Drive revive the Exeter Green Circle for residents and visitors
Drive supported a new campaign highlighting the links between Exeter’s train stations and the city’s Green Circle walking route as part of celebrations marking 200 years of the modern railway.
Committed to supporting community wellbeing, sustainability and access to green spaces, Exeter City Council undertook a project to revive the Exeter Green Circle – a twelve-mile circular walking route that connects parks, nature reserves and lesser-known green spaces around the city.
The project aimed to engage both visitors and residents, encouraging discovery of green areas and leafy suburbs while promoting sustainable travel and active lifestyles. In collaboration with GWR, the campaign positioned the Green Circle as an accessible way to explore Exeter on foot, starting from key railway stations linked by the route.
Drive worked with Exeter City Council to devise and create a series of colourful and engaging maps and way-finding interpretation boards designed to help people explore the city. Playful and distinctive, the maps and signage combined bespoke illustrations of Exeter’s landmarks with points of interest, giving users a fresh perspective on the city.
Core funding for the work has been provided by Great Western Railway’s (GWR) Customer and Community Improvement Fund, with additional support provided by partners including Exeter City Council, Devon County Council, the University of Exeter and Devon Wildlife Trust.
Exeter City Councillor Duncan Wood, Lead Councillor for Leisure and Healthy Living, said: “This is a fantastic project which we hope will open up our wonderful Green Circle to even more people. We hope residents and visitors alike will use our newly created route maps and signage, to get out and about”.
From online maps to permanent way-finding, the designs brought clarity, creativity and a sense of adventure, helping more people connect with Exeter’s landscape and culture.
Read more on the Exeter City Council website
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