Core path planning information gathering and preliminary consultation
The model for the delivery of access provision within the Highland Council area is based around six Access Officers covering the following areas -
* Note: The Cairngorm National Park Authority is an Access Authority in its own right. Those parts of Badenoch and Strathspey to the north and south west of the Park Boundary are attached to the respective core path planning and access forum areas.
Under the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003, Highland Council, as the Access Authority, has a statutory requirement to produce a Core Path Plan to cover its area, within three years of the legislation coming into effect i.e. by February 2008.
Core Paths as a system will satisfy the basic path needs of local people and visitors for recreation and for getting about and will provide links to the wider path systems within the area. They will be particularly important close to where people live and are likely to comprise a mixture of existing paths with some new paths linking together to form an overall paths network. Often these paths will already be in use and they can comprise many different sorts of paths ranging from tracks worn into natural ground to high-specification constructed paths.
The Core Paths System will cater for all types of users - walkers, cyclists, horse riders, canoeists, people with disabilities, etc. They will be a key part of outdoor access provision and will grow out of consultations with local communities, land managers and other key stakeholders.
The Draft Consultative Plans for all areas can be downloaded in PDF format from the lists below. Click on the name of the area you are interested in to download description and map for that Area. If you require to print out the maps then A3 format is the best size. Please note that some of the areas are at a different stage in the Core Paths Planning process to others.
Ross & Cromarty Area
Ross & Cromarty - Maps
Inverness & Nairn Area
Inverness & Nairn Maps
Skye & Lochalsh Area
Lochaber - Maps
Caithness - Maps