Although the path to Steall Gorge was constructed historically, it is still a rough and rugged path to walk and that is part of its character. The number of walkers using the path combined with the steep terrain and heavy rainfall of the area means that the path gets a lot of wear and tear. Although it was still in a reasonably good condition, in 2012 there were some sections where the soft outside edge was beginning to collapse and other places where water run-off was eroding the path surface, making it rougher and causing people to walk on the grass along the path edge leading to additional erosion. If left these on-going processes of erosion would have lead to bits of the path crumbling away, a loss of vegetation and soils, and the path becoming less accessible. Path repair works completed aimed to consolidate the existing path and provide further protection from erosion whilst maintaining its rugged character.