Reconnecting with Nature

Dan Raven-Ellison is an explorer of ideas, landscapes, and what’s possible. As the founder of Slow Ways, he’s building a grassroots national walking network to connect every town and city in Britain. Before that, he spearheaded the campaign to make London the world’s first National Park City, challenging how we perceive urban nature. A self-described guerrilla geographer, Dan blends creativity, activism, and deep curiosity to explore big questions: What makes a place wild? Who gets to access it? And how do we make everyday adventure more accessible?

This is Dan’s second appearance on the Living Adventurously podcast (check out episode 49 for our first chat). In this conversation, we dive deeper into Dan’s mission to reimagine geography, walking, childhood, and cities. From rewilding Britain to the future of Slow Ways, we cover bold ideas, tough trade-offs, and the power of imagination in driving real change. Whether you're a walker, parent, teacher, or dreamer, there’s something here for you.

Topics We Cover in This Episode

1. Big Picture: What’s the Real Mission?

• What unites Dan’s unconventional and eccentric projects
• Why he’s called a “guerrilla geographer” — and what he’s rebelling against
• Times his imagination outpaced reality
• “Isn’t geography just colouring in?”
• The weirdest project he’s ever done
• Walking as activism and creative tool

2. Slow Ways – Do We Really Need This?

• Why we might need more walking routes, not fewer
• What makes Slow Ways different from existing maps and platforms
• Competing with tech giants on a shoestring
• How walking can reshape how we think about place
• Connection vs. convenience — what Slow Ways is really for
• Who’s actually using the network
• The Right to Roam: field margins, farmers, and fairness

3. Childhoods as Places

• Seeing childhood as a place, not just a phase
• The dangers of over-sanitised, safety-first childhoods
• Designing adventure for urban kids
• Screens vs. mud: what kids today are missing
• Why he wants children to get (safely) lost
• The Exeter Citizens’ Plan — involving kids in civic imagination

4. Rewilding Britain: Wildlife, Housing, and Adventure

• Can we have more homes and more wildlife?
• Housing vs. green belt vs. public access — what comes first?
• Whether we need to rethink the green belt
• Is rewilding compatible with human life and housing needs?
• Do people really want to live near wild animals and untidy land?

5. Cities as National Parks – Serious or Symbolic?

• Is London as a National Park a policy or just a metaphor?
• Can cities ever be wild in an ecological sense?
• Do urban nature movements distract from protecting rural wilderness?
• Who gains — and who doesn’t — from the National Park City label?
• Is this a branding gimmick — or a mindset shift?
• Do commuters feel like they’re in a National Park?

6. Slow Ways – The Future Vision

• Building local networks through schools and charities
• What a scaled-up version of Slow Ways might look like
• The challenge of going mainstream without losing charm
• Can volunteer-driven projects really shift national habits?
• What wild success looks like — and why it matters
• Could Slow Ways be part of school curriculums or health systems?