It's the equivalent of hiking from Bath to Inverness.

But two surveyors will be walking virtually every one of the 560 miles of footpath in the Bath area.

They have embarked on a project to assess the condition of Bath and North East Somerset Council's network of public rights of way.

The pair will use handheld global positioning system equipment to record the state of every stile, gate, bridge, signpost, and pathway.

The council says it will be the first time an accurate audit has been done of such countryside landmarks.

Transport cabinet member Cllr Charles Gerrish (Con, Keynsham North) said: "This project will help us to plan our ongoing investment in local footpaths even more effectively because for the first time our experts will get an accurate picture of the number and condition of structures and surfaces.

"The modest expenditure in the short term will benefit the tens of thousands of users who use our footpaths every year in the long term.

"The council is keen to promote walking to boost the health and well-being of local people, so providing a well-maintained footpath network is very important."

The project will also help the council target improvements where they will make the most difference and identify routes that can be easily upgraded to encourage people to walk or cycle rather than drive.

The information could also help the council get grant funding to improve the network.

The two surveyors work for Exegesis, a firm which specialises in such data management.

One of them, Katharine Evans, said the task of covering the ground was "a big challenge."

"But it is the only way to get an on-the-ground view of local pathways and record what people experience on a public right of way. We will be using 21st century, state-of-the-art GPS technology that can record what we find with the tap of a screen."

Anyone with feedback about public rights of way can contact the council on 01225 477532 or visit www.bathnes.gov.uk and search for the Public Rights of Way pages on the A-Z index.