about us!
Meet the Waytrails Team
Why make Waytrails? These trails have real character and stories. If the trail doesn’t make us feel something, it doesn’t make the cut.
Self-Guided. No Excuses.
Real trails through places shaped by events.
Zero Paywalls.
A free collection of hikes, rides and runs, one place at a time.
Move How You Want.
Fast or slow. It’s up to you, just come prepared.
Meet the waytrails team
Rory Forsyth
Co-founder Waytrails
I’ve been with the Western Front Way and Waytrails since the beginning in 2016, connecting nations along the Front and helping build it into the world’s largest commemorative trail. Since then we’ve created a dozen more across eight countries. The work has been full of highs and lows, but it’s worth it if people use what we build and walk away with a sharper view of the world.
Why give over a decade to something most thought impossible? Because place matters. So does history. So does being outdoors. Our aim is simple: get people to where important things happened, then let the landscape do the rest.
Waytrails is a counter-punch to a culture hooked on likes and validation. It’s for people who can stand on their own two feet, fix things, and take on a trail without hand-holding.
So when you step onto one of our trails, prepare properly. Get your kit right, and your head straight. Waytrails is a chance to take back your independence. If you’ve got what it takes, welcome. If not, look elsewhere.
Kim Hay
Co-founder Waytrails
I tell my kids: you can’t understand the world today without understanding the past. Our politics, cultures, and conflicts are all shaped by what came before. Waytrails exists to scratch beneath the surface and reveal context.
I’m Dutch, and after living across South America, East Asia, Europe, and the UK, I don’t feel loyal to a single story. I have always loved history and stories. History IS one long story. It shows us what humans are capable of from the gruesome, (we came up with boiling, burning, hanging, starving, gassing, scalping, drawing and quartering and bombing our fellow man) and yet we can show immense kindness, courage, sacrifice and love. Either way, you have to see the whole picture. That’s where the real understanding lives.
When I visited Waterloo, I was floored. Not because I was wrong, but because realised I’d only ever been given one version.
That’s what Waytrails is about: seeking the full picture. These trails are challenging walks, rides, and runs that bring history to life in the places it happened. You can learn from books or podcasts before you go, but being there is different, it sharpens your understanding and changes your perspective.