What is a core path?
The Act allows anything to be a core path, whether there is an existing path or not and it can be on land or inland water. Both the Scottish Executive Guidance and the Paths for All Good Practice Guide anticipate that core paths will form the basic means of access to land. Beyond them there will still be other paths and tracks and, of course, the general right of responsible access to land.
The Scottish Executive say that they will be generally close to where people live, be available for residents and visitors alike and connect to the wider countryside. All boundary crossings, such as gates and stiles, will be accessible to all legitimate users and they will be signed at key access points. The path surfaces will be anything from grassy country paths to tarmac surfaced paths and not every core path will be suitable for every type of user.
The results from the Council’s consultation process have allowed the definition of a core path to be further developed. Core paths are mainly off road countryside routes or shorter routes near communities that help provide circular leisure routes. There are also some longer distance routes that connect communities. The core paths will not necessarily be surfaced or usable by every type of access taker, but they will be capable of being walked as a minimum. They will be easy to use with good boundary crossings and signposts. They will be maintained and have information published about them.
