Inside Muslim Hikers: Documenting Diversity in the UK Outdoors

A personal photo series capturing the growth of Muslim Hikers, from participant roots to drone landscapes across the Peak District.

Joining as a Participant First

When Haroon Mota established Muslim Hikers in 2020, the core motivation was straightforward: encourage underrepresented communities to explore the countryside. Championing diversity in the UK outdoors meant addressing a long-standing representation issue, with traditional outdoor imagery relying almost exclusively on generic stock photos that rarely reflected the populations living in neighbouring towns and cities. I did not join the project as a commercial photographer or with a premeditated plan to document a movement. I registered simply as a participant who wanted to get out of the house, lace up a pair of boots, and spend more time walking in nature.

Bringing a Camera to the Trails

As we began tackling routes across the Peak District and beyond, I started bringing my camera along as a natural extension of the experience. What the group needed was not corporate polish or carefully staged poses, but authentic visual documentation that showed real people belonging on those trails. Traditional outdoor marketing often presents nature as an exclusive domain requiring specialised expertise or expensive equipment. Capturing genuine moments on the path provided a way to dismantle those subtle barriers, showing that these landscapes are open to everyone.

Drone Photography and High-Altitude Scale

To communicate the growing scale of the movement, I began using a drone to film across open moorlands and gritstone ridges. Flying the drone high above the trail revealed eighty or ninety walkers moving together along a Peak District skyline, sending an immediate visual message about strength in numbers. Seeing a large group of walkers navigating high terrain provided a striking contrast to traditional solo hiking imagery. That aerial perspective gained significant traction across social platforms, reassuring people watching from home that they would not be walking alone if they decided to join a future event.

Ground Level Portraits and Unscripted Moments

While aerial footage captured the breadth of the group, ground-level photography focused on quiet, unscripted human interactions. I spent time photographing hikers catching their breath on steep inclines, sharing hot tea on rain-soaked rocks, and laughing together through thick morning fog. These candid portraits grounded the broader initiative, showing the physical effort and honest camaraderie involved in every outing. The images demonstrated to beginners that taking up space in the countryside does not require decades of mountaineering experience or flawless fitness, but simply the willingness to take the first step.

Shifting Narratives and Inspiring Participation

Promoting diversity in the UK outdoors relies far more on authentic visual proof than on corporate slogans. By documenting these group walks as they actually occurred, the photography helped shift public perceptions regarding who belongs in the British countryside. Showing real people occupying national parks without artificial staging created a welcoming entry point for first-time walkers. The resulting visual archive drove a steady surge in participation, encouraging hundreds of individuals to explore the outdoors for the very first time.

The Long-Term Impact of Honest Representation

Visual representation plays a fundamental role in shaping how communities interact with public spaces. When individuals see people who look like them navigating mountain paths and national trails, the perceived barriers to entry begin to dissolve. The photographs produced during these walks continue to serve as a resource for community engagement, educational outreach, and national media coverage. Building an honest record of this movement proves that changing the narrative around the countryside is not about artificial diversity campaigns, but about creating space for real stories to be told naturally.