Soil Survey of Scotland 1:250 000 scanned maps

Soil Survey of Scotland 1:250 000 scanned maps (1980s)

View and download images of the 1:250 000 scanned maps

Scanned copies of the original seven 1:250 000 Soil Survey of Scotland maps were made available for download to celebrate World Soils Day (5 December 2014) at the start of the International Year of Soils, 2015. These were the original paper maps used to generate the digitised National soil map of Scotland.

Scanned map images:

1. Orkney and Shetland: A4 / Full size / Soil handbook
2. The Outer Hebrides: A4 / Full size / Soil handbook
3. Northern Scotland: A4 / Full size / Soil handbook
4. Western Scotland: A4 / Full size / Soil handbook
5. Eastern Scotland: A4 / Full size / Soil handbook
6. South West Scotland: A4 / Full size / Soil handbook
7. South East Scotland: A4 / Full size / Soil handbook

How was the map created?

Each of the seven 1:250 000 Soil Survey of Scotland map sheets was created by the Macaulay Institute (now The James Hutton Institute) based on data collected from soil surveys carried out between 1947 and 1981.

Map legend and soil classification

Fundamental to soil characterisation and mapping is soil classification, where similar soils can be grouped according to their key characteristics. Soil classification in Scotland is based on the recognition of distinctive soil features and on the sequence and nature of different horizons (layers) within the soil. The soil classification information used in these maps is the 1984 classification, described in the Organisation and Methods of the 1:250 000 Soil Survey of Scotland handbook. The 1:250 000 Soil Map Unit is a unique number identifying a unique combination of soil parent material, component soil types and associated landforms. There are 580 main Soil Map Units and a few additional units shown on the map legend. The soil map polygon colour indicates the dominant soil type for each of the map units. You can find out more about the map units in the map legends and in the associated handbooks.

Be aware: The classification used pre-dated the 2013 revision used in the digital maps and datasets.

Technical and reference material

• Mapping Scotland’s soil resources (2015) - a short history of soil surveying in Scotland
• Soil Maps of Scotland