Route Surveyor

Photo: Surveying a route in the Scottish Borders © Stephanie Droop

Purpose of the role

Heritage Paths is ScotWays’ unique, free online collection of over 400 historic routes including route descriptions and heritage interpretation.  ScotWays has launched a project to resurvey 200 Heritage Paths in hilly and mountainous parts of Scotland, and update their web pages, by 2028. We are grateful to the Scottish Mountaineering Trust who have granted a contribution to the costs of this project.

Your role will be to survey one or more of the Heritage Paths that are included in this project. After your survey you will collate and report your findings so that we can update the route’s web page and our other records.

Later in 2026, the scope of this project will expand to include routes recorded in the National Catalogue of Rights of Way (CROW), maintained by ScotWays, to help local authorities and ourselves uphold public access rights.

The activities that you will be involved in include: 

  • Reviewing the existing route description, online route map and ScotWays’ surveying guidance, to understand where the route goes and what you need to look at during your survey.
  • Working alone, or arranging accompaniment from a friend or relative who you trust.
  • Making all the logistical arrangements necessary to survey the entire route, which may take more than one visit. 
  • Taking all the equipment you need to stay safe and comfortable while surveying the route. 
  • Travelling the entire route on foot or bike, including identifying and following alternative routes where the historic route is obstructed or impractical to follow.
  • Taking detailed notes whilst travelling the route, about the route itself, about the level of public usage, and about specific features that ScotWays is interested in. 
  • Taking photographs of the route and of specific features. 
  • Soon after your survey, completing a survey report, including updating the previous route description, or drafting a new, clear description, which our staff or other volunteers will edit for publication. 
  • Submitting your survey report and your full-quality photos to us via an online file transfer service. 

You will need: 

  • Good map reading and routefinding skills. 
  • Reasonable IT skills, including browsing web pages, word processing, and transferring full-quality photos from your phone or camera to an online file transfer tool. 
  • A reasonable level of fitness to undertake survey work. 
  • The ability to follow detailed guidance. 
  • Sufficient experience of travelling in the outdoors to do so safely without reliance on other people. 
  • Clothing, footwear and other equipment appropriate to the terrain and possible weather and ground conditions. 
  • A reliable smartphone or digital camera. 
  • Ability to travel to and from the route, allowing plenty of time for routefinding, exploring alternative routes, taking notes and photos. 
  • A desire to improve outdoor access information. 

We will provide: 

  • A choice of routes: click here to see the routes that are currently available. 
  • The existing route description and an online map of the route, for you to use alongside your own maps. 
  • Guidance to the undertaking of a modern ScotWays route survey.   
  • Support and assistance from our staff, during usual office hours. 
  • Reimbursement of agreed expenses. 

How to get involved

If this sounds like something you would like to get involved in, please browse the map to choose a route, marked as ‘Survey Required’, that you would like to survey within the next three months, then contact Neil Birch on volunteer@scotways.com, quoting the path’s name and/or its web page address.

If you’re not yet registered, you will be invited to complete our online volunteer registration form, and we’ll also send our detailed surveying guidance and confirmation as to whether we can accept your offer.