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CAIRNGORMS LOCAL OUTDOOR ACCESS FORUM 
Paper 3 - Promotion of the Scottish Outdoor Access Code 11 November 2008 

CAIRNGORMS LOCAL OUTDOOR ACCESS FORUM 


Title: Promotion of the Scottish Outdoor Access Code 

Prepared by: Fran Pothecary, Outdoor Access Officer 

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to advise the Forum of the 
steps the Park Authority has undertaken to date and the 
future plans to promote the Code. 

Advice Sought 

The Forum is asked to contribute to the development of further Code 
promotion in terms of target audiences and appropriate media, with an eye 
to national priorities and the Outdoor Access Strategy. 

Background 

1. The Park Authority, along with other access authorities, has a duty to 
publicise the outdoor access code. Scottish Natural Heritage has a further 
responsibility to promote understanding of the Code and keep it under 
review and for 2008 their campaign has targeted dogs and campers – 
both ‘warm’ and ‘cold’ audiences – using a variety of media (e.g. posters 
and swing tags) and a variety of locations (e.g. fuel stations, music 
festivals and urban settings). The Park Authority has always sought to meet 
this enhanced responsibility of promoting understanding of the Code, in 
light of the importance of the National Park for recreation and land 
management, and the consequent higher expectation laid on it in terms 
of best practice. The Outdoor Access Strategy Policy 5 gives the Forum a 
role in advising the Park Authority on its annual programme of promotional 
activity. There is a recognition that our involvement in promotion has been 
reduced in the past year due to the prominence of Core Path Planning 
but with the near conclusion of the CPP process, we are now looking to 
increase our efforts in this area. 

What have we achieved to date? 

2. Promotional banners – early in 2005 the Park Authority commissioned three 
roller banners and a large pop-up banner displaying the three key 
messages of the Code in the National Park context. These banners have 
been widely used, not only at access related events, but have also been 
leant to third parties for their use at shows, events etc. The larger pop-up 
banner in particular is getting ”tired” and we have commissioned a reprint 
of the panels but we are also considering commissioning an 
alternative set of panels that could be used on the same pop-up frame. 

• Forum members are asked if there are any particular messages 
suitable for a generic audience that a fresh set of panels could display? 

3. Training courses and workshops – we have been fortunate in being able 
to work closely with the Land Based Business Training courses in organising 
and delivering courses for the general public on Code related issues. To 
date courses have been run on Code awareness and signage and 
obstruction. Access staff have delivered the courses along with other 
trainers, and we have also organised one-off courses for specialist 
audiences – such as golf course managers. The next specialist course is 
proposed for December – the subject matter is “dogs in the countryside”, 
targeted specifically at dogs and dog owners, and involving a local dog 
trainer, and Forestry Commission Ranger. 

4. We have also been involved in assisting on external courses such as the 
Code awareness programme for outdoor instructors run by the Institute of 
Outdoor Learning with funding from SNH. CNPA access officers were 
involved in the Steering Group for developing this series of courses and 
delivering Code related presentation at three courses in the National Park 

5. Land management signage – last year we commissioned sets of the blue 
and white signage developed by SNH for land managers. We have 
recently been made aware of software in use in the Loch Lomond and 
the Trossachs National Park which replicates the template of these signs in 
terms of format, main messages etc but allows for the insert of more 
specific information. We are currently exploring the possibility of using it. 

6. Leaflets – the Park Authority has steered away from developing leaflets for 
a number of reasons – governing bodies have done an excellent job of 
targeting their own audience of recreation users and land managers; 
leaflets are difficult to distribute, go out of date quickly and are probably 
the weakest form of persuasion for less aware audiences. We are however 
in receipt of material developed by SNH such as posters and leaflets and 
help to publicise and distribute these initiatives. 

• Forum members are asked to consider the means and methods of how 
nationally prioritised issues might be communicated within the National 
Park, and the role of different partners in so doing. 


Fran Pothecary 
Outdoor Access Officer 

franpothecary@cairngorms.co.uk