− Female

Question 14: Please indicate roughly how much you spent on you or your group over the

weekend on the following?

− Accommodation

− Parking

− Total travel costs (to and from the destination, and during the trip)

− Food / drink bought in the local area to take with you during your activity

40

− Other food / drink bought in the local area (e.g. pub & restaurant / take-away / cafe etc.)

− Buying clothes or equipment

− Hiring equipment

− Maps, guides

Nothing / £0-£5 / £6-£10 / £11-£20 / £21-£50 / £51-£100 / £101-£200 / £201-£300 / £300+

− Other (please specify)

Question 15: If you stayed overnight in the area, please indicate the main type of

accommodation you used?

− Didn’t stay overnight

− Hotel / inn

− Bed and Breakfast/farm accommodation / Guesthouse

− Rented self-catering

− Caravan or camper van

− Bunk House

− Mountaineering club hut

− Wild Camping / bivvying / mountain bothy

− Youth Hostel

− Homes of friends or relatives

− Second home

− Other (please specify):

Question 16: Please estimate what you spent in the last year on:

− Outdoor clothing & equipment

− Travel costs (for climbing & hill walking trips in the UK)

− Food / accommodation (for climbing & hill walking trips in the UK)

£0-£50 / £51-£100 / £101-£200 / £201-£300 / £301-£400 / £401-£500 / £501-£1000 / £1001-

£2000 / £2000+

Question 17: Any other expenses relating to climbing and hill walking trips in the UK (please

specify)?

Question 18: Did you use the BMC Regional Access Database (RAD) before you left home or

during the weekend?

− Yes

− No

Question 19: Are you a member of the following?

− BMC

− MCofS

− Mountaineering Ireland

− Climbing Club (please give name of club in ‘other’)

− Hill walking club (please give name of club in ‘other’)

Question 20: Thanks for taking the time to complete the survey. What is your email address so

we can enter you into the prize draw?

41

Appendix 2 Spending by type of expenditure 4 Pages

Figure A2.1: Weekend spending by respondent and his/her group (Parking)

Figure A2.2: Weekend spending by respondent and his/her group (Accommodation)

0

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Figure A2.3: Weekend spending by respondent and his/her group (Total Travel)

Figure A2.4: Weekend spending by respondent and his/her group (Food and drink)

0

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Total Travel

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Food/Drink taken

Food/Drink bought inarea visited

43

Figure A2.5: Weekend spending by respondent and his/her group (Clothing/equipment)

Figure A2.6: Weekend spending by respondent and his/her group (Hire charges)

0

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Clothing/equipment

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Hire charges

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Figure A2.7: Weekend spending by respondent and his/her group (Maps/guides)

0

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Maps/guides