Slow Ways is a website launched in 2021 which enables users to plot a route between two settlements in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. The routes are not intended to be the fastest route possible, but rather encourage walkers to rediscover unused footpaths and engage in more leisurely walks.

Features

Slow Ways routes are mapped on the

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maps platform and made available for free on the Slow Ways website. Users can plot a route between two settlements, or chain multiple settlements into a larger route. Routes are named by combining the first three letters of the origin and destination, such as ''Salwin'' for the route between

Salisbury Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath. Salisbury is in the southeast of Wil ...

and

Winchester Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...

. Routes on the website are generally as easy as possible to navigate, avoiding

points of interest A point of interest (POI) is a specific point location that someone may find useful or interesting. An example is a point on the Earth representing the location of the Eiffel Tower, or a point on Mars representing the location of its highest m ...

and difficult terrain. They are usually less than 20km in length, and where possible pass through villages on a regular basis. Routes display various accessibility features, such as their suitability for wheelchair users.

History

Slow Ways was created by Dan Raven-Ellison and is supported by

. Raven-Ellison hoped that the website would allow walkers to rediscover unused footpaths, walk in place of driving or taking public transport, and engage with slower travel between locations. He was inspired to start the project while on a walk between Salisbury and Winchester. Raven-Ellison also hopes the routes will encourage local walkers to campaign for paths to remain accessible and well-maintained. During the United Kingdom's

COVID-19 lockdown Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of non-pharmaceutical interventions colloquially known as lockdowns (encompassing stay-at-home orders, curfews, quarantines, and similar societal restrictions) have been implemented in numerous countrie ...

, 700 volunteers contributed and verified 7,000 routes for the website over the course of three months. The website was then made available to a wider range of volunteers to walk the routes and verify that they were safe and enjoyable. The website was launched publicly in January 2021. Following the initial launch, Raven-Ellison hopes that users will test the routes out and provide feedback and suggest improvements. The website has received funding from organisations including Paths For All and the Kestrelman Trust.

References

External links

* {{Official website, https://beta.slowways.org/ British websites Internet properties established in 2021 Map websites