Etiquette. Either you love it or you hate it.

I’m on the autism spectrum, so I often don’t understand the unspoken rules of living that the other 99% of the world seems to follow. That’s why I was thrilled when my mother handed Aspie me a fat red hardcover book of etiquette when I was about twelve years old. Any other pre-teen would probably have thrown it in a corner. Me? I was overjoyed to finally learn the rules of life. Sadly, the rules mostly related to cutlery and napkins.

I saw a recent post on Reddit where someone complained about others not walking/riding/running on the left side of the trail. Many people chipped in to agree. Others got upset at the thought of any kind of rules governing their outdoor behavior.

This made me curious. I had been thinking about writing a blog post on trail etiquette for some time, mainly to get a lot of things off my chest about behavior that really annoys me on the trails. So I took to a Facebook group I belong to for UK hikers, and I asked what unspoken rules existed around behavior on the trails. Lots of people were really annoyed with the idea: they said they go outdoors to avoid rules. Others piped up with things they considered to be decent behavior in the outdoors.

The overarching consensus was that the only rule is to be considerate to others. However, it’s been my experience that not everyone is considerate in the outdoors. So I’ve decided to go ahead with this article anyway. I think some people just don’t think about how their behavior can affect others on the trails, so hopefully this will help.

On the concept of “etiquette”

You do you. That is the top piece of advice I can give. This article is not intended to be the definitive rules of behavior in the outdoors. I am not the outdoors dictator.

However…from what I’ve seen and experienced, common courtesy and kindness is not necessarily common sense. A lot of people seem to only think about themselves on the trails, and ignore how their behavior can affect others.

This article is intended to give you a list of things that perhaps you hadn’t considered before. Pick and choose what works for you. Take the tips that serve you; forget the stuff that doesn’t. You do you.

Common courtesy

Everything in this article boils down to the same thing: be kind and courteous to the other people and animals that we share the trails with. Be kind and courteous to the land that we walk, run, or ride on. It’s that simple. Everything else is just details.

Awareness

Be aware of others on the trail. This is the first step towards exercising common courtesy. You need to know that people are there. Different people have different needs and different ways of using the trails: walkers, dog walkers, runners, cyclists, horse riders. And, in lesser quantities: horse-drawn carriages, motorbikes, and quad bikes.

If you’re listening to music in both ears, it will be hard for you to hear someone coming behind you on the trail. That’s why I walk without music, and I only run with one earbud in my ear. You can also try bone conducting headphones like AfterShockz, which free up your ears to hear sounds on the trail while the headphones deliver the music via your cheekbones.

Greetings and eye contact

This is something that others brought up when I asked about trail etiquette. It’s customary to look someone in the eye and say hello when you’re out on the trails—unless you’re in a high traffic area where you’d be greeting people every few seconds. I’m really not bothered if someone doesn’t greet me back, but I do make a mental note of it, especially as a solo female hiker.

Keep left

I’m sure some people will disagree with me on this, but if you drive on the left, you should walk/run/ride on the left of the trails. (Similarly, if you’re in a part of the world where you drive on the right, you should walk on the right) I got into a debate with an online guy about this, who insisted we should walk on the right side of the trails because of some ancient historical reason involving hedgerows and swords. I don’t know about you, but I don’t carry a sword when I’m in the outdoors, so I just keep to the left. Also, I’m left handed, so I’d be carrying my sword in my left hand, anyway.

The obvious exception is if you’re walking along a road, where you want to be walking facing traffic. The only time I walk on the left on a road is if it’s a single track lane. In that case, I’ll walk on the left as if it were a trail, or I’ll walk on whatever side has enough of a grassy verge to hop off the lane when a car comes by.

I actually feel pretty solid in this “rule” because it was sent out in one of the trail races that I ran a couple of weeks back. Since the race ran along public footpaths for part of the course, the race guidelines specifically asked runners to keep to the left.

Single file

If you’re out with friends, you’ll probably be walking in a group, or at the very least, side by side. If you do this, please be aware that it will be more difficult for others to pass you. Just try to stay alert for others on the trail, either coming up behind you or in front of you. Move into a single file to allow them to pass.

Move aside

Technically, cyclists are supposed to give way (yield) to walkers, runners, and horse riders. However, the more slowly that you’re moving, the easier it is for you to move aside to allow someone else to pass. When I’m walking, I always move aside for runners, horses, and cyclists (and faster vehicles). When I’m running, I move aside for horses and cyclists, and I try to move around walkers as smoothly as possible.

Something I learned from the guidelines for a trail race I did last month was to call out before passing someone. Because most of the race route coincided with public rights of way, the race director requested that all runners call out to alert others on the trail that we were coming up behind them. “Passing on the left/right!” was the recommended terminology, and I’ve been following it ever since.

Sadly, it doesn’t always work. Sometimes, I’ll call out to pass a small group of people and dogs who are taking up the whole trail, and they’ll freeze like a deer in the headlights. But I figure that at least I’ve made the effort to clearly alert them.

If you’re on a narrow, hilly trail and there’s not enough room for you to pass the people who are coming uphill towards you, what do you do? It’s customary for the person going downhill to step off the trail to the side, to allow the person coming uphill to continue on their way. They’ve got the harder journey, so it’s easier for you as the downhill person to step aside.

Finally, solo walkers should give way to walking groups. However, I think it makes sense for walking groups to step aside for faster moving people: runners and cyclists (always give way to horses).

Dog walkers

In the UK, there is a law about dog poop: the Dogs (Fouling of Land) Act of 1996. Basically: pick up your dog poop, bag it, and throw it in a bin. Sadly, many people are capable of taking the first two steps, but fail to do the third. Whenever I’m out on the trails, I see little plastic bags of dog poop to the sides of the trails.

If you’re going to bag it, then pick it up, carry it with you, and take it home to bin it. It’s unsightly. Don’t leave it by the side of the trail while you’re completing your walk. And don’t fling the bag up into a tree so it can hang from the branches like some kind of shitty holiday adornment.

Finally, remember that not everyone likes dogs. Some people are afraid of dogs. If your dog has poor recall, keep it on a lead. If you know your dog likes to go charging after other people on the trail, put it on a lead when someone approaches.

If everything fails and your dog barks, growls, or jumps on someone: please apologize and put the dog on the lead until the person is out of your sight. I’m tired of having dogs I’ve never seen before charge at me, jump on me, or bark/growl at me when I’m out walking or running.

Cyclists

If you’ve got a bell, please use it to let others know when you’re approaching them from behind. You might be more silent than you think. As a walker and runner, I’m shocked by how often I won’t notice a cyclist until they’re right on my heels—and I don’t listen to music in both ears, ever. It’s terrifying, it’s dangerous, and it makes it hard for people to get out of your way if they don’t know you’re there.

Walkers and runners: please step aside for cyclists, even though they’re technically the ones who should give way. It’s easier for the slower movers to get out of the way quickly. Also, there are often spaces to the side of a narrow trail where a person can easily stand out of the way, but it would be difficult for a bicycle to fit in.

Horses

Riders: if your horse is skittish, please let others know when you approach so they can get out of the way if they haven’t already. And if you see someone keeping their distance, please don’t encourage them to get closer. They might be afraid of horses.

I’m not afraid of horses, but

You never know how a horse is going to respond to other people on the trail. That’s why I always step well off the trail when I see or hear a horse approaching. If I don’t know the horse, I don’t want to get anywhere near its legs. Also, outdoors guidelines in many parts of the world dictate that everyone (walkers, runners, cyclists) should give way to horses.

Leave no trace

I wrote an article called Leave No Trace: Keeping Our Sacred Sites Free From Ritual Rubbish. In it, I discuss the seven principles of LNT:

1. plan ahead and prepare
2. travel and camp on durable surfaces
3. dispose of waste properly
4. leave what you find
5. minimize campfire impacts
6. respect wildlife
7. be considerate of other visitors

Remember to take all litter home (including dog poop bags). Also, dig a cat hole if you need to have a wild poo. There’s nothing more disgusting than heading behind a bush to use the nature loo and stepping in someone else’s poop. Carry a trowel and a ziploc baggy to pack out the toilet paper.

Be quiet

Please don’t be that person that plays music on a trail without earbuds. Most people who get out into nature enjoy the bird calls, the rustling of leaves in the trees, and the crunch of their feet on the trail. They don’t want some random person’s music in their ears. The same goes for loud phone calls.

That being said, it’s not a library. You don’t need to whisper if you’re out walking and talking with friends. Though, apparently the “library whispers” rule went out of style a long, long time ago. I remember my first day working at the library when I was in university. I was whispering to everyone until my boss asked me why I was whispering. Apparently that wasn’t a thing anymore!

Have fun

Ultimately, we’re all getting outdoors to have a good time. I don’t want to be a party pooper. I do want to encourage people to be kinder and more considerate on the trails. 

Related reading

Read about my two adventures along England’s most popular National Trail in this second edition of my book Alone on the South Downs Way. This book contains all the blisters, sweat, and tears from my first life-changing journey—and all the joy, presence, and magic of the second one.

More than just a walking travelogue or memoirs of a walking holiday, this book contains my reflections on walking the trail, including lessons learned and practical information to help you plan your hiking adventure. It includes a suggested packing list, gear recommendations, and other useful tips, such as when to walk the trail, where to stay, and how much you’ll need to budget.

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