Famous walkers & hikers

On a quiet, wet day, I got to wondering how many famous people went walking/hiking. I don't mean a one off spectacular for charity or a TV programme but who just enjoyed walking in the countryside like the rest of us. To my surprise, there seemed no single reference point so I thought I would create one. Below are the ones I have come up with so far. I believe this is the most comprehensive list available.

I have restricted the list to UK individuals or residents (past or present), as there will be thousands elsewhere who, frankly, I am not concerned about and who might mean little to people in the UK.

There is not the space to give a detailed biography, just enough to clarify why they are well known. You can look them up if desired.

If anyone knows of any others who should be added to the list, please let me know. It would be appreciated if you could include why they are famous and add any internet references which confirm their walking status in case, for instance, they appear in some obscure soap, or on an obscure TV channel, where they may be famous to thousands but many (including me!) may not have heard of them. I want to be sure inclusion is relevant.

If you are well known and feel you would like to be included or if you are mistakenly included but are not a regular walker, please let me know.

First Name(s)	Surname	Reason Well Known
Annabel	Abbs	Award winning author of historical novels and non-fiction books. Also writes under the name Annabel Streets.
Simon	Armitage	Poet. Walked Pennine way
Kate	Ashbrook	Best known as General secretary of the Open Spaces Society. Also been chair of The Ramblers and patron of Walkers are Welcome Towns network.
Steve	Backshall	TV wildlife presenter and naturalist, rock climber and mountaineer.
Bill	Bailey	Comedian, musician and winner of BBC's Strictly Come Dancing in 2020. Series of pub walks on Channel 4.
Claire	Balding	Broadcaster, journalist and author. Presents the walking programme "Ramblings" on radio.
Floella	Benjamin	Now Baroness Floella Benjamin, OBE. Actress, presenter, broadcaster, parliamentarian and charity worker. Former President of the Ramblers.
Brian	Blessed	English actor
Phil	Bodmer	BBC TV broadcaster, best known as regular anchor on Look North.
Chris	Bonnington	Famous climber author and lecturer.
Ned	Boulting	British sports journalist, TV presenter, pod-caster and author.
Julia	Bradbury	TV personality and presenter famous for popularising hiking with various programmes such as "Britain's Best Walks". Former president of The Ramblers.
Jeff	Brazier	TV presenter and contestant in various TV shows.
Bill	Bryson	Travel author. American but lives in UK. Probably best known for his book "Notes from a Small Island".
Toby	Buckland	TV presenter known from gardening programmes.
Ed	Byrne	Comedian.
Emilia	Clarke	British actress. Probably best known for her role as Daenerys Targaryen in the Game of Thrones series.
Hermione	Cockburn	Earth scientist and presenter of BBC programme "Coast".
Cheryl	Cole	Singer, judge on Britains Got Talent.
Samuel Taylor	Coleridge	Poet.
Fearne	Cotton	Radio and TV presenter.
Nicholas	Crane	Geographer, writer and explorer, best known for being a presenter on the BBC programme "Coast".
Benedict	Cumberbatch	English actor. Many well known roles but especially as Sherlock Holmes in the TV series "Sherlock".
Charles	Dickens (deceased)	Famous 19C author.
Alesha	Dixon	Singer. TV personality.
Natalie	Dormer	English actress. Many roles but well known for roles in Game of Thrones (Margaery Tyrell) and Hunger Games (Cressida).
Hugh	Fearnley-Whittingstall	Food writer and broadcaster.
Ben	Fogle	English broadcaster, writer and adventurer.
James	Forrest	Known as 'Mountain Man'. UK-based outdoor writer and hiker who has gained recognition for climbing all 446 mountains in England and Wales.
Stephen John	Fry	English actor, comedian, author and television presenter
Edward Michael "Bear"	Grylls	British adventurer, writer, television presenter, former Territorial SAS trooper and survival expert.
Muriel	Gray	TV presenter Had series "The Munro Show".
Mike	Harding	Musician, author, poet and photographer.
Elle	Harrison	TV presenter (Countryfile) and author.
Alan	Hinkes	Only British moutaineer to have conquered all the Himalayan mountains over 8000 metres. The current "go to" media choice for expert opinions on mountaineering issues.
Anthony	Hopkins	Actor, director and producer.
Kate	Humble	TV presenter most notably nature and science programmes.
Rachel	Johnson	Journalist, author, TV presenter and pundit. Sister to ex-PM Boris Johnson.
Alex	Jones	TV presenter. Best known as presenter of The One Show.
Gryff Rhys	Jones	Comedian, presenter.
King Charles III		Keen hiker.
Stuart	Maconie	TV/Radio presenter and journalist. Has been president of The Ramblers.
Zahrah	Mahmood (MBE)	Known as the 'Hillwalking Hajib'. Influencer. president of Ramblers Scotland. Diversity advocate.
Jean	Marsh	English actress and writer. Probably best known for starring in ITV series Upstairs Downstairs in the 1970s.
Teresa	May	MP and Prime Minister 2016 to 2019. Well known for spending holidays hiking.
Amanda Jane	Mealing	Actress, producer and director. Best know for appearances in Holby Ciity and Casualty.
Ray	Mears	British bushcraft expert and TV presenter, is known for his deep connection to the UK countryside, regularly leading walks and teaching outdoor skills in areas like the South Downs and Lake District.
Robert	McFarlane	British writer and Fellow of Emmanuel College, Cambridge. He is best known for his books on landscape, nature.
Cameron	McNeish	Scottish wilderness hiker, backpacker and mountain walker who is an authority on outdoor pursuits. TV presenter.
John	Mitchell	Meteorologist working as a weather presenter for ITV on the Yorkshire regional Calendar programme.
Jim	Moir	Probably best known for his now 'retired' comedy character Vic Reeves. Keen bird watcher and gifted artists.
Damian	Montagu	British composer, music producer and songwriter. Some musical inspiration has come from walking on the South Downs.
Michael	Mosley (Deceased)	Medical doctor but best known as a TV presenter, generally on medical, exercise and dietary issues.
John	Noakes (Deceased)	TV presenter and personality best known for presenting "Blue Peter" in the 1960s and 1970s. Has walked Pennine Way and Coast to Coast.
Mary-Anna	Ochota	TV presenter and anthropologist.
George	Orwell (Deceased)	Born Eric Arthur Blair. Famous author best known for "Animal Farm" and "1984".
Chris	Packham	English naturalist, nature photographer, television presenter and author, best known for his TV work including CBBC children's nature series The Really Wild Show from 1986 to 1995. He has also presented the BBC nature series Springwatch, Autumnwatch and Winterwatch.
Beatrix	Potter (deceased)	Most famous as author but also strove to protect Lake District countryside.
William	Prince of Wales	Heir apparent to the British throne.
Mark	Radcliffe	Radio/TV presenter. Has done Coast to Coast.
Anita	Rani	BBC presenter (Countryfile, Woman’s Hour)
Sophie	Raworth	BBC news reader.
Simon	Reeve	BBC presenter and adventurer, known for his travel documentaries.
Tony	Robinson	Actor, TV presenter and writer.
Eric	Robson	TV broadcaster, author and documentary film maker. Chairman of the Wainwright Society.
Gaby	Roslin	TV and radio presenter. Actress. Presented Children in Need with Terry Wogan for several years.
Julian	Sands (Deceased)	English actor. Dies whilst hiking in the San Gabriel Mountains in California.
Helen	Skelton	TV presentor on various programmes including Morning Live, Countryfile and Blue Peter. Also presenter on Radio 5 Live. Participated in various 'daredevil' challenges for charity.
Frank	Skinner	Born Christopher Graham Collins. Comedian, TV/radio presenter.
Chris	Smith	Lord Smith of Finsbury.
Christopher Robert	Smith	Now Baron Smith of Finsbury. Former president of The Ramblers. First MP to finish a round of the Munros.
John	Smith (Deceased)	MP. Former Leader of Labour party.
Rory	Stewart	British academic, broadcaster, writer, and former diplomat and MP. Done various long distance walks.
Janet	Street-Porter	Media personality, broadcaster and journalist. Former president of The Ramblers. President of the Burley Bridge Association, which campaigns to build a bridge across the river there.
Sandi	Toksvig	Danish-British comedian and presenter (QI, The Great British Bake Off)
Carol	Vorderman	Media personality, journalist and broadcaster best known for being the mathematical brains on the ITV show "Countdown".
Alfred W	Wainwright (Deceased)	Probably the most famous British walker, author of many guide books and remarkable illustrator. Devised the Coast to Coast walk from St Bees in Cumbria to Robin Hood's Bay in Yorkshire.
Emma	Watson	English actress and model. Interest in fashion.
Tom	Weir (Deceased)	Scottish climber, author and broadcaster. Best known for TV programme Weir's Way.
Kate	Winslet	English actress.
Levison	Wood	Explorer, Author, TV Presenter. Walked various long distance walks including the Himalayas and the Nile.
Virginia	Woolf (deceased)	Famous writer from the "Bloomsbury Group", a group of intellectuals, writers artists etc who lived/worked in Bloomsbury in the first half of the 20th Century. A regular walker on the South Downs.
William	Wordsworth (deceased)	Famous 18th/19th Century poet most famous for the poem which begins "I wandered lonely as a cloud".

All information on this site is given in good faith and no liability is accepted in respect of any damage, loss or injury which might result from acting on it.

Famous Walkers/Hikers