UKC

On the paved paths without gaps I've been on, it can become a bit irritating after a mile or two and a bit too artificial.   Random or carefully chosen gaps can help to break up that artificial look and feel yet still reduce wear per person.  Paths which are too slick could increase the number of people on the paths, which might draw more people into an area and lead to some extra erosion & noise in areas near to the paths.   More people on a hill means more disturbance of birds/wildlife. 

Better them miles of black exposed peat the one on brown knoll is dull and in summer I take the edge path but come wet weather glad to use it remembering the knee deep energy sapping soup. 

It seems that some people are aiming to engineer every slightly eroded path at the moment and the gaps between slabs is something that I wish would be taken into account. The path across Shining Tor in the Peak for example is awful for this and makes me constantly readjust my stride. It's exhausting! 

when the path is heading up a steep hill there should be 20 foot vertical rock sections with spikes to hang on to to discourage too many honeypotters

It's a tough one.  We don't want erosion but if it's made too convenient, people seeking challenges and natural wild places will feel they have to look further afield, leading to inconvenience, more polluting car miles etc.   

Odd dislikes for a reasonable point of view plus one I agree with! A paved path is far more of an eyesore as well when you look at traditional staking paths in the Highlands (not the tracks for quod bikes etc.).

If you are worried about paths being too attractive to people and  nature being disturbed by the the human presence,  perhaps you should stay off the hills yourself, unless you have some special privilege which distinguishes you from the hoi polloi.

I don't mean this in an aggressive way, but if yoiu don't want too many people spoiling the hills, why not lead by example?

If you remember the path out if Edale twenty years ago the stone pathway is a great improvement, more people using it now but with less impact a win win in my view.

Agree - bit like car drivers complaining about the traffic jam they are sitting in!!! Ha ha!

Traffic jam they are part of, you mean.  People have an odd blind spot on this point.

And it's like tourists in Florence, Paris, and Rome in summer complaining about the crowds and all the tourists - when they themselves are precisely part of it