Good Ways for Devon’s Path, Route and Trail Heritage

A long path surrounded by fields and trees in Sharpham, just south of Totnes.
The Sharpham Estate, just south of Totnes.
  • Help us understand Devon’s path, route and trail heritage needs
  • Get a free anonymised summary of the survey results
  • Get a free one-year Good Ways Founder Membership
Do the 10 minute survey

Good Ways is a new citizen project and app to help make it easier for people and organisations to share active routes that meet people’s different abilities, needs and interests.

Good Ways is being led from here in Devon. You might know us from our first project, Slow Ways, which has brought thousands of people together to co-create a national walking network connecting Britain’s towns, cities and national landscapes.

We are exploring a potential Good Ways project to champion Devon’s path, route and trail heritage and want to understand it better – what matters, what is at risk, and what could help communities care for it and pass it on.

Across Devon, local groups, organisations and volunteers have spent generations creating, caring for, championing and sharing paths, routes and trails.

They have helped keep paths open, created new routes, organised walks and rides, campaigned for better access, cared for nature and landscapes, recorded local knowledge and helped more people discover and enjoy the places, histories and geographies around them.

That work has also created a remarkable patchwork of guides, maps, leaflets, stories, photographs, memories, interpretation and local expertise.

What needs attention?

We’d like to hear from organisations and groups with knowledge of local paths, trails, routes or heritage.

What deserves greater recognition or protection? Are there routes, guides, stories, memories, skills or traditions at risk of being lost?

What challenges do you face caring for paths, keeping information up to date, reaching people, improving access or encouraging more people to get involved? Are there places, habitats, wildlife or buildings that would benefit from better routes?

And what would make the biggest difference – better tools, digital skills, interpretation, volunteers, resources, collaboration, visibility or something else?

Your answers will help us understand what is already happening across Devon, where support is most needed, and how local path and route heritage could be better cared for, shared and enjoyed in the future.

Sharing knowledge

We’ve created a short survey for heritage, community, environmental, walking, cycling and riding organisations, as well as other groups involved in creating, caring for or sharing local routes.

There are no right or wrong answers. We want to learn from your experience.

Will will send a summary of the survey results to everyone who completes the form and requests a copy.

If your organisation is based in Devon and completes the survey, you can also request a free one-year Founder Membership of Good Ways, our new platform for sharing and discovering recommended routes and local knowledge.

Do the 10 minute survey

Questions? Email [email protected].

You might also be interested in our Good Ways Exeter pilot.