WARNING - By their nature, text files cannot include scanned images and tables. The process of converting documents to text only, can cause formatting changes and misinterpretation of the contents can sometimes result. Wherever possible you should refer to the pdf version of this document. CAIRNGORMS LOCAL OUTDOOR ACCESS FORUM Paper 4 – Path Leaflet Design Guidance 11 November 2008 Article I. CAIRNGORMS LOCAL OUTDOOR ACCESS FORUM Title: Path Leaflet Design Guidance Prepared by: Pete Crane, Senior Visitor Services Officer Purpose: To update the Forum on development of a consistent approach to the design of ‘community’ path leaflets which provide information about promoted paths. To seek direct involvement from one or two members of the Forum in developing this work. Advice sought: The Forum is invited to give its advice on the following proposed key principles which will help guide the work through to completion. Additional suggestions are also welcome: a) A consistent approach to ‘community’ path leaflets should be adopted in the Cairngorms National Park by developing a design template for path leaflets. b) Community groups and other stakeholders should be involved in the development of the design template. c) The template should cover the following broad areas:- • General design advice on size, font, layout, presentation of photographs and drawings, etc • Advice on maps, including design issues, copyright and the use of one large map or several smaller maps • Specific design advice on best practice in terms of legibility and accessibility relating to print, images and maps. • Advice on how to present information on responsible access in the context of Scottish Outdoor Access Code. • Use of Cairngorms National Park Brand and other brands such as community path groups (e.g. Explore Abernethy, Wildcat Trail, Laggan Forest Trust). • Advice on how to promote organisations providing sponsorship or funding for path development and maintenance. • Advice on how to distinguish path leaflets covering different areas of the National Park, for example Paths of the Angus Glens from Paths around Ballater. Background 1. The Cairngorms National Park Plan contains a number of actions which directly encourage the production of high quality information about paths:- a) Develop and promote a hierarchy of visitor information about outdoor access opportunities – with general information about opportunities at Park-wide level and more specific information available about opportunities in parts of the National Park. b) Promote Core Paths and other paths with appropriate visitor information and marketing to encourage their use. c) Promote awareness and encourage use of shorter or easier outdoor access opportunities, especially around communities, within the National Park. d) Specifically market the outdoor access opportunities that have good links to public transport. e) Develop style/design templates that can be used on different series of publications to promote the overall identity of the Park. 2. The Cairngorms National Park Outdoor Access Strategy, OAS Policy 10, encourages the development appropriate visitor information about outdoor access opportunities including: a) information about outdoor access opportunities within the National Park which places the information in the context of the National Park as a whole, for example by using a map of the National Park, and where appropriate, using the National Park brand; b) an emphasis on providing easily accessible information about where to walk, cycle and ride around and between each community in the National Park for the benefit of residents and visitors; and an emphasis on short or moderate length outdoor access opportunities and information that meets the needs and aspirations of less-able people, including accurate route descriptions. 3. We consider that one of the key ways of encouraging people to use promoted paths is to produce a series of high quality path leaflets. Current Path Leaflets 4. Work undertaken as part of the Outdoor Access Strategy identified that there are already many path leaflets describing routes in National Park. We have identified three broad categories of leaflet:- a) Commercial Path Leaflets produced for profit such as ‘Footprint’ maps. Typically these cover a large area and include the ‘best path’ in or around a community. b) Estate Path Leaflets such as those produced by Forestry Commission Scotland, Rothiemurchus and Crown Estates. These cover the paths on individual land management units. c) Community Path Leaflets such as those produced by Explore Abernethy, the Newtonmore Wildcat Trail, and the Upper Deeside Access Trust. Typically, these cover all the promoted paths around a community or focus on paths accessible to a specific user group such as cyclists or wheel chair users. Often these leaflets are free or sold at low cost. 5. Annex 1 shows a range of the current ‘community’ path leaflets produced in the National Park, and will be available at the Forum meeting, or can be viewed on the website Discussion 6. The ‘community path leaflets’ and the communities that currently have no path leaflet represent the areas where we can realistically have most influence and therefore this work intends to concentrate on these two categories. 7. The examples in Annex 1 show the lack of consistency in the current ‘community’ path leaflets produced in the National Park. Many do not reflect recent changes to the access legislation. Collectively the leaflets are inconsistent in their use of information (imperial distance, metric distance or time). Many do not meet best practice in terms of legibility and none promote ‘their’ paths of part of a wider network throughout the National Park. 8. The advantages of developing a consistent approach to ‘community’ path leaflets across the National Park include:- a) Consistent promotion of responsible access (Scottish Outdoor Access Code) b) Consistent use of best practice guidelines for print material c) Clarity and consistency of information to users d) Increased confidence in users leading to increased use e) Increased awareness of promoted paths f) Increased potential to encourage responsible behaviour (the feeling of being on a path in a National Park that is looked after) g) Improved user experience 9. We consider that the key way of improving ‘community’ path leaflets is to develop a design template that can be used by communities to help them produce a consistent leaflet that forms part of a ‘family’ of Cairngorms path leaflets. Several other areas have adopted a similar approach with Orkney Isles being one of the best examples that we have found in Scotland (see Annex 2). CNPA have also recently produced a design template for public leaflets to ensure similar consistency in visitor information. 10.There appear to be two fundamental parts to this work: a) Developing consensus among partners b) Producing a flexible template that allows the production of a range of leaflets 11.In order to assist us in this process we intend to appoint an experienced designer/cartographer to facilitate a workshop with partners and produce a design template for path leaflets. 12.However, prior to appointing a consultant and meeting with partners we feel that it would be very useful to seek advice from the Forum on the approach being adopted. This advice will help shape our consultation. Outputs 13.The main output from the project will be a brief document providing the template for path leaflets. The Forum will be asked for further advice prior to publication. Adherence to the design template is likely to be a requirement for public sector financial support for ‘community’ path leaflets. Pete Crane Senior Visitor Services Officer petecrane@cairngorms.co.uk