We were commissioned to undertake research on 'Path Attributes'.  The research looked at ways of describing paths in a 'standard format' so that people can gauge for themselves whether a path is suitable or interesting to use.

We focussed on the different characteristics of paths which might help people to make a decision about using a path.  For example, people want to know about things like gradient, obstacles, path surface, on-site facilities etc.  As part of this research we developed a system for providing information on those path characteristics, which we hope will give users more confidence to get out on a wider range of paths.

This work involved engaging with a wide spectrum of path users and people who don't currently use paths. In addition we worked with path managers make sure that path descriptions can be easily written in a standard format, no matter where the path is.

We hope to present the system for describing paths coherently on this page soon - the report is currently going through the 'Quality Assurance' process with the client.

Client: Scottish Natural Heritage