What are Scotland's Great Trails?
Scotland's Great Trails are a collection of (currently 29) human-powered long-distance routes.
How did Scotland's Great Trails begin?
Scotland's Great Trails, previously known as Long Distance Routes, were established by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH). SNH promoted and developed these trails to encourage enjoyment of the countryside, boost tourism, and support other objectives.
Scottish Natural Heritage created and launched the first four Long Distance Routes:
- West Highland Way (1980)
- Speyside Way (1981)
- Southern Upland Way (1984)
- Great Glen Way (2002)
However, the most notable change to Scotland’s long-distance routes occurred in 2010.
In 2010, influenced partly by legislation such as the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 and the resulting Scottish Outdoor Access Code, SNH began encouraging and supporting local proposals for long-distance trails, which it rebranded as Scotland’s Great Trails.
Since then, twenty-five additional trails have been added to the original four, bringing the total number of Scotland’s Great Trails to twenty-nine.
Scotland’s Great Trails - The Complete List
- Annandale Way
- Arran Coastal Way
- Ayrshire Coastal Path
- Berwickshire Coastal Path
- Borders Abbeys Way
- Cateran Trail
- Clyde Walkway
- Cross Borders Drove Road
- Dava Way
- Fife Coastal Path
- Formartine and Buchan Way
- Forth & Clyde/Union Canal Towpath
- Great Glen Canoe Trail
- Great Glen Way
- Great Trossachs Path
- John Muir Way
- Kintyre Way
- Loch Lomond & Cowal Way
- Moray Coast Trail
- Mull of Galloway Trail
- River Ayr Way
- Rob Roy Way
- Romans and Reivers Route
- Southern Upland Way
- Speyside Way
- St Cuthbert’s Way
- Three Lochs Way
- West Highland Way
- West Island Way
Scottish Natural Heritage rebranded as NatureScot in 2020. NatureScot is an executive, non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government. It serves as the current “guardian” of Scotland's Great Trails and is responsible for awarding trails the status of a Great Trail.
What is the criteria to become one of Scotland’s Great Trails
The main criteria for including a trail as a Scottish Great Trail are that it must be:
1. People-powered
2. Minimum of 25 miles in length
These two criteria permit “human propulsion” methods beyond walking, such as cycling, canoeing, and horseback riding. As a result, many trails are primarily designated for cycling, horse riding, and canoeing.
A lengthy list of other factors is also considered before a trail can earn the status of a Scottish Great Trail. These include, but are not limited to;
- Waymarked (signage)
- Safety & Access
- Management and Maintenance
- Information (websites, etc.)
- Scenery
- History and Cultural Significance
- Amenities
- Infrastructure
- Trail Surfaces
However, the degree to which each of these criteria is considered, and how the status is reviewed, remains, at best, vague! As far as I know, no trail has ever had its status as one of Scotland's Great Trails revoked.
Who maintains Scotland’s Great Trails?
Most of Scotland's Great Trails are maintained by local authorities, private landowners, national parks, and a devoted and loyal army of volunteers whose tireless effort often goes unnoticed. It is these volunteers who maintain the majority of Scotland's Great Trails.
This combination can lead to disagreements over who is responsible for maintenance and who bears the financial burden. As a result, some trail sections have fallen into disrepair, with missing signage, becoming impassable, abandoned, or even closed entirely.
Most of the funding for development and upkeep comes from organisations such as the National Lottery Fund, the European Union (before Brexit), local authorities and public donations.
However, in recent years, cuts have reduced staffing for maintenance tasks in local government and national parks, resulting in a growing need for reliance on public support.
For more information, there are some excellent websites dedicated to specific trails as well being active on social media, predominantly on Facebook.
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English, Welsh, and Irish equivalents of Scotland's Great Trails?
The equivalent of Scotland's Great Trails in England and Wales are National Trails. Northern Ireland does not have an equivalent, though it boasts some exceptional trails.
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