Current status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 16 October 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that the Scottish Outdoor Access Code and the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 are applied consistently and fairly to small-scale, low-impact outdoor adventure and sporting events.
The management of access rights is a matter for access authorities, who have a statutory duty and powers to ensure access rights are upheld. This is done within the framework of the Scottish Outdoor Access Code (SOAC) which provides specific guidance for event organisers, land managers and the public in respect to responsible access. Clearly all events of the kind mentioned vary in scale, sensitivity and location and there may, therefore, be the appearance of this guidance being applied differently. Examples of Guidance associated with outdoors events include Outdoor events in Scotland and Commercial access to the outdoors.