Can You Start Family Walks Without Spending Money? Yes – Here’s How

Can you begin family walks without spending any money?

Yes, you absolutely can start walking with your family without spending any money! We certainly did! We were fed up with never being able to afford to go anywhere – holidays, days out, etc – then it suddenly dawned on us that we had so much to see on our doorstep – for free – we just had to get up off the sofa. Walking is one of the easiest and most accessible ways to spend quality time together outdoors, and it doesn’t need any special equipment or expenses. Hiking is generally free or low-cost, and there are plenty of ways to make it affordable. Here are some tips to make family hiking accessible on a budget:

1. Find Local Trails or Parks

• Look for parks and trails in your local area. Many parks and nature reserves have free entry, though some may have a small parking fee, but overall costs are minimal. Local parks, forests, public lands – and even local streets – are great options.
• Explore the areas around your home. City parks, nature reserves, and even nearby streets can offer plenty of opportunities for walking. If you don’t know what rights of ways are near you, you can buy used OS maps (I’ve seen them from 99p on eBay) or even better, you can actually borrow them from your local library too – and that’s free! Not being able to drive or get public transport to somewhere shouldn’t stop you either – it might mean you are always walking around the same places, but getting outdoors time anywhere is amazing for your – and your children’s – mental and physical health!

2. Choose Simple, Familiar Routes

• You don’t need to travel far. A walk around your neighbourhood, visiting a nearby playground, or heading to a local forest or open space can be a fun adventure for kids.
• When we first started walking we were walking the same little circular with the dog, but although the adults might find this boring, it never ceased to amaze me how much of an adventure it was for the boys! Changing weathers, seasons and animals or people that we saw kept it exciting to them.

3. Use What You Have

• You don’t need expensive gear. Comfortable shoes with good grip, layered clothing, and backpacks you already own will often work just fine. Over time, you can gradually invest in more specialised gear – if needed.
• Our first walks with the children were in our normal trainers or wellys, the children’s school coats, and I used an old laptop bag I had for work to carry everything in (it was uncomfortable, for sure, but it did the job!).

4. Pack Your Own Food and Water

• Prepare snacks and lunches at home to avoid eating out – why not turn it into a picnic? Simple things like sandwiches, trail mix, or fruit can keep everyone energised on the go, but breaking out the picnic blanket can make it a memorable occasion and a welcome moment to rest feet. Bring plenty of water in reusable bottles to avoid buying drinks.
• I’ve always been a big believer in packing your own food. Aside from the fact that you can’t always guarantee you’ll be passing anywhere with food, convenience food like pre-packed sandwiches and drinks bottles are hugely expensive – and not great for the environment either! Create and pack food you would normally have at home, and use the children’s school water bottles, or flasks you might have lying around, to carry water.

5. Look for Budget-Friendly Gear

• If you do need gear, check out secondhand stores, online marketplaces, or even eBay for good deals on used equipment. Community groups may also offer lending options for gear like backpacks or trekking poles, or community members might be happy to pass on their unused items.
• There are so many bargains to be had on places like eBay or even Facebook marketplace (a friend even recommended Vinted) – children grow out of their clothes so fast, so you can often find a lot of outdoor gear and shoes that have barely been used for great prices – often great brands too! Places like Go Outdoors and Mountain Warehouse have also been a popular choice for us – some of their deals and sales have enabled us to get great items for our boys that we could not otherwise have afforded!

6. Involve the Children in Planning

• Make it an adventure! Let the children help decide where to go or what to bring. This can give them a sense of ownership and excitement.
• Packing for a walk can be a lot of fun – you may be surprised (or not!) to see what a 3-year old might suggest is needed for a walk! For older children, let them help you create a route using a map – our eldest had the best time creating and leading his very own walk recently – don’t forget, you can also borrow OS maps from the library, so you can even practice map reading together!

7. Think Outside the Box when it comes to Replacing your Children’s Clothing

• When buying new clothing for my boys to replace things that are too small or well worn, I try to buy things that will cover both their comfort/style desires and double up for walking. We’ve found some great technical trousers that look pretty stylish too and can be worn on walks as well as at home or with their friends, and the same goes for some of their t-shirts too. When they needed jumpers again, we got a great 2-for-1 deal on some hooded fleeces from Mountain Warehouse – they look stylish and they are perfect for layering up when walking. If your child’s school isn’t massively strict on uniform, I have seen some great black hiking shoes and boots for children too – so use your school-shoes budget to buy walking boots instead!

8. Incorporate Games

• Make the walk more exciting for children by adding games like scavenger hunts, “I Spy,” or races to landmarks like trees or benches.
• I wrote this article on fun things you can do on a roadtrip with children – most of these would be fun played on a walk too!

9. Find Local Groups

• If you still have no idea where to start, look for local walking groups or schemes. With a lot of focus on encouraging people to get outdoors, there has been an increase in groups of communities coming together, and the internet makes it even easier to find them! Local groups can help create strong friendships with other like-minded families, offer advice on equipment or good local walks, share gear when no longer needed, or even share costs of bulk buying equipment with group-buys or group organised events (such as mini bus hire), making walks to places further from home more affordable and accessible.

10. Track Progress

• You could create a walking journal to note what you’ve seen or keep track of how many steps you’ve taken using free apps or even handwritten notes.
• Or why not write a blog like me? I love doing a write up after a walk, it helps cement the day’s activity together, and the children like to get involved too, often choosing the photos and giving me some feedback on the walk. You can record on Strava and add photos and notes too. Alternatively, a paper journal would be a beautiful idea, and makes a lovely item to look back on with the children when they are older – I’m sure you would spend hours with them looking back and chatting about those walks. Maybe keep it simple with a photo album? Or perhaps you’re more of a facts and figures person? Then get yourself on excel and record all those important bits of data – I do this myself and I love looking back at the different bits of data I record.

Remember, Family Hiking is Not Only Free – But it’s Good For Everyone Too!

I wrote a whole article about how great getting outside is good for children, but it’s important to remember that there are benefits for the adults too. If you’re still wondering whether hiking is even worth it, why not consider the following:

• Physical Health: Hiking is a great way to start getting active. You don’t have to start off doing full day hikes – we started off doing local walks of just 1 or 2 miles. In fact, it’s much better for those coming from a sedentary lifestyle to start with short walks and slowly build in those miles, otherwise you risk causing yourself an injury.
• Mental Well-Being: There is a LOT of talk about mental well-being these days, with a lot of stresses being caused by work, money worries or even social-media related. Getting outdoors takes you way from all of those worries (yes, turn that phone off on your walks and look around you, not at the screen!). Getting out into nature is regularly attributed to improving people’s mental health – check out some of those benefits here!
• Family Bonding: I brushed upon this in my post about the benefits of family nature walks – don’t underestimate the importance of time spent as a family on walks, no matter how long or short. Any time where you are 100% focused on the children and can’t be pulled away by phones or computers or anything else that usually distracts you, is time that will be cherished by your children – and even you!

In short, hiking doesn’t have to be expensive. As with many activity’s, it can be as expensive, or as cheap, as you make it. With a bit of planning, and thinking outside the box, it can be a very fun and accessible activity for any family!

Have you started this fun activity on a shoestring budget? Do you have any tips?