Scottish Paths Network: 42,000 Miles of Trails with Volunteer Surveys

Between 2019 and 2024, Ramblers Scotland and volunteers created this path network dataset, which is no longer being updated. It includes almost 42,000 miles of paths in Scotland, with over 2,000 paths not previously appearing in other datasets. Volunteers also conducted 9,000 path surveys to gather additional information and verify suitability.

Use Cases

• Plan hiking routes based on the extensive network of paths, many not shown on Ordnance Survey maps.
• Analyze trail coverage and gaps for conservation or tourism planning based on the volunteer-mapped data.
• Study the characteristics of walking paths based on the information gathered from 9,000 volunteer surveys.

Strengths

• Includes almost 42,000 miles of paths, providing large-scale coverage of Scotland.
• Contains over 2,000 paths that were not previously mapped in other datasets.
• Enriched by 9,000 on-the-ground volunteer surveys for path verification and information.

Limitations

• Data collection was discontinued in 2024 and is no longer being updated.
• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality, format, and column definitions require manual inspection after download.
• Path audits are noted to be subjective to some extent, as described by the creators.

Provenance

Source

Ramblers Scotland, volunteers, and publicly available sources.

Collection Method

Created through volunteer work and collaboration between 2019 and 2024.

Time Range

2019-2024

Geography

Scotland