Why old maps are a walker's secret weapon

Modern Ordnance Survey maps are wonderful things, but they have a blind spot. A path that was once busy with drovers, funeral processions or shieling families may now be nothing more than a faint line on the ground – or have vanished entirely from the latest edition. That is where historic maps come in. In the Scottish Highlands, where tracks were often informal and maintained by use rather than by law, old maps can be the difference between a frustrating dead end and a glorious day on a forgotten route.

These paths were not built for leisure. They connected townships to summer pastures, markets to grazing grounds, and remote communities to their dead. Reading them requires a shift in thinking, but the rewards are considerable: quiet glens, old bridges, and a sense of walking through history.

The maps to look for: from Roy to the first Ordnance Survey

Start with the great military survey of the mid-eighteenth century, often called Roy's Military Survey after its creator. It covers much of Scotland at a scale of roughly 1:36,000 and shows roads, bridges and paths that predate the clearances. You will find it in national map archives and online collections. Look for dashed lines and the words ‘road’, ‘path’ or ‘pass’.

Estate maps are another treasure. From the late eighteenth century onwards, landowners commissioned detailed surveys of their holdings. These often mark paths to shielings, mill roads and coffin routes with surprising precision. Then come the first edition Ordnance Survey sheets, surveyed mainly between 1840 and 1880. At six inches to the mile, they capture a landscape before many later tracks were bulldozed or abandoned.

• Roy's Military Survey (1747–55): broad strategic routes and some local paths.
• Estate maps (1770–1850): detailed, often with names and destinations.
• First edition OS (1840s–1880s): the gold standard for lost paths and buildings.

Drovers' roads, coffin routes and shieling paths

Not all lost paths are the same. Drovers' roads were the motorways of their day, wide enough for cattle and often lined with dykes. They ran from the Highlands to markets at Crieff, Falkirk and further south. Some are now minor roads; others are grassy tracks across moors. Coffin routes, by contrast, were solemn and direct, linking remote settlements to a burial ground. They often follow straight lines over passes and are marked by cairns or lone stones. Shieling paths led to summer pastures and are typically narrow, contouring around hillsides.

You may also encounter military roads built by General Wade and his successors, and ‘peat roads’ for fuel. Each has a different signature on the map: wide and double-lined for droving, straight and thin for coffins, winding and faint for shielings.

How to compare old and new maps

The practical work is straightforward. Load a historic map alongside a modern one on screen, or print them at the same scale. Use grid references to match features. Then look for these clues:

• Dashed lines labelled ‘path’ or ‘footpath’ – often still walkable.
• ‘Ford’ or ‘ferry’ – indicates a crossing that may still exist.
• Place names containing ‘bothy’, ‘shiel’, ‘rath’ or ‘cairn’ – hints of use.
• Changes in woodland or drainage – an old path may now be under trees or a reservoir.

Note where a path meets a modern track: that junction is your access point. Also check later editions. A path shown in 1890 but absent in 1950 may have been ploughed or planted, but the line can still be traced on the ground.

On the ground: signs to look for

When you head out, do not expect signposts. Instead, look for subtle clues. A worn ribbon of grass through heather, a line of flat stones, an old gatepost, or a sudden break in a dyke. Coffin routes often have a particular feel: straight, purposeful and sometimes edged with small cairns. Drovers' roads may be bordered by mature thorn trees or walls.

Be mindful of land access. Follow the Scottish Outdoor Access Code, close gates and avoid disturbing wildlife. If a path crosses a working estate, a polite word at the farmhouse can work wonders – and often yields local stories.

Blending map reading with local stories

Finally, remember that folklore is a map of its own. A track called ‘The Fairy Path’ or ‘The Corpse Road’ on an old map tells you how people understood that landscape. Drovers' tales of storms and lost cattle, or stories of coffin bearers resting at particular stones, can confirm a route when the ground is ambiguous. Talk to local historians, read parish records and listen in village pubs. The best lost paths are found by combining the archive with the anecdote.

So next time you plan a walk, spend an hour with an old map. You may find yourself on a route that has not been walked for a century – and that is a quiet privilege.