By Alissa MacMillan
Q: I just met someone who’s nearing 80 and was telling me he’s about to walk up Mount Snowdon in Wales – his trail is 14 kilometres and his wife is taking the tram up. This had me thinking about doing a hike or walk for our next holiday and wondering if it’s perhaps the best idea for the earth?
A: The walking holiday, be it by the mountains, along the Kerry Way, a pilgrimage, a coastal walk, or a stroll through rural villages, is one of those rare forms of travel that provide a “triple dividend,” says Dr. James Hanrahan, Senior Lecturer in tourism management at Atlantic Technological University in Sligo. “It improves personal health, reduces environmental impact, and supports local economies, making it one of the most sustainable forms of tourism available today.”
It’s also becoming one of the more popular holiday activities, Fáilte Ireland reporting that, in 2018, 28% of overseas tourists included walking or hiking in their stay, be it a multi-day adventure or a long afternoon.
It might seem counter-intuitive, going for a walk when what you want from your holiday is a good, long rest. But an active, outdoor trip achieves just that, improving cardiovascular health and overall fitness, strengthening muscles, joints, and bones, and enhancing well-being, Hanrahan notes. Instead of coming home feeling not-so-well because of a tad too much wine by the poolside, it’s recuperative, envigorating, and can give you a sense of achievement.
And the benefits go beyond the personal.
“Obviously we know the lists of ways travel is bad for the environment,” says Dr. Catriona Murphy, lecturer and researcher at the Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) in Limerick, including the often-heavy carbon footprint from transportation, especially flying, and the way it can isolate communities. But Murphy points out that, if done right, it helps people to connect, it’s good for the community, and it can be good for the environment.
Of course, that all depends on a few factors. “The impact of tourism really is determined by how you get there and what you do when you get there,” she says, walking being “the greenest way to go,” as it’s slow and there are no direct carbon emissions.
“Domestic walking holidays have a very low carbon footprint compared to holidays centred on driving, flying, or cruising,” Hanrahan adds.
It’s also good for the economy. “Walkers often spend money in local cafés, guesthouses, pubs, and shops, supporting rural economies,” he says, and they get a chance to experience the place’s culture, food and heritage. “They require relatively little infrastructure and consume fewer resources than many other forms of tourism.”
It can also be enjoyed by solo travellers, couples, families, and groups of varying fitness levels, he adds, Murphy noting that it can even be accessible for those with mobility issues.
‘WALK IT TO EXPERIENCE IT’
One of the most valuable aspects of a walking trip is, as Murphy puts it, the authenticity. And the chance to connect with the land and with each other.
Walking in nature can “help raise awareness of the value of protecting natural landscapes, wildlife, and cultural heritage,” Hanrahan explains, “and promote a greater appreciation of nature and the outdoors,” a benefit that travellers take with them beyond their visit.
Murphy walks the Camino de Santiago every year, which she loves – “it’s wonderful, fantastic, the Spanish and French villages, and spreading the tourism revenue to a landscape that was kind of deserted.” But she also finds, “Ireland is tremendous for walking,” the country drawing in more Americans than any other international tourists outside Europe.
They come for the landscape, she says, but looking to Fáilte Ireland’s visitor surveys for the past few decades, “It’s the people, the place, and the space, year on year.” Murphy admits, “it’s how friendly we are, it’s corny but true, and Ireland has the natural advantage of being green.”
In recent years, Ireland’s government has supported walking networks and greenways which, she explains, is “greener than walking wherever you like because they are controlled and defined, so you’re not trampling on vegetation and the flora in, for example, the Burren. You’re allowed to be in a landscape that belongs to all of us.”
Governments around the world are increasingly investing in walking trails; they create jobs, support local businesses, and encourage regional development.
There are also initiatives seeking to help those in the tourism business be more sustainable and integrate walking into their offerings. For example, TUS joined European partners on the Erasmus+ WENATOUR project (wenatour.eu) which, Murphy explains, “provides free, user-friendly training in sustainable, nature-based tourism, focusing on walking, wellbeing, and low-impact outdoor experiences.” The project aims to strengthen rural communities and support sustainable tourism practice, again seeing the best kind of tourism as tied to the local and the landscape.
And there are many trails on the island, including the Beara Way, through Cork and Kerry, over 200 kilometres of varied and rugged landscape beauty; the Kerry Way, also over 200km, winding through the stunning Killarney Park; and, the Wicklow Way, at 130 kilometres, including a pass through the Wicklow Mountains.
Murphy recently walked the Clare Burren marathon and was stunned at the beauty and proud of the accomplishment. “It was something out of television,” she says. “The sea churning on your right-hand side, the steep inclines. It was a walking holiday and really showcased Ireland.”
You might also make it a kind of pilgrimage, seeking out holy sites along the route. Nearby in the UK, only a ferry trip away, there are innumerable walking trips throughout Scotland and Wales and across England. Even Mount Snowdon.
There is no doubt, this sort of trip will encourage people to slow down and connect with their surroundings, Hanrahan adds.
“Walking is, by its nature, slow travel, you really get to see the place,” Murphy says. She hears visitors say, “I’m doing Ireland,” and they give themselves a week.
“You can’t travel at speed otherwise every place is exactly the same,” she adds. “You’ve got to walk it to experience it.”
