As a land manager you have rights and responsibilities under the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003. The Access Manager can help you and can provide you with the advice you need to manage some of the problems that you may encounter.
Whilst Argyll & Bute is a great place to get out and enjoy the outdoors for the public it is also where many people live and work. Most people act responsibly most of the time and only a few people do not. This may be because they do not understand what they should be doing to act responsibly or simply do not think. Very rarely some will act maliciously.
Please click on the image of the sign to download a copy from the Outdoor Access Scotland website
The Scottish Outdoor Access Code provides guidance on responsible behaviour to help ensure that public access does not unreasonably affect land management, other people or the environment. A variety of guidance is available, if needed, to help land managers, and others to integrate access with other activities. The Outdoor Access Scotland Website has a lot of information to help you as a land manager.
The Scottish Outdoor Access Code (SOAC) website is the place to find out more about access rights and responsibilities in Scotland’s outdoors. Access rights in Scotland apply to most land and inland water as well as the foreshore. There are places where the public do not have a right of access such as land close to a house, airfields, railway lines and farm yards where they might be injured. It is also possible to temporarily restrict access whilst land management operations are being carried out, although you should always impose these to the minimum area for the minimum period of time.
From the outdooraccess-scotland.com website you can find out about;
- Your rights
- Where you can exercise your rights
- Where you do not have access rights
- What rights and responsibilities land managers and others have
Much of this information is specific to different activities, from air sports to water sports. If you are planning any of the following we strongly recommend that you use these quick links to learn more. It will not take long and you will enjoy your visit more;
Help With Encouraging Responsible Behaviour
If you need some help the Access Manager is here to help provide advice to land managers. We can advise on suitable signage if you need to encourage people to behave responsibly. If you need to close a path, whether it is a Core Path or not we can advise you of the best way to do this.
We have designed a range of signs to help to manage a range of access issues, some of which are shown below.
Improving Public Access on Your Land
The Scottish Government and other bodies make funding available to improve access in conjunction with forestry and agriculture - The Access Manager can advise you on where work is required to give the greatest benefit to the public, and on accessing funding.
Wild Camping
The attached information has been produced to inform Police and Council Officers called upon to deal with issues arising from Wild Camping. Land Managers may also be involved and there is advice for them on how to manage the issues that arise.
Management of Informal Camping
Guidance on Responsible Wild Camping
Please remember that the Access Manager is not a police officer, and if you are experiencing antisocial behaviour or other difficulties you should call the police on 101. Only use 999 if someone is threatened or in danger, a crime is happening or someone suspected of committing a crime is nearby.
If you have had repeated problems over a period of time we may be able to provide some advice to assist with managing the problems.