What's inside Glenby
Six features, all serving the same goal: getting you outside more often. No pressure, nothing made up.
What is a microadventure?
A microadventure is a short, local moment outdoors with no big planning involved, often no longer than an hour.
British adventurer Alastair Humphreys coined the term: a short, local outing that fits into an evening or a lunch break, instead of demanding a multi-day trip with a pile of gear. No summit, no region, no guide, just a deliberate step out the door.
Glenby is built on exactly that. Instead of planning a route the way classic hiking apps do, the app suggests one or two small tasks a day that fit the season and your area. The measure isn't a new record, it's a recurring, doable reason to actually go outside: free in the Base tier, with three optional tiers on top.
Why small, frequent moments outside beat one big trip: according to a study of around 20,000 people in England (White et al., 2019), roughly 120 minutes a week in nature is the threshold for noticeably better wellbeing, spread across several short moments rather than one long one. More on the science behind it →
A small task each morning
A stream, a view, a tree. Glenby suggests one or two tasks that fit the season and your area. Nothing that needs a whole day set aside, nothing that forces you onto a route you're not in the mood for.
- Adapts to season and place
- One or two suggestions, never a long list
- No timer, no pressure
Honest proof, not invented knowledge
When you complete a task, you capture the moment with a photo. Place and time confirm you were really there, that's the real proof. On-device image recognition can give you a hint at best about what might be in view. Glenby doesn't identify plant or animal species and doesn't pretend to know more than it really does: proof you can trust, even to yourself.
- Place and time, not guesswork
- No filter, no editing
- No made-up species names
Progress by the week, not the day
Nothing to freeze, because nothing breaks. A missed day costs you nothing. You earn XP, reach levels and fill your collection, but it all counts by the week. No streak pressure, no countdown, no guilty conscience.
- XP and levels without time pressure
- Progress counts by the week
- No global leaderboard
Take on a task together
Set up a co-op party and take on a task together. Out there with one or two others: your progress moves together, nobody falls behind.
- Built for small groups
- Progress visible to everyone live
- Nobody falls behind
Someone knows when you meant to be back
Before you set off, tell someone you trust when you mean to be back. If you have not checked in by then, that one person gets your last known location, end-to-end encrypted. We cannot read it. If things go wrong sooner, hold SOS and the same report goes out immediately. On top of that: official severe weather warnings from the national service responsible for where you are, and an emergency card with your blood group and allergies that never leaves your phone. All of it is free and stays free. It is not an emergency service and does not replace 112 or 911.
- The countdown runs on the server, not on your battery
- SOS and emergency card, no subscription
- Warnings from DWD, MET Norway and the NWS
Private by encryption
Notes you share with someone are end-to-end encrypted. Only the two of you can read them, not even us, no matter where servers are. The database is operated on Cloudflare; encrypted media and delivery run on international infrastructure, every transfer safeguarded under GDPR. No ad trackers, no selling of data. You can export everything or delete your account anytime.
- End-to-end encrypted notes
- No ad trackers, no selling of data
- Export and deletion anytime
Frequently asked
Short, honest answers to the features that raise the most questions.
How does GPS photo proof work in Glenby?
You capture the moment with a photo, and Glenby attaches the place and timestamp. That confirms you were really there. That's all it takes, and it's all Glenby claims.
What happens if I miss a day in my streak?
Nothing. Progress counts by the week, not the day. No countdown, no loss.
Does Glenby have a leaderboard?
No. You see your own progress and your party's, nobody else's.
Does Glenby use AI to identify plants or animals?
No. Glenby doesn't identify species. Place and time are the proof, and those can't be faked.
Why does the streak count by the week instead of the day?
Many learning and fitness apps use daily streaks, where a single missed day wipes out all your progress, a pattern behavioral psychology calls loss aversion. Glenby deliberately counts by the week instead: a missed day costs you nothing, and your progress stays what it's meant to be, a habit, not a source of pressure.
Does Glenby plan routes for long hikes too?
No, deliberately not. Glenby doesn't plan routes, it suggests daily microadventures near you, small occasions instead of long tours. Our own page explains exactly what defines a microadventure.
A little plan for your next walk
Choose an adventure, read its short steps and check off what you discover. Basic discoveries and a memory card are free. Glenby+ opens Plus adventures and lets you invite one companion. Editorial ideas have no fixed location; a specific walk is published only after an on-location review.
Browse adventures →Your turn.
Glenby is available for Android on Google Play. For iOS, sign up and we'll notify you at launch.
