Hiking is just a fancy word that means going for a walk in relatively unspoilt countryside with no purpose other than to explore and enjoy your surroundings.

The gentle pace fosters relaxed conversation, making it a great way for a family to spend quality time together.

Your hike can be as long or as short as you want and you can choose a walk to suit any fitness level. What’s more, it can be combined with most other outdoor activities. Your hike might take in birding, angling, geocaching, camping, watching wildlife or just having a picnic.

Or you may want to combine a hike with a bike ride. Whatever you decide, there will be a hike for you.

The Ramblers’ Association, which exists to promote walking, has many suggestions for group or individual hikes.

They include routes around the Cheddar Gorge in Somerset, the Weaver Hills in Staffordshire that mark the beginning of the Peak District, the Cheviot Hills Area of Outstanding National Beauty in Northumberland and the Cnewr Estate in the Brecon Beacons.

People wanting to try longer hikes over a period of several days might like to try one of the UK’s many long-distance walks.

For instance there’s Wainwright’s famous Coast to Coast walk from St Bees in Cumbria to Robin Hood’s Bay in Yorkshire, or the Pennine Way trek from the Cheviot hills over Hadrian’s wall and through the Yorkshire Dales, ending in the Peak District. You could also try Offa’s Dyke, from Chepstow in south Wales to Prestatyn in the north. Longer walks require plenty of training in advance.

For short walks you can make do with a map, a waterproof jacket and a pair of hiking boots and you should always have some food and water with you.

On longer walks each person should also have waterproof trousers, an extra jumper or fleece, a large water bottle, snacks, a sun hat and suntan lotion. If you are hiking in remote or dangerous terrain then you should also consider taking a torch and a first-aid kit.

You should never go off by yourself and you should always leave behind a copy of your route and tell somebody what time you expect to get back.

Tips and routes for hikes around the country can be found at www.ramblers.org.uk.

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