Information boards giving routes of paths and local details need to be as robust and vandal proof as possible. Key points that visitors require are:
- Clear accurate maps of the immediate location, showing routes of walking trails with distances and waymarking symbols to follow.
- Prominent ‘you are here’ label.
- Brief text, well-broken up, with simple illustrations.
Directional boards may also be needed. Local managers usually know the site too well to view the need objectively, and it is useful to talk to first-time visitors or organise a student exercise to establish what is needed. Signs leading to car parks, and from car parks to starting points of paths are the usual priority.
Many different types of signs and boards are available, or can be made. Types included routed wood, cast or die- pressed metal, anodised or etched aluminium, bonded signs of self-adhesive vinyl, screen printed, and laminated and encapsulated signs. The Yellow Pages lists sign makers. Two firms which specialise in countryside information boards are Arien Products and Shelley Signs Ltd.
