βοΈ Get outside
Outdoors hobbies
Hobbies that get you outside: walking and hiking, gardening, wild swimming, wildlife watching, foraging and the water sports. Each guide covers the kit you need, the access rules and the safety points for UK weather, water and countryside.
Showing 60 of 336 hobbies
Gardening
Gardening is growing herbs, vegetables or flowers in a garden, allotment, balcony or windowsill, learning your light, soil and seasons as you go.
Open guide βWalking & Hiking
Walking and hiking means exploring routes on foot, from park loops to hill and coastal paths, building up distance, terrain and navigation skills.
Open guide βBirdwatching
Birdwatching is spotting and identifying wild birds by sight and sound, using binoculars and a field guide, in gardens, parks, woods, wetlands and on the coast.
Open guide βStargazing
Stargazing is observing the night sky with your eyes, binoculars or a telescope, learning constellations, planets, the Moon and meteor showers from the UK.
Open guide βCamping
Camping is sleeping outdoors in a tent on a campsite or in the wild, learning to pitch, sleep, cook and stay comfortable and safe in changing weather.
Open guide βFishing
Fishing is catching fish with a rod and line, from coarse fishing on lakes and canals to sea fishing and fly fishing, with a focus on watercraft and fish welfare.
Open guide βGeocaching
Geocaching is a worldwide treasure hunt where you use a phone or GPS to find hidden containers, sign the logbook inside and log your find online.
Open guide βForaging
Foraging is gathering wild food such as berries, leaves, nuts and flowers from hedgerows, woods and shores, and learning to identify each one with certainty.
Open guide βBeachcombing
Beachcombing is walking the shoreline and strandline to collect sea glass, shells, driftwood, fossils and interesting stones left by the tide.
Open guide βDisc Golf
Disc golf is a game where you throw flying discs from a tee into a chain basket in as few throws as possible, played on park or woodland courses.
Open guide βGolf
Golf is a game of hitting a ball round a course of 9 or 18 holes with as few shots as possible, learned through lessons, a driving range and short pay-and-play rounds.
Open guide βAntiquing
Antiquing is hunting for and buying genuine old furniture, silver, china and curios at antiques fairs, centres, auctions and markets, learning what to look for as you go.
Open guide βMineral Collecting
Mineral collecting is finding, buying and identifying crystals and rock specimens, from mine spoil and beaches to fairs, then labelling each with where it came from.
Open guide βBackpacking
Backpacking is walking for several days while carrying everything you need, such as a tent, sleeping bag, stove and food, on trails, national trails and hills in the UK and beyond.
Open guide βWild Camping
Wild camping is pitching a lightweight tent away from campsites and leaving no trace; generally allowed in Scotland, but elsewhere needs landowner permission.
Open guide βCar Camping
Camping beside your car on a campsite with a family tent, stove and camp kitchen, with no gear to carry beyond a few metres.
Open guide βCampervanning
Campervanning is travelling and sleeping in a van fitted with a bed and basic kitchen, whether hired for a weekend or converted, staying at campsites and approved pitches.
Open guide βBushcraft
Bushcraft is learning woodland skills such as fire lighting, shelter building, knife work, cordage and finding safe water, using natural materials and simple tools.
Open guide βSurvival Skills
Survival skills are the practical outdoor basics for staying safe in an emergency: building shelter, finding and treating water, making fire, navigating and signalling for help.
Open guide βTrail Running
Trail running is running on off-road paths, fells and woodland tracks, where uneven ground, hills and mud set the pace more than the watch does.
Open guide βFell Running
Fell running is off-road racing and running over steep, rough upland terrain, using map and compass and carrying waterproofs and safety kit.
Open guide βMountain Biking
Mountain biking is riding a rugged off-road bike on woodland tracks, hill trails and purpose-built trail centres, mixing climbs, descents and bike-handling skills.
Open guide βBMX
Riding small-wheeled BMX bikes for racing on dirt tracks, park and street tricks, dirt jumps or flatland, starting with bike control on a car park or pump track.
Open guide βGravel Cycling
Riding drop-bar or sturdy bikes on mixed surfaces such as bridleways, canal towpaths, forest tracks and quiet lanes, in rides of 20 to 60 miles.
Open guide βBikepacking
Bikepacking is multi-day cycling with your camping kit strapped to the bike in frame, saddle and handlebar bags, usually on bridleways, gravel tracks and quiet lanes.
Open guide βCanoeing
Paddling an open canoe with a single-bladed paddle on a canal, lake or slow river, learning to steer straight, turn and recover from a capsize.
Open guide βSailing
Sailing small dinghies on lakes, reservoirs and the coast, learning to steer, trim the sails and tack, then moving on to larger boats and racing.
Open guide βWindsurfing
Standing on a board and steering a sail with the wind, starting with lessons on sheltered flat water and moving to open sea or lakes.
Open guide βKitesurfing
Riding a small board across water while pulled by a large controllable power kite, learned through a structured course with a qualified instructor.
Open guide βBodyboarding
Bodyboarding is riding breaking waves lying down on a short foam board, using fins and a wetsuit to catch waves close to the shore at UK surf beaches.
Open guide βSnorkelling
Snorkelling is floating at the surface in a mask, snorkel and fins to watch fish, seaweed and seabed life below, in the sea, lakes or rivers.
Open guide βScuba Diving
Scuba diving is exploring underwater using a tank of compressed air, learned through a course covering theory, pool skills and open-water dives with an instructor.
Open guide βFreediving
Freediving is diving underwater on a single breath without breathing apparatus, learned through a course in a pool or open water with a buddy and instructor.
Open guide βOpen Water Swimming
Open water swimming means swimming in lakes, rivers, lidos and the sea, where cold, currents and no pool wall change how you swim.
Open guide βWhitewater Rafting
Whitewater rafting is paddling an inflatable raft down fast, rocky river rapids with a guide and a crew, graded by difficulty from calm Grade 1 to extreme Grade 5.
Open guide βCanyoning
Canyoning is travelling down a river gorge by walking, scrambling, abseiling, jumping and sliding, in a wetsuit and helmet, usually with a qualified guide.
Open guide βCoasteering
Coasteering is a guided adventure along a rocky shoreline in a wetsuit and helmet, mixing sea swimming, scrambling over rocks and jumping into deep water.
Open guide βMountaineering
Mountaineering is climbing mountains by routes that need ropes, ice axes and crampons, combining hillwalking, scrambling and winter or alpine climbing skills.
Open guide βBouldering
Bouldering is climbing short, hard routes called problems without ropes or harnesses, using crash mats for safety, at indoor walls and on outdoor rocks.
Open guide βAbseiling
Abseiling is descending a fixed rope on a harness and friction device, controlling your speed with a braking hand, down cliffs, quarry faces, towers and climbing-centre walls.
Open guide βCaving
Exploring natural caves and potholes underground with helmet and lamp, from walk-in passages and crawls to wet streamways and vertical shafts with a club.
Open guide βSnowboarding
Snowboarding is sliding downhill on snow standing sideways on a single board, learning to link turns on gentle slopes before moving to steeper runs, parks and off-piste.
Open guide βAlpine Skiing
Alpine skiing is sliding down prepared snow slopes on fixed-heel skis, learning to turn, control speed and stop, at mountain resorts and UK indoor snow centres and dry slopes.
Open guide βCross Country Skiing
Cross-country skiing is gliding over snow on light skis with free heels, using classic kick-and-glide or skating technique along groomed tracks and across open country.
Open guide βSnowshoeing
Snowshoeing is walking over snow on wide frames strapped to your boots, which spread your weight so you can hike winter trails and hills without sinking in.
Open guide βSledding
Riding a plastic or wooden sledge down snowy slopes, and learning to choose safe hills, steer by weight, and stop before the bottom.
Open guide βHorse Riding
Horse riding is learning to ride and handle horses in lessons at a riding school, building from walk and trot to canter, hacking and jumping.
Open guide βPony Trekking
Pony trekking is a guided countryside ride on a quiet horse or pony, led by stable staff along trails, beaches and hills, with no riding experience needed.
Open guide βDog Walking
Taking dogs out on regular countryside, park and woodland walks, joining group walks or volunteering to walk dogs from a local rescue shelter.
Open guide βNature Walking
Slow, observant walks in parks, woods and along footpaths where you stop to identify birds, trees and plants and keep a simple record of what you find.
Open guide βWildlife Tracking
Wildlife tracking is reading footprints, droppings, feeding signs and trails in the field to work out which animals have passed, and when, without needing to see them.
Open guide βButterfly Watching
Butterfly watching is spotting and identifying wild butterflies in meadows, woods and gardens, learning their flight times, habitats and the plants they need.
Open guide βWhale Watching
Whale watching in the UK means spotting whales, dolphins and porpoises from headlands or boat trips, mostly around Scotland, Wales and south-west England.
Open guide βRock Pooling
Rock pooling is exploring the pools left by the falling tide on a rocky shore, looking for crabs, anemones, prawns, fish and other sea creatures, then putting them back.
Open guide βFossil Hunting
Fossil hunting is searching beaches, quarries and cliff-foot shingle for ammonites, belemnites, shark teeth and other fossils, then identifying and recording what you find.
Open guide βGold Panning
Gold panning is swirling river gravel in a shallow pan so heavy gold flakes settle while lighter sand and stones wash away, searching for tiny specks in UK streams.
Open guide βMetal Detecting
Metal detecting is sweeping a coil over fields, parks or beaches, with the landowner's permission, to find buried coins, jewellery and historic objects.
Open guide βMagnet Fishing
Throwing a strong neodymium magnet on a rope into canals, rivers and ponds to pull up lost metal objects, with permission and a bucket for the rubbish.
Open guide βKite Flying
Kite flying is launching and controlling single-line or steerable kites in the wind, from simple delta kites on a beach to two-line stunt kites that loop and dive.
Open guide βDrone Flying
Drone flying is piloting a small remote-controlled multirotor, usually with a camera, to take aerial photos and video within UK Civil Aviation Authority rules.
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