Up for helping? Choose, Walk, Review
Get involved: Join the National Swarms
Get involved: Councils & Local governance
Up for helping? Choose, Walk, Review
You can get involved by simply walking a Slow Ways route.
By using this Slow Ways website, and leaving a review, you’re helping create a new national network of walking routes.
To help, sign-up, then:
1. Choose a Slow Ways route
2. Walk it
3. Review it
You’ll find detailed guidance on how to do these things on the ‘How to…’ page.
1. Choose a Slow Ways route
- Search for a route on the homepage by entering a place, postcode or Slow Ways route name.
- Browse the map on the homepage by zooming in or out, clicking on routes (lines) and places (dots).
- Use the Journey Planner to plan a longer journey that combines multiple Slow Ways routes.
You can navigate routes using our free iOS app (we’re working on an Android app). You can also download our routes onto a walking app, print them out, draw them onto a map, or memorize them – the choice is yours.
Check the route looks good for you to walk before committing to it.
2. Walk, or wheel, your chosen Slow Ways route
Enjoy walking, running or wheeling your route.
Remember, you’re responsible for your own decisions, actions and safety.
3. Review your route and share your Slow Ways experiences
Help people decide if a route is suitable for them by reviewing and rating it, and let others know about your use of Slow Ways.
You can share a route review on this website or on our Slow Ways Makers app.
- Leave a review and give the route a rating out of five stars. Verify if you think the route should be in the Slow Ways network when you leave your review. The more reviews, ratings and verifications the better.
- Slow Ways Surveys are deep reviews of an individual route that may include technical information, details of features and barriers, and an estimated grading. To ensure consistency, it’s essential to complete this self-verified training before submitting surveys.
- Share your journeys on social media using the hashtag #SlowWays or on our Stories page.
We want every Slow Ways route to be reviewed, rated, verified and surveyed.
You can help with that by:
- Choosing a route that’s not been reviewed.
- Adding to reviews that are already in place.
- Adding to verifications that are already in place.
- Seeing what’s involved in surveying routes.
Get Involved: Individuals
Anyone can contribute to Slow Ways. Get involved by simply using Slow Ways.
Simply create an account, then:
- Choose a Slow Ways route
- Walk it
- Review it
Choose and walk or wheel a single route to a neighbouring town. Combine multiple routes for longer distance journeys – circular, triangular, linear, one-way, or return by public transport.
You might want to walk solo or with family or friends, to see people in nearby places, to get to an event, to work, or for a meeting. You might use Slow Ways for recreation, for health, for contact with nature, for a challenge, to save money or for your own reasons.
Get involved by helping make Slow Ways better
The nationwide network of walking routes has been drafted by contributors from across the country. The next phase of establishing Slow Ways involves walking, reviewing and verifying all of the suggested routes.
Help by rating a route, writing a review, submitting a survey or suggesting a route.
The more people do this, the more robust and reliable the Slow Ways network of walking routes will be.
Share your journey – by word of mouth, on social media using the hashtag #SlowWays, or by sharing a story on the Slow Ways website.
Where might you go? Who with? What for?
Get involved by using and contributing to Slow Ways.
Get Involved: Groups
Hundreds of established groups are interested in Slow Ways for lots of reasons – to use the national network of Slow Ways walking routes in their own activities; to help review, verify or survey them, or suggest other route options; and to be part of a wider collaborative community.
They include walking, conservation, art, youth, sports and community groups. Some are simply informal collectives that like to spend time outside. Most are open to the public and welcome new members.
We are not currently organising any formal Slow Ways groups. Instead, people across the country are informally self-organising to get more involved.
Groups are welcome to use Slow Ways, to contribute and to help build its presence.
- Sign up as a group here.
- Link your own programmes and activities with Slow Ways.
- Walk routes together as a collective, or split up to allocate and review a range of routes.
- Promote, develop and improve local Slow Ways walking routes.
- Connect on social media using the hashtag #SlowWays.
You are entirely responsible for your group and its activities. Please take into account relevant regulations, safety, insurance and safeguarding requirements.
Reviews for group purposes
Slow Ways route pages invite reviews in a set format. Explore and adapt this review process to stimulate discussion and activity about how Slow Ways can be used for your own group and its purposes.
Get involved by using and contributing to Slow Ways.
Councils and Local Governance
Town Councils, Community & Parish Councils, Local Authorities and Protected Areas are all key to making Slow Ways a success. Local government bodies of all levels have extraordinary local knowledge, expertise, understanding and influence.
Ledbury Town Council was the first local administration to pass a formal motion in support of Slow Ways. Many other councils and governing authorities are expressing support and showing interest – and being lobbied by their constituents – to follow in their footsteps.
Support for Slow Ways can involve one or more of the following:
– Passing a formal motion (or declaration, concordat etc.) of support.
– Promoting Slow Ways for local residents to walk, review and use routes.
– Including Slow Ways within planning, policies and initiatives.
– Considering where new paths might strengthen the Slow Ways network.
– Encouraging representatives to sign-up personally to walk and review a Slow Way.
A template report can be adapted to consider, explore and demonstrate support by councillors, officials and community representatives.
Councils that have already indicated their support include Blackshaw Head Parish Council, Bradford on Avon, Buckden Parish Council, Charlton Kings, Clackmannanshire Council, Colne, Colwall, Dartmouth, Freeland, Frome Town, Henley-on-Thames, Ledbury, Leigh and Bransford, Leintwardine, Matlock, Modbury, Rogiet, St Agnes, Tockwith with Wilstrop, Tavistock, Wilpshire and Wokingham Without Parish.
Award schemes
Are you involved in an award scheme? An organiser, participant, or supporter? Slow Ways can be part of award involvement and achievement.
Across the UK hundreds of award schemes engage, inspire and celebrate a vast range of activity. Most, but by no means all, are youth-focused, and with volunteering at their heart. Many involve spending time outdoors – being active, making connections with nature – and are rooted in the local community.
Making use of Slow Ways within awards is encouraged – walk or wheel, volunteer, share experiences, map, be creative, look after a Slow Ways route…
- Walk a Slow Way – choose a route that creates a suitable journey to make links with your award focus, aims or criteria.
- Review your Slow Ways route to help with award achievement and share your experiences.
- Taking action – conservation, citizen science, or social action – can all be part of a Slow Ways connection too.
Find out more about award schemes through the Awards Network in Scotland, the National Youth Agency, the national body for youth work in England, and the #iwill campaign to make participation in social action the norm for young people under 20.
Partners
A growing range of organisations actively supports Slow Ways – encouraging members and participants to contribute to the national network of walking routes. They are linking Slow Ways with their own activities and creating dedicated resources to support this. More partners will be added here, with links to tailored information that’s relevant to their audiences.
u3a
u3a supports people no longer in full time work to make the most of life by exploring new ideas, skills and interests. Across the UK members are learning, staying active and having fun in later life. It’s local, social, friendly, low-cost and open to all. See here for more information about how Slow Ways and u3a are working together.
Scouts
The Scouts is well known for preparing young people with skills for life, supported by amazing leaders delivering an inspiring programme. Explorer Scouts and leaders are making use of Slow Ways in their activities and to make a bigger impact in their communities. Information to support this involvement is here – set out as guidance for running a self-guided interactive session.
Donate & Fundraise
Slow Ways is a not-for-profit Community Interest Company set up to inspire and support more people to walk more often, further, for more purposes. It is providing opportunities for better health, greener travel, and connections with people, places, nature, heritage and more.
You can support our work by making an unrestricted donation or by contributing to the Slow Ways Travel Fund. Launching later this year, this targeted fund will cover expenses for young people who might not otherwise go on Slow Ways journeys.
To find out more and to donate, please click here. Thank you.
Shop
Purchase our Slow Ways walking map of Great Britain. Co-created by thousands of volunteers and designed by our friends at Urban Good CIC, the maps are perfect for imagining, planning and sharing journeys.
Want to wear a Slow Ways t-shirt or hoodie? Visit our Teemill Shop.
All profits from maps, artwork and clothes go into the Slow Ways Travel Fund. Launching later this year, this targeted fund will cover expenses for young people who might not otherwise go on Slow Ways journeys.