This Sunday, January 12, 2025, the annual hike organized by the Cyclos de Saint-Benoît is taking place. No less than 1,800 people are expected at the La Hune hall which will be the scene of the launch of this 34e edition. It will include three walking courses of 8, 12 and 16 km as well as two mountain bike courses of 25 and 45 km.
“People started walking again”
The success of this hike in Saint-Benoît reflects a craze born in the aftermath of a health crisis that forced us all to stop our connections and our activities: hiking has experienced great growth. “Following Covid, we experienced a great recovery. Particularly regarding walking guides, our sales have exploded! People started walking again, it was beneficial for us », Explains Nicole Baty, president of the departmental committee of the French Hiking Federation.
This craze for hiking immediately caused membership to skyrocket. A few years later, the 35 clubs in Vienne affiliated to the French Hiking Federation bring together nearly 2,900 members. A very good figure placing the department among the top concentration of hikers in France.
These good results are also due to the variety of profiles of people who are interested in hiking, as the departmental president comments: « There are several types of hikers. We have the contemplatives, present for nature and the beautiful environment. There are also people who come for performance, to go on long hikes as quickly as possible. Finally, some people seek social connections through hiking, they appreciate being part of a group ».
Seduce young people
To date, the public attracted by hiking is quite elderly, and this is an area of development to work on for the years to come, believes Nicole Baty: “We have a lot of retirees among our members, some young people certainly, but not enough. Perhaps they are looking for a more intense activity…” This undoubtedly explains the great progress, over the last three years, in transversal activities such as Nordic walking or even coastal walking, two practices that are more physical and more complete than hiking.
The goal is to attract more and more young hikers to the trails. This is why many offers for those under 26 have recently been put in place. In addition, since licenses very rarely exceed 40 euros, this allows accessibility to as many people as possible, particularly students.
Note that history and hiking enthusiasts will be able, between now and the summer, to combine the two in a single new Great Hike currently being marked out. It will be called “The Paths of the Hundred Years’ War”. On the menu, five departments and three regions linking the town of Montluçon to that of Poitiers. Enough to delight the 2,900 licensees in Vienna, and more.
A sometimes double-edged success
The success of hiking, like that experienced by the Saint-Benoît meeting, can have a downside: “It’s a good thing to democratize this practice, a gathering like this does not only attract walkers, but also families, the youngest. On the other hand, that’s a lot of people on the trails, we hope they won’t be too damaged.”
