Designing paths

So you've got some folks together to form a paths group, you've talked to the wider community and you've worked out your priorities.  You've surveyed what's there, and worked out what's feasible, so now it's the time to start designing your path project.  Whether it's upgrading an existing path or creating a whole new path, a lot of the same design principles apply.

As you design your path works, you'll need to consider the following issues:

• fitting your path into its surroundings
• budget constraints
• who will be using your path
• developing the least restrictive option to facilitate access for all
• path route
• path formation, including gradient and cross slopes
• drainage
• path construction including materials and surfacing
• reducing maintenance requirements.

There's more information on each of the topics in the Lowland Paths Guide, which you can access here.

You may decide that you'd prefer to get external help with designing your path, in which case you should have a look at the following section on using consultants.