Netwalking: why business conversations are moving outdoors

Not every business conversation needs a meeting room. Netwalking swaps the coffee table for a footpath: a group meets, walks a set route for an hour or two, and talks as it goes. Pairs form, drift apart at a gate or a stile, and re-form with someone new. By the end you have usually spoken to more people than you would at a table, without ever having to break into a circle.

This piece explains how a walk usually runs, what research says about walking and thinking, and where to find the walking groups listed in Hampshire.

What walking does to your thinking

The best-known study on walking and ideas comes from Stanford. In 2014 Marily Oppezzo and Daniel Schwartz published Give your ideas some legs in the Journal of Experimental Psychology. Across four experiments with 176 people, mostly students, they compared people sitting with people walking, indoors on a treadmill and outdoors.

What they found:

• On a test of creative thinking (coming up with new uses for everyday objects), "Walking increased 81% of participants' creativity". The paper puts the average increase in creative output at "around 60%".
• The boost carried on for a while: people who sat down after walking still did better than those who had sat throughout.
• In the experiment on making analogies, "Walking outside produced the most novel and highest quality analogies."
• Walking did not help everything. On a test that needed one right answer, walking improved only 23% of participants' scores.

So walking seems to help with generating ideas and loosening up a conversation, not with focused problem solving. That fits what a netwalk is for. It is a place to hear what other people are working on and to talk through possibilities, not to close a deal or review a contract. ScienceDaily's summary of the study is a readable short version.

Why the format suits networking

Walking also changes the shape of the group. At an indoor mixer people tend to stay with who they know. When Paul Ingram and Michael Morris tracked about 100 business people at a mixer with electronic name tags, they found guests "did not mix as much as might be expected", and were much more likely to talk to people they already knew, even though most had said beforehand they wanted to meet new people.

A walk does some of the mixing for you. The path narrows and widens, the pace varies, and the group spreads out and comes back together at stops. Nobody has to stand at the front, and there is always something besides work to talk about: the view, the mud, the route. Silences are normal rather than awkward. Our guide to what netwalking is sets out how a typical walk runs, from meeting at the start to a stop at a view or a café.

Good for you, too

There is a plainer benefit. The NHS guidelines for adults, last reviewed in May 2024, say adults should "do at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity a week or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity a week", and they list brisk walking among moderate activities. An hour's netwalk at a steady pace counts towards that, which is more than can be said for a breakfast meeting.

Why Hampshire works for it

Hampshire has a lot of walkable ground close to its towns. Hampshire County Council told a select committee in November 2023 that, as the highway authority, it is responsible for "2,883 miles (4,639km) of Public Rights of Way". That figure covers the county council's area and not Southampton or Portsmouth, which manage their own. The New Forest and South Downs national parks both reach into the county, and towns like Winchester have walks that start in the centre.

That makes it possible to organise a walk that starts from a station, a town landmark or a car park and is back within a couple of hours, which is what most netwalks aim for.

What to expect and what to bring

Walks vary, so read the listing and ask the organiser if anything is unclear. As a rule:

• Distance and ground. Most walks follow paths and tracks for a few miles. If steps, stiles, mud or distance are a problem, ask before you book; our guide to access at business events has questions worth asking.
• Shoes and weather. Wear shoes you can walk in, bring a waterproof, and check the forecast. Most walks go ahead in light rain; the organiser will say if one is called off.
• Booking. Usually needed, so the leader knows how many to expect. Some groups give the exact meeting point only once you have booked.
• Cost. The organiser sets it, and the listing says. Some walks end with a drink or lunch that you pay for yourself.
• Business cards. Optional. People tend to swap numbers or connect online at the end.

The Countryside Code applies to a business walk as much as any other. Its three headings are "Respect everyone", "Protect the environment" and "Enjoy the outdoors", and it asks visitors to "leave gates and property as you find them".

Where to find a netwalk

Walking groups listed on hampshire.events include:

• Hampshire Business Networking runs netwalks in Winchester, looping through the city with local business people.
• Flo's Circle runs a winter netwalk in the countryside near Swanmore for business owners.
• Freelance Mum runs walk-and-talks for mums in business, followed by business chat, and its listing says children are welcome.
• Business Netwalking has listed walks with us before; its organiser page shows anything coming up.

If you want to network on the move but not on a footpath, Pinnacle Performance in Hamble mixes a coached fitness session with networking.

The listings below are the walks and active events coming up, as listed on hampshire.events. Check details with the organiser before you go. For every walk as it is listed, see walks, and for everything else on this week, this week.