Everyone has a right to access most land in Scotland. The Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 means that you can walk
almost anywhere without the need to ask permission or keep to paths. Alongside this right comes the responsibility
to care for your own safety, to respect people's privacy and peace of mind and to cause no damage. This means, for
instance, that you do not walk through someone's garden or across a field of growing crops. You can
find out more at
www.outdooraccess-scotland.scot. The right of access does not extend to quarries, building sites or any land
where public access is prohibited, or to the collection of geological samples.
Scotland's Geosites have a range of international, national and local designations that help to safeguard Scotland's
geodiversity. This means that they are important and should be treated with respect. Geoconservation aims to
maintain valuable site features, and ensure these remain visible.
You can avoid causing damage to a Geosite by:
- not reducing the geosite's physical attributes (e.g. don't remove rock)
- not reducing its visibility (e.g. don't dump rubbish or paint graffiti etc), and
- not disrupting the operation of natural processes in active geosites.
You can contribute positively to geoconservation by reporting issues such as overgrown vegetation, and working with
land managers to to help solve problems.
More information about Geoconservation in Scotland |
Guidance on collecting geological samples
