Could Britain’s Favourite Path be in Essex?

This May, hundreds of people from across Britain shared snapshots of the paths that mean the most to them, as part of The Ramblers’ search for Britain’s Favourite Path. Now in its second year, the competition invites people to nominate their most-loved routes, complete with personal stories and scenic photos that show exactly why their path deserves the crown. With nominations in, it’s now over to the public to vote and help decide which path will take the top spot in 2025.

A panel of expert judges, including passionate walker and celebrity judge Jeff Brazier, whittled the entries down to shortlist just one path from each of the eight geographical categories. Now it’s time for the public to crown the overall winner and find Britain’s Favourite Path 2025.

Layer de la Haye, Chest Woods in Essex was the winning entry from the East England category, following a nomination from Theresa Calver who believes their path should be crowned Britain’s favourite, saying:

“Up until a few weeks ago, I thought real beauty could only be found in places like Wales, Scotland and Cumbria, but having only recently started walking most days around my local village just a few miles outside one of the fastest growing cities in the UK, I realised that beauty can be found everywhere! I now relish my walks just a few miles from the "hub-bub", soaking up the sights and sounds of nature.”

Head judge, Jeff Brazier said: “With so many emotive stories and picture-perfect paths submitted, it was challenging to choose just one winner from each category - I know I’ll be adding a lot of new paths to my ‘must visit’ list after reading about them! The entries that really stood out to me were the paths that people walked again and again because walking there made them feel good, the path bought back personal memories or helped them find peace. Now it’s over to the public to choose the overall winner and I can’t wait to see which one wins!”

Around 1,000 submissions were received, almost doubling the number of entries the Ramblers received in 2024. Shortlisting the entries alongside Jeff Brazier were four Ramblers volunteers, who are involved in the vital work the charity does to protect and maintain paths right across Britain. Paul Howland has been helping put paths back on the map through the Ramblers Don’t Lose Your Way campaign.

Chitra Ramachandran works with other Ramblers volunteers and local authorities to tackle problems on local paths, Dipam Sharma is an outdoor ambassador and graduate of the Ramblers free Out There Award and Debbie North is an outdoor campaigner, who was recently appointed as Disability and Access Ambassador for the countryside by the UK Government. Lucy Sutton and Suzanne Goldsmith, from Cotswold Outdoor which sponsored the competition, completed the judging panel.

Last year’s winning path, Thursley Common Boardwalk in Surrey, will be appearing on digital screens at train stations nationwide during the month-long public vote. The campaign is supported by the JCDecaux Community Channel, providing access to these digital displays to celebrate the 2024 winner and encourage votes for the 2025 favourite.

To vote for the path you think deserves to be crowned Britain’s Favourite for 2025, visit www.ramblers.org.uk/competition and cast your vote by 23:00 on 31 July. Only one vote per person will be counted and the winning path will be the one with the highest number of votes when the public vote closes.