About Us
Slow Ways is an initiative to create a national network of walking routes connecting all of Great Britain’s towns and cities as well as thousands of villages.
Using existing paths, ways, trails and roads, people can use Slow Ways routes to walk or wheel between neighbouring settlements, and combine them to create longer distance trips. It’s designed to make it easier for people to imagine, plan and go on walking journeys.
There are currently over 7,000 Slow Ways stretching for over 100,000km. This network of routes was created by 700 volunteers during the Spring 2020 lockdown, creating a unique Slow Ways map in the process.
The next challenge in 2021 is to walk, review and verify them all - checking 100,000km of Slow Ways in the process.
Slow Ways aims to inspire and support more people to walk more often, further and for more purposes.
While there are thousands of miles of paths linking places across Great Britain, there isn't a comprehensive and trusted network designed to help people walk off-road between towns and cities. That’s what the Slow Ways initiative, with its distinctive geometric connections, is creating.
The vast majority of Slow Ways routes start and finish in populated places, with varied transport links, food and accommodation options. This makes it easier and more affordable to plan short, medium and long-distance journeys.
As people walk and wheel, review, rate, survey and create new routes this will evolve into a network of ‘verified’ routes, ones that can be used with confidence. Over time, this will help people with specific needs and desires easily find routes that meet their requirements.
Slow Ways is a positive and timely initiative. Walking can improve health and wellbeing, help tackle climate and ecological emergencies, save people money, improve our environment, create memories and bring joy to people's lives.
Slow Ways is a collaborative effort:
- 70 people helped test the idea at a Slow Ways hack day in February 2020.
- 700 people helped plot a first draft of the network during the Spring 2020 lockdown.
- 80,000 people registered to help walk and review routes by Winter 2020
Because of this scale of support, Slow Ways CIC was formed in 2020 as a not-for-profit community interest company.
All of the route information that’s collated will always be free to browse, search, view, share and download.
We plan for versions of the verified network of Slow Ways walking routes to be released under a Creative Commons license so that people and organisations can freely download, share and innovate with it.
Up for helping? To get started, sign up, then:
1. Choose a Slow Ways route
2. Walk, or wheel it
3. Review it
Press releases
The new project to map Britain’s worst and non-existent paths
Have you ever wanted a path where there isn’t one? Or ever felt frustrated by obstacles, like overgrowth, cows, ditches or dangerous roads?... read more
24.11.2023 • By Slow Ways
People wanted from every town and city in Great Britain to help make a...
During the Spring 2020 lockdown volunteers from across the nation plotted a network of walking routes that connect all of Great Britain’s towns... read more
10.05.2021 • By Slow Ways
