The Scottish Parliament’s Rural Affairs Committee is asking how well Scotland’s outdoor access system works and whether changes are needed to make it fit for the future. Your views are needed to ensure the outdoor community is fully represented.

The Scottish Outdoor Access Code will be 22 years old in February 2027 and much has changed in outdoor recreation since the Land Reform legislation and Code came into effect, with more people than ever enjoying Scotland’s mountains, coasts and countryside, tourism has boomed, and once-niche pursuits such as wild swimming, paddleboarding and e-biking becoming increasingly popular. 

It’s great that so many of us are enjoying the health and wellbeing benefits of Scotland’s outdoors, but there have also been challenges for landowners, local communities and access users. The Committee is not asking whether access rights should exist; it wants evidence about how the system works in practice.

The consultation is open to anyone with an interest in outdoor access, including hillwalkers, climbers and ski tourers and it’s important as many of us as possible take part so that our opinions and experiences are considered, alongside those of landowners, land managers, local communities and other outdoor access users.