Understanding the diversity of recreational walking preferences and experiences: casual and serious walkers in the English Lake District.

Abstract

Abstract This chapter will discuss the findings of a year-long survey of recreational walkers in the English Lake District to highlight the variety of contextual drivers of recreational walking and the motivations and experiences of recreational walkers. The research sought to tease out differences between walkers to develop a typology of walking tourists, and explore the range of associated motivations, the nature of people's walking behaviour and route choices, and their attitudes towards a range of elements related to walking and outdoor recreation. Most prominently this discussion will convey ideas on serious and casual walkers and the walks they choose, with links to the notions of serious and casual leisure proposed by Stebbins (1982).