For many, the appeal of adventure sports goes beyond fitness benefits or competition.
The UK adventure tourism market is estimated at £10 billion. It is forecast to approach £18 billion by 2035, and SportsCover Direct’s internal data show an 182% increase in travelers buying adventure travel insurance.
SportsCover Direct’s research analyzed Google search data for over 8,000 adventure sports-related keywords and found that swimming and cycling are Britain’s most in-demand sporting activities, generating almost 85 million searches between them over the past year.
The UK’s most in-demand adventure sports (annual Google searches) are
1 Swimming 69,015,270
2 Cycling 15,866,140
3 Ice Skating 8,198,770
4 Kayaking 3,807,490
5 Trekking 2,547,990
6 Skydiving 2,188,700
7 Ice Hockey 1,662,470
8 Bouldering 1,517,470
9 Rock Climbing 1,391,820
10 Surfing 1,323,250
Swimming and cycling lead every other adventure activity, together generating more searches than the remaining eight sports in the top ten combined. Ice Skating rounds out the top three nationally with 8.2 million searches (still less than an eighth of swimming’s total), while kayaking, trekking and skydiving complete the top five most popular adventure activities in the UK.
The findings echo Sport England’s latest Active Lives Survey, which found cycling for leisure has grown to around 6.1 million UK adults, with swimming holding steady at 4.4 million, further showing that these two activities remain the backbone of Britain’s sporting habits, even as interest in more niche pursuits continues to grow.
The strength of interest in open water activity also mirrors a wider national boom in wild swimming, with the number of Britons regularly swimming in lakes, rivers and the sea more than doubling since 2017, from 266,000 to 543,000
The popularity of rock climbing aligns with a wider national surge in the sport, with the Association of British Climbing Walls reporting that climber numbers across the UK are at a record high, making it one of the country’s fastest-growing adventure activities.
Adrian Hughes, Head of Center at X Adventure Activities Ltd: “I have been involved in outdoor sports for over 30 years and have traveled the world and seen some amazing places with some amazing people, but the most rewarding part of my involvement has been introducing people to activities that they never thought possible.”
The findings also reflect a broader shift in UK travel habits, with ABTA’s Travel Trends 2026 report finding that more holidaymakers are building adventure activities like cycling and hiking into trips abroad, with growing numbers extending their travel season into autumn to make the most of it.
Chris Trotman, Head of Sales and Underwriting at SportsCover Direct, comments on the research: “The diverse range of sports spotlighted by the research is a real positive for the growing interest in more niche activities like kayaking, bouldering, and snowboarding.”
Of course, trying something new comes with its own risks, from a sprained ankle on unfamiliar terrain to a cracked board on the way to the slopes, or damaged kit that’s expensive to replace. That’s why sports travel insurance exists: so people can fully throw themselves into these experiences, knowing they’re covered if things don’t go to plan.
