USED by farmers, crofters and thieves, Scotland's ancient cattle droves once formed a vital link between the rural communities of the Highlands and the economic centres of the Lowlands.

Many of the tracks ran deep into the hills and glens of what is now known as Cairngorm National Park Authority (CNPA) and date back to medieval times.

Yesterday, in an attempt to raise their profile among visitors, the droves were placed at the centre of the CNPA's tourism strategy.

A map of hill passes has been launched to entice more hillwalkers to experience the ancient network of tracks, including those which wind through Glen Feshie and Glen Tilt.

Until the middle of the nineteenth century, most of the tracks were still used for driving livestock to markets in Edinburgh or northern England.

Nowadays, the only traffic found on the routes, some of which run close to major roads such as the A9 from Perth to Inverness, the A82 from Glasgow to Fort William and the A75 from Stranraer to Dumfries, are hillwalkers.

The map, produced by ScotWays - The Scottish Rights of Way and Access Society - provides users with historical information and advice on tackling some of the more remote routes.

One of the best known tracks included on the map is the Lairig Ghru. At its highest point, the route is more than 2000ft above sea level and connects Speyside with Deeside.

Walkers start at Glen Mor near Aviemore and finish at Braemar in Aberdeenshire. The Lairig an Louigh, another popular route, is a lower pass than the Lairig Ghru, and was originally used for taking calves and weaker cattle through from Speyside to Deeside to market.

Peter MacKay, vice-chairman of ScotWays, explained that historically two types of track existed. "The legitimate drove roads would run through the main glens and be used by cattle drovers while the illegitimate droves - normally back roads through the smaller glens - were used by cattle thieves.

"This is the first map for many years that will be widely available which shows these long and traditional hill tracks. People forget that there is already a network of ancient walkways throughout the Highlands.

"The routes vary from relatively easy routes to long-distance challenging walks through some of the finest mountain scenery in Britain.

Unlike routes such as the West Highland Way, it would be rare to find many other walkers on most of these routes. So for those who enjoy the challenges of solitude and navigation in wild country, these tracks are among the best in Scotland."

The free leaflet was funded by the CNPA, the European Regional Development Fund, Scottish Natural Heritage and ScotWays. The CNPA also assisted in its production and distribution. It replaces a previous version published in 1995, which is now out of date.

Pete Crane, CNPA's visitor services officer, said: "Many of these traditional routes provide a direct link to the past because they were used for moving cattle and, in some cases, troops around the Cairngorms. They offer the chance to see the best scenery that the Cairngorms has to offer while following in the footsteps of our forebears."

Patricia Hamilton, programme manager for the Cairngorms programme, said:

"We are delighted to support ScotWays in funding a map covering the whole of the Cairngorms area. It will assist local people and visitors to plan and find the best routes and will also inform wider and safer access in the National Park."

Cattie Anderson, Scottish Natural Heritage's area officer, added it was pleased to support the leaflet.

She said: "It will help us to promote responsible access under the new Scottish legislation."

The leaflet is available from tourist offices, youth hostels, ranger bases and other information points in the Cairngorms area.

WALK IN THE PARK

The Cairngorms was made a national park in September 2003 The Cairngorms national park has the largest area of mountain landscape in UK.

It is home to 17,000 people and 25% of Britain's threatened birds, animals and plants.

It includes moorlands, forests, rivers, lochs and glens.

Famous tracks include -through Glenshee, Glen Tilt, the Lairig Ghru and the Lairig an Louigh The Cateran Trail - a 59-mile circle in Perthshire, including 30 miles of drove roads.