People will be able to find out about their heritage at the same time as enjoying the outdoors, thanks to a 3-year project by ScotWays with the support of Scottish Natural Heritage and the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The Heritage Paths Project will raise awareness of the rich heritage of Scotland's paths and tracks. Many of these routes have been worn into hillsides and glens by centuries of users such as drovers and their cattle, men carrying their neighbours' coffins to the nearest kirk, fishwives seeking markets, and smugglers along their secret paths.

Historic military tracks were built in an attempt to impose rule from the south, from the time of the Roman legions to General Wade's Redcoats. Closer to settlements, and in more modern times, there are paths used by generations of schoolchildren, and by miners on their way to the pits. Routes like these will all form the subject of the Heritage Paths Project.

The project will identify and research heritage paths and record them in a national database containing information about their history and heritage value as well as path surveys and maps. Volunteers will be encouraged to become involved in researching and surveying the routes, so learning more about their local and national heritage.

People will be able to find out more about the routes from the internet, leaflets and a book, and maps and signposts will encourage them to use the routes and help them to find the way on the ground. A full-time project officer will be appointed to co-ordinate the project.

Examples of Heritage Paths are:

• The Corrieyairack Pass – a Wade road from Laggan to Fort Augustus.
• The Lairig Ghru, in the Cairngorm Mountains – probably the best-known high pass in Scotland, formerly used by drovers taking cattle between Deeside and Speyside.
• The Herring Road – route from Dunbar to Lauder used by fishwives selling fish.
• Cauldstane Slap – old drove road from Mid Calder to West Linton over the Pentland Hills, which continues on to Peebles and St Mary's Loch. It is marked on Roy's map of 1755 and was used by Bonnie Prince Charlie escaping from Hanoverian soldiers in 1746.
• St Cuthbert's Way – a pilgrim's route from Melrose to Lindisfarne.

ScotWays Chairman, George Menzies, commented:
"We are delighted that both Scottish Natural Heritage and the Heritage Lottery Fund have recognised the importance of this project and have given it substantial grant funding (£60,000 from SNH and £50,000 from HLF). We are fortunate that, throughout Scotland, there are still so many routes of great heritage interest. South of the border, many routes like these have long since disappeared under tarmac and concrete."

Rob Garner, Access and Recreation Adviser for Scottish Natural Heritage, said:
"Before cars and trains people walked about Scotland for work, for necessity or sometimes for enjoyment. This has meant that there is a rich legacy of paths which are still used today. Nowadays the paths are more often used for recreation and this valuable project will mean that local people, and visitors, can find out more about the paths, why they developed and where they go. We are pleased to be supporting this important project."

Colin McLean, HLF Manager for Scotland, said:
"These routes all have interesting stories to tell, whether it be about the social history of an area or its religious past, and this award will mean that more people can hear them."