A poll of 2,000 adults found 21% admitted they are only able to spend a day or longer outside once or a handful of times a year – with 5% saying they get this chance less than once in any given 12-month period.

Other main barriers to spending more time in nature were identified as a lack of time to themselves (21%), working in an office (16%), and childcare commitments (10%).

Some factors affected some generations more than others, as significantly more Millennials (21%) have their outside time impacted by the responsibilities of raising a family.

Gen Zs say they’ve simply lost interest in outdoor activities

Whereas a higher number of Gen Zs say they’ve simply lost interest in outdoor activities (11% versus 7% overall), possibly because all their hobbies are based indoors (13% versus 10% overall).

Barriers such as these mean the average person spends just 84 minutes a day in the incredible outdoors – and are stuck inside the rest of the time.

5% even confirmed they spend fewer than five minutes enjoying the outdoors in a 24-hour period.

When it comes to actually seeing anything green or growing, time spent reduces further to only half an hour per day – and a significant 22% have under five minutes of daily contact with nature.

Sabina Voysey, director general at The Camping and Caravanning Club , which commissioned the research, said: “Outdoor time is obviously important, but we also acknowledge how hard it can be to spend time in it due to everything else we have on our plates.

“This is one of the reasons we’re so passionate about the benefits of being able to properly switch off and reconnect with nature for longer periods.

“Which is why taking a holiday that has this built in makes it a great option to up your weekly, monthly, or yearly dose of the incredible outdoors.”

What age group spends the least amount of time outdoors?

But how does your age compare to different generations when it comes to ‘touching grass’?

An interactive timeline , developed by the club, shows the exact age where hours spent outdoors tails off due to other commitments – so you can see how you’re doing for your age group.

Factors such as furthering a career, raising a family, and balancing a hectic social life all contribute to time spent immersed in nature at various points, but find out if the barriers you’ve experienced or are facing now are the same as your peers.

The most outdoorsy cohort of 25-34-year-olds are able to spend an average of 104 minutes in the fresh air per day and the highest proportion of this group (11%) habitually do so for six hours or more.

What encourages you to get outside in the fresh air? (Image: Maria Sbytova/Getty)

Those between the ages of 45 and 54 only spend 73 minutes not stuck indoors on a typical day.

Time spent outside then starts to increase again steadily when adults hit the age of 55, reflecting a return to a slower pace of life and easing of responsibilities.

But 61% have aspirations to turn this around and actively make an effort to increase the time they spend in nature.

Methods they are planning to use to achieve this aim included thinking about new outdoor places they want to visit (31%) or walks to go on (24%), making more social plans that take place outside (25%) and setting daily or weekly goals to hit (24%).

One in 10 (10%) are also specifically planning to take longer excursions by going camping.

The research also found which life stages have the largest impact on the time people have to connect with nature, with going into full-time work at number one (48%) and starting a family coming in second place (18%).

Educational milestones such as enrolling in university (11%) or moving up to secondary school (12%) were also mentioned.

When the 28% who believe their generation spends less time outside than the previous one were asked why this is, most pointed the finger at technology.

As increased screen time (55%), more digital, indoor entertainment options (47%), and an overall overreliance on tech (48%) were to blame for this perception, according to the OnePoll.com figures.

It may be this inability to switch off which has become a staple of modern life that has led some (51%) to enjoy fewer extended periods outdoors, to reduce the chance of becoming distracted when they venture back inside.

Aside from being able to disconnect (41%), key reasons for those who actively prefer this option were finding they are able to relax more (54%), properly immerse themselves in nature (38%), and explore new places (38%).

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Sabina Voysey, for The Camping and Caravanning Club, added: “It’s such a shame that we don’t get more opportunities as a nation to get outdoors and re-connect with nature.

“It’s understandable given the pace of life most people have, with multiple commitments on their time.

“But I think all can agree when you do find that motivation to disconnect and breathe in the fresh air, it can’t be beaten.”

How much time do you spend outdoors and with nature? Let us know in the comments below.

Among the Oxfordshire schools to have closed within the last 12 months is Carrdus School in Banbury, owned by leading girls’ school Tudor Hall.

Carrdus School, a preparatory school near Banbury, officially closed in July 2025, following a decision in December 2024 to shut down at the end of the summer term.

This was due to financial instability, driven by the government’s decision to introduce VAT on fees and increased employers’ National Insurance contributions.

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Our Lady’s Abingdon (Image: Our Lady’s Abingdon)

Another private school in the county which has permanently shut its doors in the past year is Our Lady’s Abingdon, which had been operating for 160 years.

The governors at Our Lady’s Abingdon said: “A range of economic pressures has led to this outcome, mainly the introduction of VAT on school fees, higher National Insurance contributions, the ending of business rates relief for independent schools, and rising operational costs.”

Rendcomb College, near Cirencester across the border from Oxfordshire, announced this year that it will permanently close this summer.

This will bring an end to a 106‑year history of educating day pupils and boarders in the heart of the Cotswolds.

The independent day and boarding school opened in 1920 and has around 380 pupils on its roll.

READ MORE: Cotswolds private school to close down after over 100 years

Rendcomb College in the Cotswolds will shut down after 100 years teaching (Image: Saffron Blaze / Wikimedia Commons)

It said that current and projected pupil numbers, combined with the economic climate facing fee‑paying schools, mean it is no longer financially viable.

In a statement, governors said they had “reluctantly” agreed the college must close at the end of the 2025‑26 academic year, after exploring “every other feasible option”, including potential mergers, alternative owners and additional sources of funding.

“Despite Rendcomb College’s extremely strong track record as a school, the reality is that current and projected pupil numbers, alongside the economic situation facing independent schools across the country, do not make the school financially viable in the future,” read the statement.

“It has therefore reluctantly been decided that the school will close at the end of the academic year.

“The staff and governors have done everything to make Rendcomb College an excellent school, and its closure is highly unfortunate but sadly unavoidable.

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“For many years, the college has benefited from significant funding from the Rendcomb College Foundation.

“Whilst this has made the operation of the college possible until now, the enormous increase in the deficit for the current year, and the anticipated financial picture for next year, mean that such support is unsustainable.

“This is a very sad decision to have taken and follows the exploration of every other feasible option, including mergers and other forms of funding.

“Our focus now will be on helping pupils find appropriate alternative provision and assisting our highly professional and dedicated staff to find posts elsewhere.”

Mohammad Bashir, 31, pleaded not guilty on Friday to preparation of terrorist acts and three counts of disseminating terrorist publications on WhatsApp on dates in November and December 2024.

The first charges alleges he drove Jihad Al-Shamie to the UK Defence Academy in Shrivenham, near Faringdon, last August 14 to carry out hostile reconnaissance of the location, weeks before the synagogue attack.

Court artist sketch by Elizabeth Cook of Mohammad Bashir appearing at the Old Bailey in London, where he is charged with terrorism offences for allegedly assisting Manchester synagogue attacker Jihad Al-Shamie. (Image: Elizabeth Cook/PA Wire)

He did so “with the intention of assisting Jihad Al-Shamie to commit acts of terrorism”, the charge states.

The assistance allegedly provided by Bashir was not in relation to the attack on the Heaton Park Synagogue in Crumpsall last October 2.

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Terrorist Jihad Al-Shamie attempted to storm a synagogue in Manchester on the holy day of Yom Kippur in October last year, driving his car at those gathering before attacking others with a knife.

Worshipper Melvin Cravitz, 66, was stabbed to death. Adrian Daulby, 53, who had been holding the main doors of the synagogue shut as Al-Shamie tried to force his way inside, died from a single gunshot wound to the chest fired by a police officer.

Al-Shamie was shot dead by armed police.

Bashir was arrested at Manchester Airport on November 27.

He faces a four-week trial from July 6 at Manchester Crown Court before Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb.

The defendant, of Shaftsbury Road in Manchester, was remanded into custody ahead of a pre-trial review at the Old Bailey on June 5.

Detective chief superintendent Lewis Hughes told an inquest last year that armed officers “discharged several rounds” at Al-Shamie as “he ran towards them aggressively while carrying a knife and wearing what clearly presented as a suicide belt”.

He added: “Al-Shamie sustained multiple bullet wounds and collapsed to the ground.”

Defence Academy in Shrivenham, near Faringdon (Image: Defence Academy/MOD)

Mr Hughes, senior identification manager, said the first shot was fired at Al-Shamie at 9.38am, but he was not pronounced dead until seven hours later because of concerns about potential explosives.

A Home Office post-mortem examination carried out the following day recorded the cause of his death as multiple gunshot wounds, Mr Hughes said.

Giving brief details of the circumstances to the coroner’s court, he said: “Al-Shamie is recorded on CCTV as driving a vehicle into a security guard and the external gate and wall at the synagogue entrance, and then subsequently attacking worshippers and security staff with a knife.

“Armed police attended the incident and discharged several rounds at the suspected terrorist.

“As a result of this incident, three people have lost their lives, which includes two victims and the suspected terrorist.

“Three other victims were very seriously injured, which consisted of a security guard struck by the vehicle, a worshipper completing security duties, outside, who was stabbed, and another worshipper, inside, who also sustained a gunshot injury.

“Whilst all received very serious injuries requiring extensive medical treatment, all are recovering and it is not anticipated that there will be any further loss of life arising from this incident.”