Outdoor sports may not enjoy the media profile of the UK's most popular spectator sports, but in participation and economic terms they comprise a significant sector of the overall sports market. In 2003, research revealed that walking is in fact the UK's most popular participation sport. Meanwhile a recent study backed by the Countryside Agency highlighted the economic potential of the outdoor sports market, finding that Britain's longest National Trail, the South West Coast Path, generates £300 million a year and supports 7,500 jobs.

Exclusive primary research has been used to build demographic analysis of key consumer groups within the market and to assess how these consumers behave and what attitudes they hold towards outdoor sports. This report offers a unique analysis of the current state of the UK outdoor sports market, (including demand for clothing and holidays) and outlines prospective future developments that will influence the shape of the industry in the short and medium term. These include:

Significant growth in participation levels in outdoor sports

An overview of the market’s recovery from the Foot and Mouth outbreak

Increased interest in activity holidays both at home and abroad

Details of advertising and sponsorship trends within the sector

Analysis of the ages of participants with particular focus on the lucrative ‘grey market’

Key factors that act as motivators and deterrents for outdoor sports participants

The sporting activities covered in the report include walking, scrambling, climbing, orienteering, abseiling, potholing and mountaineering. The term 'the great outdoors' refers to the broad landscape of the British countryside, and particularly to the grand scale rural areas - such as national parks and designated areas of outstanding natural beauty - whose expansive vistas, peaceful nature and dislocation from the urban environment are central to their attraction.