Take lots of steps to ensure you are on the right path

Paths are not only a practical element in any garden, but they are also a design element which has to be carefully planned and sited to complement the overall layout.

They don't necessarily take you directly from A to B, but wind around interesting curved beds and borders, created in such a way that there may be a surprise around every corner.

When you are designing your garden, the shortest and most practical route between two points in the garden is known as the "desire line" but you also need to bear in mind the position of various features you would like to highlight and how a path can be created to make the best of those features.

If you just have a straight path, this simply encourages people to walk along it quickly, not taking in some of the details of the garden.

A route which meanders encourages the walker to do the same, in a slower fashion. Sometimes you can't see parts of the path from the starting point, which creates an air of mystery.

Materials also make a difference to the impact of any path, but obviously try to use a material which is in keeping with your existing patio, if you have one.

Bricks and slabs tend to be uniform in length and lend themselves to rectangular surfaces, while cobbles, gravel and ornamental stone chips are more fluid and more easily laid to form curves and irregular shapes.

Gravelling a path in a front garden can also deter opportunist thieves, as the scrunching sound may alert the occupier to visitors. But if you are putting gravel down, make sure it is given an edging, such as a row of bricks set in concrete, to retain it, or you will find gravel spilling out into your borders and other areas where you don't want it.

While cheaper and easier to lay than slabs at the outset, gravel will need periodic weed control, unless laid over a permanent membrane, and raking occasionally to level the surface.

However, it makes an effective cottage garden path, leading between rock features, raised beds or shrub borders. You could then bed stepping stones into the gravel for variety and to give a firmer feel underfoot. Cottage plants and alpines will seed themselves into the gravel, giving a natural effect.

In wild gardens, a path of bark chippings looks natural, while old railway sleepers bedded into gravel also make an attractive informal path in a shady, woodland area.

Paving within planted areas can be done for access to pruning and weeding, but it also creates the illusion of space among evergreen plants.

Anyone with a vegetable garden or salad crop area will need all-weather access from the kitchen, and if you have to traipse across the lawn to reach them, it may be time to think about stepping stones.

If you want to lay stepping stones on a lawn you need to place them on the grass and walk over them to ensure the spacing is right before starting to lay them properly.

Once the spacing is correct, cut round the slabs with a sharp spade and then remove them, dig up the turf and bed the slabs on a weak concrete mix so that the finished level is just below the lawn.

You can also make stepping stones out of log slices, which particularly complement woodland settings or shady paths through plantings.

It may be worthwhile stapling chicken wire to the area of log being walked on, as this will stop the log becoming to slippery to tread on safely.

The width of a path is also important, particularly if you are going to use it for wheelbarrows and other bulky maintenance machinery.

Also, think how much time you are going to have to maintain the path over the year.

You will need to spray path or patio cleaner over paving slabs in winter to prevent moss and algae growth and they will need to be cleaned with a pressure washer or a stiff brush and patio cleaner in late autumn to remove algae and soil.

Remember also, that textured modern paving is safer than slate or York stone, which become extremely slippery when wet.