Some of the best conversations happen side by side, not face to face. Ask anyone who’s put the world to rights on a lap of the park, or finally told a friend what’s been bugging them somewhere between the canal and the corner shop. Walking with friends has a way of making the miles disappear.
That’s the idea Strideora is built around. Not “walk more because a number says so”, but “walk more because your people are doing it too”. We’re a small family team, Neil and his two daughters, J and F, and walking together is what we wanted the app to be about.
Company makes it easier to show up
Here’s an honest truth about walking: the hardest step is usually the one out of the front door. Once you’re out, you’re fine. It’s the getting out that wobbles.
A friend changes that. If someone’s waiting for you at the end of the road, you’re far more likely to pull your trainers on, even when the sofa is making a very persuasive case.
The NHS says it nicely in its walking for health guidance: walking in a group is “a great way to start walking, make new friends and stay motivated”. It also suggests “doing a regular walk with a friend” as one easy way to make walking part of your routine. No fancy kit, no gym, just a pal and a pavement.
The natter is half the point
When you walk with friends, the walk stops being exercise and starts being time together. You notice things. You laugh at the dog that refuses to go past the postbox. You get home having caught up properly, not just swapped a couple of messages.
That matters, because enjoyment is what brings you back. A walk you look forward to is a walk you’ll repeat.
But life doesn’t always line up
The tricky part is that friends have jobs, kids, shifts, aching knees and very different ideas of what counts as “a quick walk”. One of you is up at 6am. Another hasn’t seen daylight before 10 since 2019. Getting everyone in the same place at the same time every day just isn’t realistic.
This is where walking “together” can mean something a bit looser. You don’t all have to be on the same path at the same moment to be in it together. You can each walk when it suits you, and still feel like part of a team.
How Strideora keeps friends walking together, apart
Strideora is a social walking app for small groups: friends, families, workmates, clubs. Here’s how it works:
- Everyone sets their own private daily step goal. Your friend who walks the dog three times a day and your mate who’s just getting going can both be in the same group, each aiming for something that suits them.
- The group score is about turning up, not out-walking each other. It’s the share of member-days where people hit their own goal. If you hit yours, you’ve helped the team, whatever the number was.
- Nobody’s step count is on show. Members never see anyone’s steps. When you hit your goal, or hit it a few days in a row, the group gets a notification and can cheer you on.
- An activity feed with cheers means you can give someone a little “go on, you!” when that notification pops up, even if you were miles apart.
So the Saturday lap of the park still happens when you can all make it. But on the busy Tuesdays, you’re still walking with friends, just in a different way.
Easy ways to walk with friends more often
If you fancy making it a regular thing, a few small ideas go a long way:
- Pick a standing slot. “Sunday morning, café at the end” is easier to keep than “we should go for a walk sometime”.
- Walk at the slowest person’s pace. It’s a catch-up, not a race. Nobody should finish a friendly walk feeling left behind.
- Have a rainy-day plan. A shorter loop, a covered route, or simply agreeing that everyone does their own walk and reports back.
- Mix up the route. Parks, towpaths, high streets, that footpath you’ve always wondered about. New views keep things interesting.
- Cheer, don’t compare. A quick “nice one” in the group chat does more good than any table of results.
Bring your people along
The nicest thing about walking with friends is that nobody has to be “the sporty one”. Everyone brings what they’ve got, and the group does the rest.
Strideora isn’t in the app stores quite yet, but it’s lacing up its trainers. If you’d like to start a walking group with your friends when it launches, pop your name on the list on our coming soon page and we’ll let you know the moment it’s ready. Members join free, and organisers get their first month free.
Now, who’s up for a walk?
