A large parkland lined with trees. The grass is full of bright yellow flowers. A wide path goes from one side of the image to the other.
Two people walking on a meandering path in Exeter’s Riverside Valley Park.

Help map Exeter’s Good Ways to walk, wheel and cycle

  • Join our pilot by signing-up below
  • Share good routes
  • Help more people walk, wheel and cycle in Exeter!

By Dan Raven-Ellison, Chief Exploration Officer at Good Ways

I lead Good Ways from here in Exeter. I know our city has lots of great routes for people to enjoy. I also know that lots of people are missing out on using them.

Local people know the routes that are nicer, easier, safer, more enjoyable or simply better for getting from A to B.

We want to share that knowledge with more people.

We’re bringing people together to create an app and interactive map of good local routes for walking, wheeling and cycling – recommended and improved by the people who actually use them.

People will be able to use the app to find and follow routes for free.

And helping is as easy as sharing or checking a route.

You can join in as an individual, local group, club, community organisation, charity or business.

Good Ways is a Community Interest Company, and our Exeter pilot is funded by Active Travel England. We’re building Good Ways Exeter with the people who know the area best – and we’d love you to be part of it.

A path going into the sunset, with trees to the left, a field of long grass to to the right and a view across Devon towards a setting sun.
A bridleway over the top of Stoke Hill, between Exeter and Stoke Canon.

Share a Good Way to go

A Good Way could be:

  • an enjoyable route to walk, wheel or ride into town or between neighbourhoods
  • a quiet cycle route you’d recommend to someone less confident
  • a route in nature that works well for wheelchair users
  • a favourite riverside, park or neighbourhood loop
  • an everyday route that avoids a busy road or difficult crossing

If it’s a route you’d happily recommend to someone else, we want to know about it.

Click to join the Exeter Pilot

Join in your way

You can:

  • share routes you already know
  • try and check routes shared by others
  • add your knowledge about what routes are really like
  • rate routes for things like ease and enjoyment
  • test the Good Ways app and website
  • tell us what works and what needs improving or
  • simply follow along as the project develops

Do as much or as little as you like.

You might want to just share a single route or use this as an excuse to discover a lot more of the city.

Groups, organisations and businesses can use Good Ways to create and curate routes for their community, customers, audiences or staff.

A person walking down a long hard surface path surrounded by trees.
Cycle and footway along the Hoopern Valley

Help us build it

Good Ways Exeter is still being built and tested – which is exactly why this is a good time to join.

Before we launch more widely later in the autumn, you can get involved behind the scenes: try the app and website, spot problems, share ideas and help us make Good Ways better for more people.

Some things may change or not work perfectly yet. That’s part of the pilot – and your experience can help shape what we build.

Click to join the Exeter Pilot!

Some steps going up between two roads under the Iron Bridge, with buildings either side.
We want lots of great urban routes between neighbourhoods and important destinations. This picture was take under the Iron Bridge in central Exeter.

Who can join in?

The pilot is focussed on Exeter, but anyone in the city region to join in.

If you live, work or play within 25km (16 miles) of the city it would be great to include you. So, if you are not much further away than Lapford, Crediton, Honiton, Sidmoth, Teignmouth, Widecombe in the Moor, Chagford or closer – you’re in! If you are just outside, you are welcome too.

You can join in as:

  • a local group, charity or organisation
  • an individual
  • a business

And in return you can claim a free one-year Good Ways Founder Membership when you join the pilot.

Participating groups, charities, nonprofit organisations and businesses can request a free one-year organisation account. Your staff and volunteers are welcome to sign up as individual Founder Members from this page.

The routes you publish will always be free for everyone to find, follow and enjoy. And if you don’t continue your membership after the free year, public routes you created can stay on Good Ways, credited to you.

You need to be 18+ to have an account on the pilot Good Ways website and app for now. You can join in by teaming up with some older people.

A view over Exeter from a distant hill to the west of the city.

Why Exeter?

Because this is home for Good Ways too.

Our idea is simple: what if we pooled what local people know to make it easier for everyone to find good ways to get around?

We’re starting in Greater Exeter. If we can build something useful together here, we hope other places will do the same.

But first, we want to make it work here.

> Timeline

  • August – App testing begins
  • September – Behind the scenes Exeter route sharing. Testing continues.
  • Late 2026 – Exeter public launch
  • TBC – UK and Ireland public launch

> Meetings and events

Come to one in a series of online meetings to find out more about Good Ways and get started with creating some routes. Everyone welcome. Choose from multiple dates in October. Find out more here.

Sign-up to stay in the loop about future gatherings.

> Community Route Mapping request for proposals

We are looking to commission a number of local groups, charities, nonprofits and/or public sector organisations to create lots of routes for their community and Exeter. Find out more here.

> Calling groups and organisations that champion Devon’s paths, routes and trails!

Help us understand Devon’s path, route and trail heritage needs by doing this short 10-minute survey. In return we’ll send you a free anonymised summary of the survey results and a one-year Good Ways Founder Membership.

> Got more questions?

You can read answers to lots of frequently asked questions here.

Join in!

Sound good? Register now and we’ll be in touch!

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We are very grateful to Active Travel England for funding our Good Ways Exeter pilot.