A new initiative to make walking more accessible across Great Britain is asking volunteers to “Give a Hike” by helping to review the more than 10,000 walking routes that are being brought together under an app called “Slow Ways”.
Ongoing since 2020, the Slow Ways project is intended to make rural hiking accessible to more people, including those with physical differences and challenges, parents and children, and older walkers.
It’s the brain child of Daniel Raven-Ellison, the chief executive and founder of Slow Ways, who says: “For millions of people, these routes give the psychological security and confidence that they would not have had otherwise. They do not want to take the risk of not knowing whether a route is right for them, or if it is something they will enjoy.”
A website and app are in development, offering 7,699 routes in England, 1,510 in Wales, and 854 in Scotland, with a total of over 144,000 km of walks already mapped out, linking over 2,500 towns and cities across the nation.
Described by Raven-Ellison, who used to be a geography teacher, as an “entirely democratic” process entailing volunteer walkers and their feedback, the idea is to address factors that can be off-putting to inexperienced walkers or those for whom walking is more challenging.
Raven-Ellison points out that rural footpaths and rights of way can suffer from “neglect and overgrowth, which then makes the routes even more inaccessible”. Now though, the information gathered on the app will let user know “if it is wheelchair accessible, whether there will be animals along the route, and if it will keep your shoes white and clean”.
Calling everybody who walks, runs, wheels and rides!
— Slow Ways (@SlowWaysUK) June 3, 2025
Who's up for helping to create the ultimate walking, running, wheeling, cycling & riding network for Britain and Ireland?
Please check out, back and share our new #SlowWays crowdfunding campaign 👉 https://t.co/hsnql40JIF ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/V1Y2VgBft7
Luckily, and perhaps counter-intuitively, the simple act of bringing more footfall to some of the hiking routes will contribute to their maintenance. “Usually, an underused route becomes not properly looked after because people feel disconnected from it. When people more frequently use these routes and get a closer connection to the nature around it, then they will be more considerate about looking after it,” Raven-Ellison added.
A video on the Slow Ways beta website calls for more walk reviewers, calling the campaign a “movement for change.” Eventually, would-be walkers will be able to visit the website, input the name of an area or walk, and find suggested itineraries in the vicinity with enough detail in the description to assist them in working out if the route is suitable for them.
