History

The Paths for All Initiative, of which the Paths for All Partnership is a key component, was established by Scottish Natural Heritage to create local path networks throughout Scotland for the enjoyment of local people and visitors.

The Paths for All Partnership was set up in 1996 in response to the growing demand for more paths near to where people live and work. The Partnership was established as a company limited by guarantee with charitable status. The organisation covers the whole of Scotland from our main base in Alloa and our northern office in Inverness.

The Partnership is a unique forum comprising 20 Partner organisations representing relevant public sector and national representative bodies with an interest in and responsibility for creating and promoting networks of paths around settlements. This forum provides a national lead in creating and promoting path networks.

The key objectives of the Partnership are to achieve a significant increase in well-managed and welcoming paths close to where people live, and to promote their use.

The Partnership’s Vision (PDF) is for a Scotland of active communities where each community has a network of paths which encourages people to walk, ride and cycle from their door, delivering health, community, economic and sustainable transport benefits for all.

The Partnership has a key role to play in helping to develop path networks under the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 and to assist with encouraging the promotion of the Scottish Outdoor Access Code.

Paths for All Partnership has two main areas of activity:

• Outdoor Access for the promotion and development of well-managed path networks
• Paths to Health for the promotion and development of volunteer-led health walks