Will the paths survive Covid-19?

[Plavuizen]

Many of the paths in the highlands exist by the simple fact that they are used. With all the travel restrictions, I imagine that a lot of paths are also much less used than in “normal” years. Is there a risk that paths will disappear and get overgrown and become unrecognizable?

Does anyone here has experiences with this, photographs, or proof of the opposite?

Would love to come and see by myself, but have already cancelled two holidays in Scotland and don’t expect to come back soon as international travel is “challenging “...

[KatTai]

The vegetation in upland areas grows very slowly, it takes years for them to cover bare ground which is why it is such a long process to repair scarred areas, so the well-used paths will still be there. Sheep and deer are also likely to be using the paths too in the absence of people on the hills. Restrictions were eased over the summer so when the vegetation was growing there was footfall, they aren't growing in winter so lockdown over winter isn't going to result in any paths ending up overgrown.

[Alteknacker]

Anyway, it's more fun walking "off piste"...

[Caberfeidh]

The brambles on my croft are going to be a jungle of living barbed wire, I'll need a flame-thrower to get rid of them. Which may explain the terrible moor fires on Skye recently - someone has been clearing brambles! Still, think of all the ticks which get incinerated in such fires. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-56021899

[WalkWithWallace]

I wouldn't worry about it. It can take decades for eroded paths to regenerate, plus not much grows in winter. Some of the paths on popular hills are more like trenches than paths anyway.

[ChrisButch]

In populated areas there may be (in some cases already is) the opposite effect. A consequence of the 'allowed out for exercise only' restrictions, coupled with the extra time homeworking office workers find they have now there's no commuting journey, is that many local footpaths have been more heavily used than ever before during the lockdown. There even seems to be weird psychological effect which translates 'permission to exercise' into 'compulsion to exercise': so that, counter-intuitively, an effect of the lockdown may actually be an improvement in the average state of fitness of the population, however temporary.

[iain_atkinson_1986]

Paths?!



You need to do more Corbetts and Grahams.

[jmarkb]

In populated areas there may be (in some cases already is) the opposite effect. A consequence of the 'allowed out for exercise only' restrictions, coupled with the extra time homeworking office workers find they have now there's no commuting journey, is that many local footpaths have been more heavily used than ever before during the lockdown.

Certainly true in the Pentlands - very marked widening and erosion of paths going on due to increased traffic. Wasn't too bad in Lockdown 1 when the ground was very dry, but since the autumn everything has turned into a mudbath (when not frozen).

[Plavuizen]

Certainly true in the Pentlands - very marked widening and erosion of paths going on due to increased traffic. Wasn't too bad in Lockdown 1 when the ground was very dry, but since the autumn everything has turned into a mudbath (when not frozen).

Mudbaths seem to be very healthy!

[AyrshireAlps]

My nearest Corbett - Shalloch on minnoch - has a visible path for the first time I can remember. Not a bad thing in my book.

[Sgurr]

The local paths are getting muddier and muddier. As I only discovered some of them in March/April I don't know if they are always like this in winter, but ankle deep mud in places.

[davekeiller]

I'd be surprised if it made much difference.
Although the lockdown kept people off the hills in the spring, the restrictions were relaxed in the summer, and plenty of people were out from June to September.
I suspect that overall footfall from March to September wasn't much lower than normal on many hills.

Footfall will have been lower over the winter in many highland areas, but the vegetation isn't growing very much over winter, and it's generally buried by snow for extended periods anyway so total footfall makes less of a difference.

[SteveeMac]

In populated areas there may be (in some cases already is) the opposite effect. A consequence of the 'allowed out for exercise only' restrictions, coupled with the extra time homeworking office workers find they have now there's no commuting journey, is that many local footpaths have been more heavily used than ever before during the lockdown. There even seems to be weird psychological effect which translates 'permission to exercise' into 'compulsion to exercise': so that, counter-intuitively, an effect of the lockdown may actually be an improvement in the average state of fitness of the population, however temporary.

Was thinking same as you Chris but I guess it swings in roundabouts based on population of area and popularity of the walk

[Booga]

In populated areas there may be (in some cases already is) the opposite effect. A consequence of the 'allowed out for exercise only' restrictions, coupled with the extra time homeworking office workers find they have now there's no commuting journey, is that many local footpaths have been more heavily used than ever before during the lockdown. There even seems to be weird psychological effect which translates 'permission to exercise' into 'compulsion to exercise': so that, counter-intuitively, an effect of the lockdown may actually be an improvement in the average state of fitness of the population, however temporary.

Agreed, some of the previously little used paths in my local area are definitely busier now with people staying local to exercise. I doubt many paths that have been used for decades will grow over beyond use during lockdown, compacted earth and erosion down to bedrock by years of footfall means that plant growth won't be as vigorous in those areas and will easily get trampled back to path status again.