Every UK city has its own distinct identity. Some are more artsy, some are a bit quieter, and some are full to the brim with history. But which of these cities are made up of the most outdoorsy and adventurous people?
This is a question that the reusable bottle manufacturer ION8 looked to answer, analysing the Google searches of 50 UK cities when it came to outdoorsy activities.
Using this information, these 50 cities were ranked, taking into account population and the number of searches that they were making.
These searches included: hiking boots, hiking trails near me, cycling routes near me, camping sites near me, wild swimming spots near me, rock climbing near me, hiking and more.
The total search volume for each city was divided by its population and multiplied by 100,000. This produced a per-capita ranking that allows cities of different sizes to be compared more fairly.
The most adventurous cities in the UK
Topping the list is Bristol. It recorded 18,370 monthly searches in this genre across the 30 terms analysed.
Camping generated the greatest interest in Bristol, with 8,100 searches, followed with kaying at 2,900 and surfing at 720.
“Bristol’s result is driven by interest across a broad mix of activities. Camping and kayaking perform particularly strongly, but residents are also searching for hiking, cycling, surfing and climbing,” said Yusuf Okhai, managing director at ION8.
“That variety suggests people are not focused on one particular type of outdoor experience. They are exploring activities on land and water, from relaxed trips to more physically demanding pursuits.”
Coming in second place was Oxford, mostly driven by its huge interest in kayaking and camping. For third place, it was Manchester, a city which was equally interested in both kayaking and camping.
“Oxford and Manchester are very different cities, but both show strong interest in accessible outdoor activities,” Okhai explained.
“The results demonstrate that people do not necessarily need to live in a rural location to be interested in outdoor recreation.”
Finishing out the top 10 list is Norwich, Plymouth, Leeds, London, Edinburgh, Newcastle Upon Tyne and Glasgow.
Unsurprisingly, if you don’t adjust for per capita, London searches far exceeded all other areas. This was mostly for camping with a massive 40,500 searches.
The least adventurous cities in the UK
If Bristol is the most adventurous city, what is the least? Based on the results, Nottingham ranks as the city least interested in outdoor sports.
That is followed up by Sunderland, Bradford, Milton Keynes, Blackpool, Slough, Newport, Leicester, Northampton, Cambridge and York, all recording the least overall interest in these areas.
Most cities throughout the UK seemed to show the most interest in camping and kayaking in these sports. Orienteering and backpacking were two of the less popular sports across all of the cities.
