Only seven cities still to link. Can you help with the last push in this epic milestone?
There are over 2500 towns and villages being joined up by the Slow Ways national walking network, which is a huge undertaking, and it’s going really well! As a milestone in this epic quest, we have been encouraging a big push to get all 70 cities joined by a kind of skeleton network.
Where are we up to?
After a summer and autumn of working on this, we are really getting there!
- 63 of the 70 cities are now connected
- 94% of the routes in the intercity network are reviewed
- 76% of the routes are verified thanks to getting three or more positive reviews! (purple routes below)
Here it is. Purple routes have been walked and positively reviewed three or more times, green routes need you! Click on the map or here to see this as a live waylist.
So what are the seven floating cities?
Cities missing from the network:
- England is missing Peterborough
- Wales is missing Bangor, St Asaph, St Davids
- Scotland is missing Stirling, Inverness, Aberdeen
Can you help reel them in?
England: Peterborough
Just one route needs walking by two people. It’s lovely Melton Mowbray to lovely Oakham. Four stars, 12 miles, needs two more reviews. Here it is.
Wales: Bangor & St Asaph
There are a few gaps along the North Wales coast, with Bangor at one end and St Asaph at the other.
Gaps are in three distinct sections:
Bangor to Colwyn Bay (needs reviews for two routes, with a short train ride in between.
Bangor to Llanfairfechan and
Llandudno Junction to Colwyn Bay
Abergele to Holywell (three long routes requiring three reviews each)
Abergele to St Asaph
St Asaph to Caerwys and
Caerwys to Holywell
Flint to Shotton (one route needing one review)
See Flint to Shotton here
Wales: St David’s
Routes required to join St David’s to South Wales cities:
Newgale to Haverfordwest this has four reviews already, with three warning flags, but the issue seems resolved now
Whitland to St Clears needs two more reviews
Kidwelly to Burry Port needs two more reviews
Scotland: Inverness
Routes required to join Inverness to the network via Glasgow:
Fort William to Achnacarry needs one more review
Achnacarry to Invergarry needs one more review
Invergarry to Fort Augustus needs one more review
Scotland: Stirling
There are three possible ways to connect Stirling in to the network – from the south, from the northeast or the southeast
From the south
Bannockburn to Larbert (three reviews needed)
Bonnybridge to Larbert (three reviews needed)
Larbert to Falkirk (two reviews needed)
From the northeast
Stirling to Tullibody (one review needed)
Tullibody to Alva (one review needed)
From the southeast
Tullibody to Alloa (two reviews needed)
Alloa to Clackmannan (two reviews needed)
Clackmannan to Culross (two reviews needed)
Scotland: Aberdeen
Want to really get stuck in to the Slow Ways maker experience? All four of the routes between St Cyrus and Aberdeen have been walked but found lacking. As such we need new routes suggesting, drawing as gpx files, and uploading. And then walking and reviewing, three times! If you were part of the original route-drawing hack day or online events, or if you wish you had been, here’s your chance!
Saint Cyrus to Inverbervie
Inverbervie to Stonehaven
Stonehaven to Portlethen
Portlethen to Aberdeen
(To make a new route you need to follow the methodology here, create a gpx file of the route in an app such as All Trails, OS Maps, or Open Street Map, and upload it to the route page.)
And some other gaps!
There are many other gaps around the Intercity Network:
Edinburgh to Carlisle: eight routes across south Scotland
Inverness to Aberdeen: 11 routes in a row
Thornhill to Dumfries: one route between Carlisle and Glasgow that needs one review
Kendal to Bishop Auckland: five routes
Machynlleth to Shrewsbury: four routes, all have two reviews already
If you can help with any of these, thank you! Claim your kudos by letting us know it was you on social media – you can find us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Bluesky and Threads.
