Slow Ways is our citizen-made national walking network, connecting all of Britain’s towns, cities and national landscapes.
It is enjoyed and made by people like you.
Use Slow Ways for the everyday and the epic: to discover local walks, create challenges and plan long-distance journeys.
We are a not-for-profit initiative created by thousands of citizens. Together we are making it easier to walk from A to B because we believe that if people know they can walk somewhere, they will!
Here you’ll find nearly 10,000 walks that have been shared by people across the country, including thousands of reviews with practical advice and friendly guidance to support your adventures.
We are a community initiative. If you need help, please ask us. We’re at [email protected], on Discord, on Instagram, Facebook, Bluesky, X, and LinkedIn. Report issues at [email protected]
Ready? Get started here.
Our routes
Slow Ways are routes for the nation.
You can explore them on this website, our iOS and Android apps, in our printed maps and atlas and out and about around the country.
Slow Ways began in 2020 as an initiative led by geographer Dan Raven-Ellison, aiming to connect every town, city and national landscape in Britain through thoughtfully designed walking routes. Volunteers drafted routes between 2,500 settlements using existing rights of way.
Slow Ways routes aim to:
- Be safe, direct, and accessible
- Avoid roads where possible
- Include resting places every 5–10 km
- Pass through public transport hubs
- Be enjoyable and easy to navigate
You can see all ten of the design principles here.
Not all routes are accessible to everyone, but we are working to let people know which paths and routes are good for them.
Routes are tested by walkers and wheelers (wheelchair and scooter users) who share reviews with star ratings. A route with three or more positive reviews is verified – a tried-and-tested pathway for others to enjoy.
People can also survey routes for surface quality, gradients, and potential obstacles, such as stiles or mud. Routes are graded using a system developed by Experience Community, helping people choose paths that suit their needs.
With clear information, Slow Ways empowers everyone to explore Britain confidently, creating pathways for joy, wellbeing, connection, and adventure.
By sharing your experiences, you contribute to a growing network that benefits individuals, communities, and the planet. Let’s walk this journey together.
Our mission
We are co-creating an easy-to-use, extensive walking network. Walking enriches lives, connecting people to nature, communities, and each other.
This website shows thousands of possible walking routes that make use of existing footpaths and rights of way. These successfully connect thousands of places, but we also believe we deserve a much better footpath network.
While Britain has an abundance of paths and rights of way, many are underused, inaccessible, or poorly maintained.
As well as showing people good ways to go, we want new and better paths that make it easier for everyone to walk or wheel places.
Our long-term vision is for everyone to enjoy walking everywhere, every day.
- Everyone: Routes must be safe, inclusive, and welcoming, benefiting people of all abilities
- Everywhere: A network where walking or wheeling to any address in Britain is as straightforward as driving
- Every day: Walking and wheeling should be natural parts of daily life – whether you’re visiting friends, shopping, commuting, immersing yourself in nature or going on a big adventure
- Every time: Paths and routes should be reliable, with data available to give people confidence to use them
We’re not waiting for governments to take action. Thousands of people are helping to bring this vision to life through citizen-powered collaboration.
However, we encourage local and national governments to invest in and support this effort – it’s a practical, popular, and impactful step for the future.
What if there was always a safe and easy-to-follow way to walk?
Our team
Thousands of people have contributed to Slow Ways. Some have invested massive amounts of time and energy creating, sharing and checking routes. Without this incredible effort Slow Ways would not exist. Thank you to everyone who has contributed so far. Every walk counts.
The main organising and delivery team is spread across Great Britain.
Daniel Raven-Ellison in Exeter is our founder and CEO. He is a geographer, explorer and social innovator. As well as starting Slow Ways, Daniel is the founder of the National Park City movement.
Julian Lipton in Hertfordshire is our Chief Operating Officer. He is passionate about teamwork, has founded market-leading start-ups in consumer goods, sport, leisure, and finance, and keeps sheep and chickens in his suburban back garden!
Hannah Engelkamp in Aberystwyth is our Story, Culture and Imagination Lead. Hannah is a writer, Welsh-speaker, donkey wrangler and long-distance walker when she can manage it.
Dan Barron in East London is our Community Lead. He is a parent to little twins, a city allotment gardener, and a creator of excellent games.
Eva Outram in Chester is our Social Media and Community Support star. She is the inspirational outdoors influencer @eva_exploring on Instagram, and spent 23 days in the Canadian wilderness for the TV survival show Alone.
Saira Niazi is a contributing editor. Saira used to be our Community Story Lead and now helps with stories and social media between globe trotting and creative writing and being a renegade guide.
Charlie Peel of Urban Good in London makes the beautiful Slow Ways maps and atlas. Urban Good is a CIC that writes, designs, publishes and makes maps that help people understand more about their place in the world and their connection with nature.
Other team-members who have played a key role in developing Slow Ways include Darren Moore (web developer), Lara Kramer (partnerships), Joao Soares (software engineer), Jane Taylor (network-making coordination), Andrew Mackay (network-making coordination), Cristie Moore (community support), Toney Calvert at Colourform (design), and Gary Ismay (iOS app).
A sounding board has been formed to help shape and guide Slow Ways. This group includes Rowena McAuley, Mohammed Dhalech, Debbie North, Sophia Brown, Yusra Motin, Nia Lloyd Knott, and Ingrina Shieh.
Former members of the sounding board are David Lintern, Claire-Jane Carter, Kelly Tourle, Cherelle Harding, Kamalpreet Badasha, Tim Simons, Rosie Watson and Yetunde Kehinde.
Slow Ways has had additional Geographical Information Systems support from volunteers at Costain, including Sophie Stouki, Georgia Roberts, James Cunningham and Monika Swiderska.
Slow Ways is a not-for-profit Community Interest Company that is mostly funded by the National Lottery Community Fund.
Like what we are doing? We would love your support. Please donate.
Slow Ways has kindly received funding from:
We would also like to thank our friends at Costain, ESRI and Ordnance Survey for advice and support
