Notes on the County Maps
Where possible, all the sightings included in our database has been mapped, as acurately as possible using the AA 2000 Road Atlas of Great Britian, the Ordnance Survey Atlas of Great Britain and local 1:50,000 scale Ordnance Survey maps.
In order to facilitate comparisons, we have used the mapping code initiated by David Walker, who has mapped hundreds of big cat sightings in the UK including South Scotland, Central Scotland, and North Scotland.
| Key to County Maps | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Symbol | Meaning | Symbol | Meaning |
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Single sighting described in this database |  |
Single sighting not described in this database |
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Two or more sightings described in this database |  |
Two or more sightings not described in this database |
The boundaries used for the maps are the current 32 Unitary Council boundaries which have been in operation since 1995. Between 1974 and 1996, Scotland was divided into Regions and three Island Authorities (Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles). The Regions were further divided into Districts.
Before Regionalisation, Scotland was divided between counties, and a map of these is also included below for reference with pre-1974 sightings.
| County Groupings | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Our grouping | Current Unitary Council (since 1995) | District Council(s) (1974 - 1996) | Region (1974 - 1996) |
| Highland | Highland | Caithness, Sutherland, Skye & Lochalsh, Ross & Cromarty, Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch & Strathspey, Lochaber |
Highland |
| Aberdeenshire | City of Aberdeen | Aberdeen | Grampian |
| Aberdeenshire | Banff & Buchan, Gordon, Kincardine & Deeshire | ||
| Moray | Moray | Moray | |
| Angus and City of Dundee | City of Dundee | Dundee | Tayside |
| Angus | Angus | ||
| Perthshire and Kinross | Perthshire & Kinross | Perthshire & Kinross | |
| Stirling | Stirling | Stirling | Central |
| Clackmannanshire | Clackmannanshire | Clackmannan | |
| Falkirk | Falkirk | Falkirk | |
| Fife | Fife | Dunfermline, Kirkcaldy, North East Fife |
Fife |
| Lothians | City of Edinburgh | Edinburgh | Lothians |
| West Lothian | West Lothian | ||
| Midlothian | Midlothian | ||
| East Lothian | East Lothian | ||
| Scottish Borders | Scottish Borders | Berwickshire, Ettrick & Lauderdale, Roxburgh, Tweedale |
Borders |
| Dumfries & Galloway | Dumfries & Galloway | Wigtown, Stewartry, Nithsdale , Annandale & Eskdale |
Dumfries & Galloway |
| Argyll & Bute | Argyll & Bute | Argyll & Bute plus part of Dumbarton |
Strathclyde |
| Ayrshire | East Ayrshire | Kilmarnock & Loudoun, Cumnock & Doon Valley | |
| North Ayrshire | Cunninghame | ||
| South Ayrshire | Kyle & Carrick | ||
| West Central Scotland | City of Glasgow | Glasgow | |
| East Dunbartonshire | Bearsden & Milngavie plus part of Strathkelvin. | ||
| West Dunbartonshire (previously Dumbarton & Clydebank) | Clydebank plus part of Dumbarton | ||
| Inverclyde | Inverclyde | ||
| East Renfrewshire | Eastwood plus part of Renfrewshire | ||
| Renfrewshire | Renfrewshire | ||
| Lanarkshire | North Lanarkshire | Motherwell, Monklands Cumbernauld & Kilsyth plus part of Strathkelvin | |
| South Lanarkshire | Clydesdale, East Kilbride, Hamilton plus part of Glasgow | ||
| Islands (Our grouping includes all Scottish Islands regardless of local authority) | Western Isles | ||
| Orkney | |||
| Shetland | |||
Scottish Counties before 1974
Click for full size map
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