Public Use of Paths

Scotland’s People and Nature Survey 2023/24 found that 61% of people in Scotland visit the outdoors for recreation at least once a week, with 17% visiting the outdoors typically every day. 20% of all outdoor visits for recreation were to the seaside - including beaches, coasts, and cliffs (Stewart & Eccleston, 2024). 

Marine Social Attitiudes Survey in 2019 found that 63% of Scottish residents that visited the Scottish marine environment went walking, hiking, or running, and 31% went dog walking (Scottish Government, 2019). From this, it is clear that public use of coastal paths is high, with increased use in and around coastal urban areas where this is a higher population density.

An increased frequency of outdoor visits for recreation leads to stronger connection to nature (Stewart & Eccleston, 2024), and can improve physical and mental wellbeing.

Under the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2016, the public has a right to responsible access of land with guidance for this set out in the Scottish Outdoor Access Code. One of the key ways the public uses coastal paths is via the Core Path Networks (please see 'Core Path Networks' page for more information). Alongside this, Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Councils have a number of coastal walks such as the Aberdeen Coastal Trail or Aberdeenshire Coastal Trail (Aberdeen City Council, 2021 & n.d.; Aberdeenshire Council, n.d.).