COMMON GROUND PROFILE
Finding Common Ground in the Outdoors and Beyond.
COMMON GROUND PROFILE
*On the weekend of the 15th and 16th of October, The Hike Society by Columbia put on its first
Annual General Hike (AGH) which saw them collaborate with outdoor communities across the
UK to host a free hike in a location of the groups choice, ranging from the Brecon Beacons,
Snowdonia and the Peak District. In total, more than 500 individuals participated over the
weekend which saw people coming together from across the country to explore the outdoors
and engage with like-minded people. In spite of the UK’s burgeoning outdoor movement, AGH
fuels The Hike Society’s mission to unlock outdoor spaces for new and existing audiences who
previously would have flown under the radar.*
In 2020, our world as we knew it was proverbially flipped on its head forcing many of us to
escape our metropolitan bubbles in search of open, green space for mental and physical
respite. Under the enforced restrictions, we were limited to what we could go and do. Typical
places where you would usually socialise were closed, so people looked elsewhere for that
same connection. As we began to explore the outdoors in a way that had previously been
reserved for a select few, new communities and subcultures began to emerge that revolve
around, well, going outside, as nonchalant as it sounds.
One such group united by a shared desire to get outdoors and escape the mundanities of day-
to-day life, Common Ground was established in January 2022 by a group of strangers dotted
around the Midlands and Northern England. What started as an Instagram group chat and
Discord channel off the back of an L.Holl post, has blossomed into a rising collective of like-
minded individuals who are focused on bringing people together from all backgrounds with a
shared interest in not just the outdoors, but cooking, nature, cars and photography. In a day and
age where subcultures and online communes are becoming increasingly splintered, Common
Ground does wonders in capturing the current attitudes towards escapism in an increasingly
busy world.
During talks with members of Common Ground, they cite that two of their primary reasons for
hosting both the community walks and their collective purpose for getting outside is to explore
new areas and to improve their mental well-being. Rightfully so, mental health has become a
prominent talking point throughout the media and society in general with countless outlets and
individuals pointing to physical activity as a tool to improve headspace.
As well as the
endorphins that are naturally released during exercise, there is something grounding and
soothing about immersing ourselves in nature. Perhaps it's the innate connection we feel to the
earth beneath our feet or the internal peace that it brings those who experience the outdoors in
a pure form. To those people who are looking for a collective to help them break down such
mental barriers, Common Ground is a welcoming safe space for people of all backgrounds to
join.
Whilst the collective mainly operates online, for now, it is very much active in the outdoors. As
its primarily young founders are based in or within close proximity to the Peak District, that
seemed like the natural place for the group to host its first community walk, earlier this year,
given its central location with plenty of trails to explore. Liam Money, known by his Instagram
handle of Foot Down and a founding member of the group, explained to T3, “Our first walk was
in Edale. Us six came along, with our girlfriends, but we were thinking ‘who the hell is going to
turn up?’ And it was absolutely pissing it down all day! In the end, 26 turned up, including one
lad who had driven all the way up from London. He told me he’d driven five or six hours to get
there and that really blew me away. I thought straight away, ‘we’re doing this again!’” After the
first community walk, the collective agreed amongst themselves to host one at least every 2
month.
Suffice it to say, their community is dedicated to the cause as exemplified by its turnout at the
Annual General Hike which took place on the weekend of the 15th and 16th of October. When
deciding on the location for the hike, the group wanted to host it somewhere they had not
previously done a group walk, bringing them to The Yorkshire Dales National Park. Specifically,
Pen-y-Ghent, a natural Yorkshire institution, was selected as the destination for the jaunt and,
despite the odd bit of rain and sporadic sun, the turnout was outstanding boasting over 75
participants.
YOU CAN STAY UP-TO-DATE WITH THE COMMON GROUND TEAM VIA INSTAGRAM (@CMN.GROUND) AND ITS DISCORD CHANNEL - CMN.GROUND.
