A82 road

A82 Great Western Road, Glasgow – a key transport corridor towards Dumbarton. Two sections were constructed – the first in the early 19th century, the second in the 1920s.

The A82 begins in the St George's Cross area of central Glasgow, at a junction with the M8 and the A804. From here, it heads in a northwest direction along the Great Western Road for 3 miles (4.8 km) towards Anniesland Cross and passes a number of the city's terraces, including Alexander "Greek" Thomson's Great Western Terrace, constructed in 1867,[11] and Devonshire Terrace[12] before widening to dual carriageway at Kelvinside.[13] The road here was originally built as a turnpike road in 1816 and widened to its current state in the early 1970s. All the trees along the route were preserved owing to environmental concerns. The Great Western Road has been described by Tam Galbraith as "the most noble entry to any city in Europe."[14][15]

The road continues beyond Anniesland Cross as an extension of the Great Western Road, which was constructed between 1922 and 1924,[16] making it easier to widen to dual carriageway in the 1970s than the earlier 19th century section.[15] It approaches a freeflow junction with the A898 from Erskine Bridge and becomes a high quality dual carriageway route through Dumbarton before running to the west of Alexandria and Bonhill on a bypass constructed in the late 1960s.[17] This dual carriageway ends at the Balloch Roundabout near the western shore of Loch Lomond, where the road enters the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park.[18]

A former section of the A82 next to Loch Lomond, which is now a layby. The road was extensively rerouted and widened in the 1980s.

The A82 follows the Luss Road along the western shores of the loch, through Arden to Luss. Toward Crianlarich, it follows the general route of the Old Military Road[19] that runs along the shoreline in several places, but it generally keeps some distance to the west. Much of this section of the road was widened to a high quality single carriageway standard over the 1980s, at an estimated cost of £24 million (£86 million as of 2021),[20] while Luss itself is now bypassed to the west of the village along a single carriageway bypass constructed between 1990 and 1992.[21][22]

At Tarbet, the A83 branches west to Campbeltown while the A82 continues to the north end of the loch. This part of the road is currently of a lower standard than the sections further south. It is sandwiched between the shoreline of the loch and the mountains to the west, and it runs generally alongside the West Highland Line. The road narrows to less than 7.3 metres (24 ft) in places and causes significant problems for heavy goods vehicles (HGVs), which have to negotiate tight bends and the narrow carriageway width.[23][24] At Pulpit rock, the road was single-track, with traffic flow controlled by traffic lights for over 30 years. The road was widened in 2015 as part of a £9 million improvement programme, including a new viaduct bringing the carriageway width to modern standards.[25]

The north end of the loch is at Ardlui, after which the A82 continues to follow the Highland Line along Glen Falloch, a typical glacial valley, towards Crianlarich. The road runs to the west of Crianlarich village itself on a 0.81-mile (1.3 km) bypass completed in 2015.[26]

The Real Food Cafe, just off the A82 in Tyndrum

The A82 and A85 share the same route for 5 miles (8.0 km) between Crianlarich and Tyndrum. Although Crianlarich has a larger community, Tyndrum is equally well catered for motorists, particularly HGV drivers, and contains the Real Food Cafe, a transport cafe that stays open until 10 p.m.[27] The cafe caters not only to motorists but also to walkers along the West Highland Way.[28]

The A82 passing through Glen Coe

The A82 enters bleak moorland at the western fringes of Rannoch Moor, to the north of Tyndrum.[29] The road climbs across the moor and reaches a peak height of 348 metres (1,142 ft) near Beinn Chaorach, the highest overall point on the A82.[30] It meets the old Military Road near the Kingshouse Hotel next to the River Etive, and the road turns westward past Buachaille Etive Mòr down Glen Coe towards Glencoe village.[31] This section of the A82 has been said to contain some of the most spectacular scenery in Scotland. The Guardian's Simon Warren described it as "the most beautiful and spectacular location in the whole of Britain",[32] though recent concern has been raised over the proliferation of tourist traffic. Coaches and HGVs in particular have caused significant problems with congestion.[33] The road descends the Pass of Glen Coe and crosses the scenic waterfalls at the Meeting of the Three Waters. This section was the location for several outdoor shots in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, including the "Gorge of Eternal Peril" scene.[34] Near the waterfalls is a footpath up to Coire Gabhall, the "lost valley" of Glencoe, where the Clan Donald hid stolen cattle.[31]

The modern A82 splits from Telford's route just before the Clachaig Inn, a popular location for tourists due to its proximity to the site of the Massacre of Glencoe, as noted by a sign in the reception that reads, "No hawkers or Campbells".[31] The A82 runs to the west of the River Coe and passes the modern visitors' centre before Glencoe village itself.[35]

The Ballachulish Bridge, where the A82 crosses the mouth of Loch Leven

The A82 continues along the south shore of Loch Leven beyond Glencoe and bypasses Ballachulish to cross the mouth of the loch via the Ballachulish Bridge. This bridge had been proposed since the mid-1960s,[36] and construction began in late 1972 at an estimated cost of £2m (£18 million as of 2021).[37][38] An arch bridge had been the suggested design, but an asymmetrical N-truss bridge was built instead.[39] A bearing failure on one of the supports caused delays while the rest of the structure was examined to confirm its safety, and it eventually opened in December 1975.[38][40] It contains individual spans of 29 metres (95 ft), 180 metres (600 ft) and 82 metres (269 ft) from south to north.[39]

At a roundabout, prior to the rise towards the bridge, the A828 continues south around the coast towards Connel and Oban. Just behind and to the left of the A82, as it commences to cross the bridge, is a monument to the Appin Murder that reads, "Erected in 1911 to the memory of James Stewart of Acharn, or James of the Glen, executed on this spot Nov. 8, 1752, for a crime of which he was not guilty."[41]

After passing through North Ballachulish and Onich the A82 turns to run northward along the Great Glen, which it continues to do for the remainder of the route up to Inverness. It passes the A861 to the Corran Ferry over to Ardnamurchan in the west. The road here, as it was previously along Loch Lomond, is tightly situated between Loch Linnhe and the mountains up to Fort William, which is located about 7 miles (11 km) from the Corran narrows. Various hotels and bed and breakfasts are situated along the road approaching Fort William, indicating the area's esteem of tourism.[41]

The route of the old military road (from King's House/Altnafeadh on Rannoch Moor via Kinlochleven) rejoins the route of the modern A82, at the West End roundabout, just before the High Street in the town centre. The road follows a brief dual carriageway bypass along the shoreline of the loch before passing the modern station. A branch road runs east through Glen Nevis to Ben Nevis, while the A82 turns to cross the River Nevis. To the north of town the A830 "Road to the Isles" runs west to Glenfinnan and Mallaig.[42]

The Commando Memorial at Spean Bridge, with the A82 in the background

North of Fort Willam, the A82 runs alongside the West Highland Railway through Leanachan Forest towards Spean Bridge. It crosses the River Spean at a bridge constructed by Telford in 1819, but the village is named for the earlier "High Bridge"' constructed in 1735–36 by George Wade about 0.5 miles (0.80 km) to the west.[43] There is a junction with the A86, which runs eastwards towards Newtonmore and the Cairngorms. The Commando Memorial, a 5.2-metre (17 ft) high structure dedicated to the original Commandos in World War II, who used the local area as a training ground, is located just north of the village at a junction with the B8004 to Gairlochy. This memorial provides one of the best viewpoints of the Highlands that is close to the A82.[43]

The A82 then follows the eastern shore of Loch Lochy up to Laggan. The village has no clearly defined centre but broadly follows the course of the A82 over 1.2 miles (2 km), from the Laggan Locks on the Caledonian Canal to the swing bridge that separates the canal from Loch Oich. This bridge is close to the "Well of the Seven Heads" monument, which allegedly contains the heads of seven men involved in the murder of Alexander MacDonald, Chief of Keppoch, and his brother, on 25 September 1663.[44]

The swing bridge over the Caledonian Canal at Fort Augustus, on the southern edge of Loch Ness

The A82 runs towards the centre of Loch Oich, passes Invergarry Castle, and crosses the River Garry. Just after the bridge, the A87 heads west towards Skye, while the A82 continues along the western shore of the loch up to the Bridge of Oich at its northern end. This bridge was constructed in 1932, bypassing the 1850s Bridge of Oich, a Taper Suspension Bridge built by James Dredge.[45] The A82 continues along the general line of Wade's Military Road up to Fort Augustus, crossing the canal at a swing bridge next to the locks in the village.[46]

The final 36 miles (58 km) from Fort Augustus to Inverness is mostly on the alignment of Telford's Road, running along the western shore of Loch Ness.[47][48] This is on the opposite side of the loch to Wade's Military Road, because Telford wanted to connect the various communities along the western shore. Construction of the road started in 1805[49] but was delayed in 1807, when the building contractors abandoned the work with seven bridges yet to be completed.[50] It was mostly complete by 1809 at an estimated cost of £5,800 (£448,000 as of 2021).[51][52]

Because the A82 is a main through route, tourists are suggested to use the older Military Road instead, so as to avoid the coach and HGV traffic.[53] Cyclists and walkers can use the Great Glen Way between Fort Wiilam and Inverness. This is part of National Cycle Route 78 (The Caledonia Way) from Campbeltown to Inverness.[54]

The A82 near Urquhart Castle, with Loch Ness in the background

There is a short diversion from the loch at Invermoriston, where the A82 crosses the River Moriston and the A887 provides another route back to the A87 and Skye. Telford's original stone bridge over the river, constructed in 1813, was replaced by a more modern structure as part of an overall improvement to the A82 undertaken in the 1930s.[47][55] Between Invermoriston and Drumnadrochit, there is a roadside memorial to John Cobb, who was killed on the loch attempting to beat the water speed record.[56] As the A82 approaches Drumnadrochit, it passes Urquhart Castle before turning inland, away from the loch shore, to approach the village.[57]

The A82 continues at the north end of the loch, along the western edge of the River Ness, which runs parallel alongside the canal towards Inverness city centre. Immediately after entering the urban area, the road crosses the canal at the Tomnahurich Swing Bridge.[58] Now inside Inverness, the road passes Queen's Park stadium and heads towards the city centre. It crosses the Ness at the Friar's Bridge, bypassing the city centre to pass through the docklands and associated industrial estates as an urban dual carriageway. The road ends at a roundabout with the A9 just south of Kessock Bridge.[57]

Aerial view of the post-1930s A82 Great Western Road as a municipal boundary: Drumry (West Dunbartonshire) lies to the south / left of image, Drumchapel (Glasgow City) to the north / right

The original starting point of the A82 in Glasgow was at Trongate. It proceeded to run westwards along Argyle Street and Dumbarton Road to Dumbarton via Clydebank.[61] On 16 May 1934, the road was rerouted to run along Buchanan Street, New City Road and Great Western Road, whose westward extension from Anniesland Cross had been recently completed.[6] The route between Glasgow and Dumbarton (bypassing Clydebank via Duntocher), has since broadly remained the same, aside from the declassification of the route to the south of the M8 when that motorway was constructed.[62]

The ferry at Ballachulish (pictured around 1870) that the bridge replaced – part of the original line of the A82

The A82 between Crianlarich and Glencoe over Rannoch Moor has an extensive history. A route through the moor was followed by Major William Caulfeild, and a later route was constructed by Telford. The current alignment was constructed because Telford's road had continual problems with the loch flooding. Telford himself had proposed a completely alternative route, running to Spean Bridge via Loch Treig and Glen Spean. His plans were never implemented, though that route eventually formed part of the West Highland Railway.[29]

The current alignment began construction in 1927, and included a general widening of the carriageway from Tyndrum to Glencoe to 18 feet (5.5 m). Work was delayed following a disagreement with the Scottish Ministry of Transport and local councils over funding. It was eventually completed in 1933 and cost £500,000 (£31,751,000 in 2021).[63][64]

The 1930s road follows Telford's road as far as Bridge of Orchy, then runs to the east of Loch Tulla, while the old road runs to the other side.[65][66] The project was criticised over spoiling the natural beauty of Glen Coe, but was defended by the Ministry of Transport who thought it would provide better transport links to Argyllshire and Inverness-shire.[67]

The A82 ran along the extent of Loch Leven from the 1930s to the 1970s. The road here is now the B863.

The original route of the A82 crossed Loch Leven at the Ballachulish Ferry, in a similar location to today's bridge, but there was then no through route around the loch.[68] However, the development of the aluminium works at Kinlochleven and the construction of the Blackwater Dam in 1907[69] resulted in the construction of a new road around the full extent of the loch, from Glencoe to North Ballachulish, by the 1930s. On 16 May 1934, the Ministry of Transport announced they would divert the A82 along this road, principally because it was an all-day route while the ferry at that time closed daily between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. and cost up to five shillings to use.[6] It continued to follow the route via Kinlochleven until the opening of the Ballachulish Bridge. The Kinlochleven road is now the B863, but still remains an important local road since the town reinvented itself as a tourist destination following the close of the smelter works in 2000.[70] The Ballachulish bridge saves a 16-mile (26 km) round trip.[71]

The A82 originally ended on the A9 to the west of the Ness Bridge near Inverness city centre.[72] The current diversion over the Friars Bridge towards the modern A9 opened in 1986,[73] in co-ordination with the redevelopment and extension of Inverness docks in the early 1980s and the rerouting of the A9 onto the Kessock Bridge.[74][75]