‘The day I opened a map changed my life’

When he returned home to Watford, Jeb decided to take a solo day trip out into the countryside and share it on social media with friends. The moment he received a message from someone asking if they could join him, the idea of Gen Z walking group Overground was born.

Jeb quickly built a community of novice hikers through Instagram and TikTok. By 2024 over 500 people were joining him for a walk around the Surrey Hills.

As part of National Map Reading Week, Jeb talked about his story and his experiences with reading maps.

Tell us your first experiences of map reading?

It can be daunting getting into map reading. I guess for me it was because even when I started, I was petrified. I thought I couldn't read a map, I wouldn't know where I was going, and I'd lose the people I was with.

But just opening a map, finding my bearings and getting to grips with it has been really beneficial. It’s helped me to grow as a leader.

Now that I have those skills, it’s important to introduce our community to using paper maps. We have digital maps, which are great, but there are real benefits to using paper maps and learning how to use both together.

Why is map reading important to you?

Maps have become a key part of my planning process because I'm always looking for the factors I need to consider. Is there a toilet? How long are we going to be walking before a lunch break? Maps have become an integral part of day-to-day running of the group. They empower us to have a great day outdoors and bring our community together.

We encourage our communities to use both paper and digital. They have different benefits and different tools. I think the best thing about what we do at Overground is that we try to straddle both the online and physical worlds. So, we do get people whose first introduction to a map – the first time they've ever probably tried to read a map – has been through their phone. They're not used to paper maps. I grew up having paper maps tucked into my granny's car, but a lot of people that come on our walks haven't had that experience, so we try and introduce them to that world too.

What are some of the advantages of map reading?

I mean, for me personally, one day I opened a map and thought “let me get out there” and that has unlocked a whole another side to my life. I would say it has actually changed my life and brought so many new connections.

It's great how just getting out and opening a map has really changed things. And you know what I like is that you can go somewhere that nobody else is going, maybe it's not a current path where everybody walks, and you see something that is just so magnificent. I've been walking in North Wales and you see so many wonderful things.

How did Overground start?

It started two years ago purely just so I’d get out more. I'd just started working for myself and I wanted to find that free time. I'm a florist, so it's a very different kind of day. What I wanted was just one day where I got outside instead of just chopping stems and flower arranging. And by just opening that map that day, it completely unlocked a new side to me and gave me immense benefits to my physical and mental well-being.

I just started walking. I started making TikToks just to show my friends what I was doing and someone somewhere asked, “how do I join?”

Now we've engaged upwards of 6,000 people on our walks and it keeps growing.

What’s been the best thing about Overground for you?

It has let us build connections with complete strangers. People have come to the group and from that they've gone on holiday together, they've even moved in together. There's not been a wedding yet, but hopefully I’ll get invited to one soon!

Follow Overground on Instagram and TikTok.