Accessible paths toolkit 2026
More paths for more people
An accessible paths toolkit June 2026
Cairngorms National Park Pàirc Nàiseanta a’ Mhonaidh Ruaidh
Cover image © Will Hall
Introduction
Accessible paths are routes for everyone and are suitable for people with limited mobility. This includes wheelchair users, families with pushchairs, people using mobility scooters, people with visual impairments, and anyone who wants an easier walk with no steps or steep slopes.
Background
There is widespread evidence to show the health and social benefits that come from spending time outdoors and connecting with the natural environment. However, these benefits and access to the countryside are not equally available to everyone. People living with disabilities or health conditions and older people are particularly impacted by physical barriers to access.
This toolkit provides information and advice for path managers about accessible paths, the required standard, how to audit existing paths and identify any improvements required to improve the accessibility of a path.
It is impractical to make all areas of the countryside accessible to everyone, but simple interventions can improve accessibility. This guidance aims to provide a realistic, practical and effective approach to delivering access improvements, creating more paths for more people across the Cairngorms National Park.
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1. Accessible path standards
There is no statutory standard for access in the countryside and the huge variation in landscape character and terrain make a one-size-fits-all approach challenging. However, a national access standard has been developed for paths, detailed in the Outdoor Accessibility Guidance (2023) document produced by Walking Scotland and The Sensory Trust.
This recognises different standards for urban / formal landscapes and for countryside landscapes. Countryside paths are defined as being those in wilder, lightly managed landscapes eg open countryside, nature reserves, woodlands, and for these the accessible standard is lower.
This toolkit summarises the key points from the guidance relevant to countryside paths (identified in the guidance as ‘Zone C’ paths). For more specific information on any point or design standards please refer to the Outdoor Accessibility Guidance.
Any path improvements should always adopt the approach of least restrictive access, aiming for the highest standards possible. For example, a gap is less restrictive than a self-closing gate, which is less restrictive than a manually closed gate. The first option would be a gap, but if that is not possible, the highest specification of wide, easy latching, self-closing gate that meets the British Standard would be the next option.
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The accessible standard for countryside paths is summarised in table 1 on page 6.
Any new accessible paths being constructed should be built to meet this standard. It may be more challenging to bring existing paths or structures up to this standard, but any improvements made towards the standard are of benefit and are worth undertaking.
While features such as moderate slopes, narrow sections and rough patches are acceptable within the countryside accessibility standard, ideally these would occur infrequently and be considered as exceptions, rather than the norm. Multiple challenging features can impact on the overall accessibility of the path for some users. A single element such as a patch of rough surface may be manageable for most users to cope with, but repeated rough patches, numerous gates to open or repeated slopes can cause fatigue or create a poor user experience.
If the accessible route is a ‘there-and-back’ path, then an adequate turning space needs to be provided at the turn-around point. Any there-and-back route should still deliver a quality visitor experience, ie offer a pleasant user experience and ideally lead to a destination, feature or viewpoint.
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Additional barriers to access
In addition to the physical path standard other barriers to access exist for many people living with a disability or health issue, or people with concerns about personal safety or lacking in confidence. The improvement of any accessible path should be considered within this wider context.
Common barriers to access include:
- Limited information about accessibility, lack of information in alternative formats or languages
- Lack of confidence, not feeling welcome, fears over safety or getting lost
- Lack of accessible toilets near the path
- Lack of parking options or accessible transport, and costs of both
- Poorly maintained environment
The Access Chain
The Access Chain was developed by the Sensory Trust to look at access from the perspective of the visitor. It recognises multiple steps, starting with the decision to visit. This is made at home and relies on off-site information providing adequate detail about accessibility in relation to parking, transport, toilets etc as well as the path itself. If there is insufficient information then the decision to visit the path might not be made at all.
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Table 1 Countryside paths – accessible standard
| Criteria | Path standard requirement | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Barriers | No barriers | Barriers are any physical features that create an obstacle in the path, including steps, stiles, cattle grids, large rocks etc. These are impassable to many users. |
| Surface | Generally firm, even, well-drained and non-slip. Occasional tree roots, odd rough patches or some loose material, are considered acceptable in the countryside. | Avoid loose materials like gravel or bark, these are particularly challenging for people with limited mobility and often impassable for wheelchair users. |
| Surface breaks | Maximum surface break should ideally not be more than 12mm, but up to 75mm would be acceptable in existing structures. | Surface breaks run across a path and are things like cross drains or gaps in board walks. They can trap walking sticks or wheels or may pose a trip hazard. |
| Width | Minimum useable width of the path should be 1.2 metres. Where permanent features like trees or walls force a pinch point the path can narrow to 1m. | Path width is important to ensure a wheelchair can pass along easily or two people walking side-by-side (one may be an aide). |
| Slopes | Most of the path would ideally be flat (<2% gradient) or with gentle slopes (2 – 5%). Moderate slopes up to a maximum of 10% gradient over short distances are acceptable but ideally wouldn’t exceed 8%. | Slopes (including ramps or gradients) are one of the most significant barriers limiting access to paths and routes. They are potentially hazardous and exhausting to people with limited mobility. Mobility scooters are only rated to use on slopes of less than 10% gradient. The steeper the slope the greater the impact on people. Aim for smooth gradual changes in gradient. |
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| Criteria | Path standard requirement | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Camber / crossfall | Ideally the crossfall should be less than 3% gradient. A camber from the centre of the path is more useable (but ideally crossfall still wouldn’t exceed 6%). | If gradient can’t be reduced, |