The Land Reform Act of 2003 was the basis of the access rights that we all enjoy in Scotland. As a consequence, local councils including Perth & Kinross were tasked with designating core paths, which are paths and tracks providing public access to the countryside for walkers, cyclists, and horse riders. Landowners and local paths groups were widely consulted. There then followed a lengthy period of consultation where objections were raised and an inquiry ordered by Scottish Ministers, before finally the Perth & Kinross Council Core Paths Plan was adopted in January 2012, and revised in 2017.
Scottish Access Rights do not however only apply to core paths. The vast majority of land in Scotland is accessible to responsible walkers, horse riders, and cyclists, but not motorised vehicles. Please remember to enjoy the outdoors responsibly. There’s much more information here: https://www.pkc.gov.uk/article/15436/Outdoor-access-rights-and-responsibilities, including maps of the core paths in the Alyth area and elsewhere.
PKC has ultimate responsibility for maintaining these core paths in our area in consultation with landowners. If you have questions about core paths not being maintained, and what can be done to keep these routes open, you should contact PKC’s Greenspace Team – dstubbs@pkc.gov.uk – or the Perth and Kinross Countryside Trust – ajbarrie@pkc.gov.uk – with your concerns. A good list of all Scottish access officers and other organisations can be found here: https://www.outdooraccess-scotland.scot/doc/scottish-access-officer-contact-list
