Core Paths on the Black Isle

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Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved]   Text © Copyright June 2024, Julian Paren; licensed for re-use under a Creative Commons Licence.


Introduction

This article introduces the Access to the Countryside legislation arising from Part 1 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003, and explains the concept of Core Paths. The article provides a description of the 71 Core Paths in the wider Black Isle area with images, and links to detailed mapping on the Highland Council website. These paths have a total length of 127 km.

Paths in Scotland

I am proud of Scotland’s world-class access laws, which give everybody the right to walk, cycle or ride on most land provided they act responsibly. But good paths are still needed. Paths link communities and take us to pleasant places to walk. Scotland has thousands of miles of paths, but they aren’t always well-maintained, signed or even mapped. There are many kinds of paths including, but not exclusively, Core Paths, Rights of Way, local path networks, forest trails, Heritage Paths, Hill Tracks and Long-distance Routes (LDR), and walkers, cyclists and horse-riders have the right to use them.

Scotland's Core Paths

There are more than 21,000 km of Core Paths in Scotland. Core Paths Plans were a requirement of Scotland’s access legislation. Each local authority and national park consulted the public to draw up their plans for them. Core paths are usually the most popular paths and are often signposted as the law permits. Core paths have an extra level of legal protection, as authorities have powers to keep such paths free from obstruction, even if landowners refuse to act. However, there is no duty on local authorities to maintain core paths, but have powers to do so if resources allow. The most direct source of information on Core Paths comes from local council websites, because Ordnance Survey maps do not differentiate Core Paths from others.

The Highland Council describes core paths as follows:

Core Paths can be paths, waterways or any other means of crossing land to facilitate, promote and manage the exercise of access rights under the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003, and are identified as such in access authority Core Paths plans. Core Path Plans provide a basic framework of routes for the purpose of giving the public reasonable access throughout a particular area for walking, cycling, horse riding and other non-motorised activities.

Core paths are often, but not always, linear features - an off-road route from A to B. To provide a satisfying circular walk most Core Paths need to be incorporated into a route that includes other Core Paths or undesignated paths, tracks or roads.

The Highland Council's Core Path Network around the Black Isle

The Highland Council website has a number of pages on Outdoor Access. LinkExternal link. On the topic of Core Paths, one page provides an interactive map of the Core Paths of the whole of the Highlands. See LinkExternal link. The website also provides a series of detailed maps and descriptions of the Core Paths, see LinkExternal link. Their maps 10 to 17 generously cover the Black Isle. We have used these maps to introduce a compilation of images and descriptions of the Core Paths from this wider Black Isle area. Each map may be downloaded in full resolution from the link at the top of each page. Additionally, I have added the maps to the Geograph Media website, but they are degraded in this article. So please follow the links provided if you require the detailed mapping.

The Black Isle is broken down into the following six map areas.

Culbokie & Millbuie
Cullicudden & Jemimaville
Cromarty, Eathie & Muirhead Wood
Fortrose & Avoch
Munlochy & Avoch
North Kessock

In addition two maps cover the Black Isle and countryside beyond the A862 boundary.

Muir of Ord & Monadh Mor
Conon Bridge & Maryburgh

A compilation of all the Core Paths from these eight maps shows that there are 71 of them with a total length of 127 km. The average path length is just 1.8 km. Three have lengths of just 100 m. The longest conventional path, the complete Mount Eagle/Military Road along the backbone of the Black Isle, is 7.8 km long. The most contentious core path is the Resolis Shore Path of 8.2 km which is not really a path; rather it is a greasy, seaweed-strewn beach which is impassable in places at certain states of the tide. The Highland Council description of the Path Type being earth and grass is incomprehensible. I expect its status to be altered in the forthcoming review.

In June 2019 The Highland Council issued a call for Core Path changes in Easter Ross, the Black Isle, Inverness and Nairn, and the Council are still considering which changes are practicable. Delays to this process arise both within the Highland Council and the Scottish Government, so a consultation on any amended Core Path Plan has yet to occur.

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