Wild Trails Wales Guide: Finding Space in the Outdoors

We live on a small island here in the UK, with a large population. With the age of social media and geotagging, greater car ownership and connectivity, the once-quiet sanctuaries are now bustling with people who have come to experience the amazing places that we have in the outdoors. And so they should, quite honestly. I believe that access to our wonderful outdoor breathing spaces should be a right for everyone, one that comes with responsibility, and needs to be well-managed, granted.

But what if you just really need to get away from it all, find some space and enjoy quiet nature? I have to admit as we are coming out of peak-lockdown I’ve found it really difficult to adjust to places being busy (busier?) again. It is possible to find peaceful places, here is how I do it:

A midweek, night walk in Snowdonia last September

Get up early or go out late

In summer the days are so light, if you get up early enough, or stay out late enough, even the busier places are quiet enough to enjoy in peace. I’ve started going for night swims at my local beach with a friend because it is so busy during the day, and we have so enjoyed swimming under the stars. And I love a good night walk to reach the top of a mountain for sunrise. Of course you have to take more precautions, and pay much more attention to safety if you’re doing anything in the dark.

Breathtakingly beautiful, even in the rain

Avoid good weather

This might sound like a less than ideal solution, but if you don’t get put off by the weather, within reason, and you can see the beauty in all weathers, you’ll find places are so much quieter.

Go your own way

Simply, avoid the busy places - if it is somewhere everyone knows about, it will naturally be busy. Anywhere with a high number of geotags on Instagram will be busy. Those beautiful places you’ve seen on Visit Wales’ Facebook Page? Hundreds of thousands of others have seen them and will be heading there too. So instead, spend more time researching and digging online to identify quieter spots. Learn to read a map and identify where may be quieter, and how to make sure you won’t get lost while you’re there. Also, if you find an amazing ‘secret spot’ resist the urge to geotag it online - yes you may get kudos for having ‘discovered’ an amazing place, but really, to help keep these places special some of them need to stay ‘secret’.

Go further

Generally speaking, the further away from areas of dense population down the narrow winding country lanes you go - those without an A or B number - the less people will make the same journey. Of course, that’s no guarantee and you may end up getting stuck in a tiny area with a huge crowd. Even better, walk or cycle. The further you go on foot or by bike, the less people will have made the journey and those places will be much, much quieter.

My local beach sees thousands of visitors a day in Summer, but on a Winter’s day you can enjoy the whole place to yourself

Go out of peak season

If there is a popular destination that you really want to enjoy, go out of season, preferably during a weekday not during the school holidays.

Everyone enjoying the view from the top!

Embrace it

Most people visit places to have fun and enjoy them the same as you are. It is very curious when someone visits a busy place then moans about all the other people there! The atmosphere in some places on a busy day can be really lovely and offer a different experience - just as long as we all treat the place and each other respectfully.