Taking a hike: exploring leisure walkers embodied experiences

Abstract

This paper uses walk along interviewing to investigate embodied experiences of walking on the South Downs Way, a long distance trail in southern England.Using a qualitative methodology -encompassing 93 walk-along interviews and auto-ethnographic reflections of two walker/researchers -it explores how walkers conceptualise their own walking experiences and captures this information while they are walking. It contributes to and extends the emerging body of literature which explores people's experience, specifically aiming to develop a deeper understanding of leisure walking experiences in the dynamic space of the walk.It examines a range of bodily sensations and emotional states associated with the leisure walking experience in the context of temporal and environmental aspects, identifying those feelings that are innate and those which are mediated by external conditions. Current experiences intertwine with memories of other places and times in a process where connections are made between mind, body, the immediate physical environment, self and others, and disconnections from everyday life and the wider environment. These connections and disconnections create a sense of perspective, achievement and well-being.

Researching embodied relationships with place: rehabilitating the sit-down interview

“…As they led us around the Court, some of our participants provided more detailed sensory descriptions of their immediate surroundings. Scholars who have compared data from sit-down interviews and walk-alongs have come to similar conclusions (Hand et al, 2018; Evans and Jones, 2011; Stevenson and Farrell, 2018; Carpiano, 2009). There was one clear exception to this in our study, namely Kirsty, who during the walk-along interview recounted memories of different neighbours and their relationships with each other rather than using the features of her physical surroundings as ‘walking probes’ (Hand et al, 2018: Evans and Jones, 2011).…”

“…Though most pronounced in Julie’s case, this was a tendency we noted across our dataset. As Stevenson and Farrell note, reflection about embodied aspects and sensory experiences is in walk-along interviews ‘captured in the moment’ as people talk about ‘the feel of the ground under their feet, the wind on their faces, the smells, sounds and sights of the surrounding environment’ (2018: 431, 440). They go on to remark that the pace of walk-along interviews is shaped by ‘[t]he rhythms and the indirect gaze associated with navigating the path’ (2018 : 440).…”

“…We base our discussion on the social science data of the ‘Place and belonging’ project, which comprised an initial sit-down interview conducted with each participant, followed by either a walk-along interview, or a (sit-down) interaction diary interview with a sub-sample of our participants. Many authors who write about walk-along interviews either implicitly or explicitly discourage researchers from using the conventional sit-down interview to study people’s embodied relationships with place because this method is deemed static, dis-embodied and detached from people’s everyday routines and activities (Kusenbach, 2003; Carpiano, 2009; Hammad, 2011; Hand et al, 2018; Stevenson and Farrell, 2018; Clark, 2017). Yet we found in our study that during the initial sit-down interview, most of our participants discussed, unprompted, and in some cases extensively, the sensory aspects of living at Claremont Court and thus painted a vivid picture of their embodied encounters with Claremont Court.…”

The Tourist Experience of Heritage Urban Spaces: Valletta as a Case Study

“…Motion provides another layer to the experience of the city and Stevenson and Farrell (2017) 16 16 contend that the physical sensations associated with traversing a path and avoiding obstacles can widen the broad sensory experience and change their focus to the micro environment. The micro-environment was identified by some interviewees and included an awareness and appreciation of the steepness of steps.…”

Beyond image: Imagined experiences of a destination

“…According to Cutler and Carmichael (), the current research around experiences revolves mostly around the evaluated experience, and there is less attention devoted to the moment‐by‐moment lived experience. However, there is an emerging body of leisure research on this theme (Stevenson & Farrell, ; Wilks, ). Cutler and Carmichael () propose a model suggesting realms of experience in regard to experience formation.…”