Slow Ways - community powered pathways

In early 2020, Dan Raven‑Ellison had an idea: what if walking between towns and cities wasn’t just possible, but easy, safe, and enjoyable? Instead of racing from A to B, imagine a network of “Slow Ways” - routes that take you through quiet lanes, green paths, and hidden corners of England, connecting places by foot.

The concept came to life at a hack‑day in London’s GeoVation hub. Around 70 eager volunteers mapped out the first ideas, sketching connections across towns and villages. Then COVID‑19 hit. Face-to-face gatherings stalled, but the project didn’t stop. The team turned online and, in a wave of enthusiasm, 700 volunteers signed up to help map a first draft of the network from their homes, gardens, and local streets.

Slow Ways quickly became more than a project — it evolved into a Community Interest Company, supported by charities, public bodies, and mapping partners like Ordnance Survey. By the end of its first year, volunteers had drafted over 7,000 routes covering more than 100,000 km. The mission was clear: make walking between places easy, share routes freely, and inspire people to slow down, explore, and rediscover the spaces around them.

We talk about leadership, learning from failure, and creating the space for hundreds of volunteers to contribute to this collective and innovative project.

Find out more here: Slow Ways - help create a network of walking routes connecting Great Britain - Home page and a great blog here about the hackathon buildstories.slowways.org/the-hack-day-where-it-all-began/

The team are now working on Good Ways - “a new app and project to make it easier for everyone to find and enjoy good routes for walking, running, cycling, wheeling, horse-riding, skating, swimming, paddling, pushchairs and wheelchairs – whatever your needs, abilities or interests”

Dan is looking for people from across Exeter to help find and share the best routes the city has to offer this autumn. To find out more, visit www.goodways.org 

Note: We recorded this outside by the River Exe - a bit a test, so please excuse the random noises and glitchy bits towards the start!