The Ramblers

Britain’s Favourite Path: from competition to cultural movement

147

Pieces of earned media (+98% YoY)

536M

Audience reach

147

Featured stories across major outlets

the challenge

The Ramblers, Britain’s leading walking charity, works to protect the paths and places that help everyone enjoy the benefits of walking.

In 2024, Aspire was appointed to launch Britain’s Favourite Path, a new annual competition celebrating the UK’s most-loved routes. The challenge was to build national awareness from scratch and position the initiative as inclusive, engaging and relevant to walkers of all ages and abilities.

Following a successful first year, Aspire returned in 2025 with a bigger campaign, increasing visibility, deepening engagement and strengthening emotional connection to The Ramblers’ mission, supported by a high-profile celebrity ambassador.

our solution

We delivered a two-year, phased PR strategy that evolved Britain’s Favourite Path into a recognised national moment in the walking calendar.

2024: Establishing the campaign

We introduced the inaugural competition, securing national, regional and lifestyle coverage to drive entries and awareness, while highlighting The Ramblers’ role in protecting the UK path network from launch to winner announcement.

2025: Scaling Reach & Emotional Connection

Building on momentum, we added celebrity ambassador Jeff Brazier to broaden appeal. A multi-phase media plan spanned launch, wellbeing interviews, regional voting stories and national winner coverage, timed with National Walking Month to maximise relevance and engagement.

the impact

In just two years, Britain’s Favourite Path evolved from a new idea into a recognised national campaign celebrating Britain’s walking culture and raising awareness of The Ramblers’ work.

147

Pieces of earned media (+98% YoY)

536M

Audience reach

147

Featured stories across major outlets

Through strategic storytelling and the authentic voice of Jeff Brazier, the campaign became more than a competition, a nationwide celebration of the outdoors.

their perspective

“We’ve been really pleased with all the coverage secured so far. The way our partner, Cotswold Outdoor, has been featured so prominently across the coverage is fantastic, and they’re delighted to see the impact. There’s also been very positive feedback across our Comms team, particularly around the video being embedded in so many features, which has added real value and strengthened the branding. A brilliant piece of work all round.”

Sara Humphrey

PR and Media Officer, The Ramblers