Dining out is our top pastime

Britons make more than five billion leisure day-trips every year, spending £71billion, according to a study published today.

Going out for a meal or a drink is the most popular activity (18 per cent) followed by walking, hill-walking and rambling (15 per cent).

Pam Warhurst of the Countryside Agency said: "It's particularly pleasing to see that walking was more popular with the British than going out to shop (11 per cent)."