Survey of Railwalks Supporters

Our recent survey reveals important insights into who we are and what we value.  Thanks to the 80 of you filled it in.  

The majority of our supporters are 66 or over and retired.  That is not surprising - retired people have more time to go walking (and also to fill in questionnaires so there may be some bias) but it presents us with a challenge.  We could organise activities during the week for most of our supporters, but we wouldn't want to exclude people of working age.  Our festival last year, which ran from Saturday to Tuesday, was attended by people of all ages.

Most of you live within walking distance of a railway station. This profile highlights a community with time and local accessibility.

We found that 92% are primarily interested in following the walks published on the website, with nearly half also keen on joining guided walks. This confirms the value of our online content and the demand for organized events.


When navigating, members rely heavily on traditional methods: paper maps (71%) and signposts (68%), though mapping apps are also popular.


We asked you how you found out about Railwalks and the top methods were the Guardian article and Slow Ways, showing the power of partnerships and targeted media. 


Finally, two-thirds of you want a video explaining how to record and share GPX files, showing a strong desire to contribute.  We have taken this on board, and produced these videos.

About half of you made other comments or suggestions, which were very varied.  Many of you said: carry on doing what you are doing.  Others made suggestions such as: show the walks on printable maps and use an app.  On that point, we are planning to use Slow Ways' new app when it becomes available next year.  That should also make it easier to view and print off the routes on maps.





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