Star.pngStar.pngStar.pngStar.pngStar grey.png

A83

From Roader's Digest: The SABRE Wiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
A83
Location Map ( geo)
Cameraicon.png View gallery (56)
From:  Tarbet (NN318045)
To:  Campbeltown (NR721201)
Via:  Lochgilphead
Distance:  98.6 miles (158.7 km)
Meets:  A82, B838, A814, B828, A815, A819, A816, B8024, A8015, B8026, B8001, B842
Old route now:  B842
Primary Destinations
Highway Authorities

Transport Scotland

Traditional Counties

Argyll • Dunbartonshire

Route outline (key)
A83 Tarbet - Campbeltown
A83 Campbeltown - Stewarton

The A83 is a major road in Argyll, Scotland. It links two of the most remote areas of mainland Britain - Cowal and Kintyre - with the rest of the country. It is is a popular road to drive, the reason for which will become apparent as we go on, but in the meantime let us mention a few keywords: lochs, mountains, long straights, sweeping bends, empty, fun! It is also a very well engineered road, and apart from a few short sections is a decent width all the way down. The road is one of only sixteen F99 roads which have the rare distinction of being green-signed throughout their entire length (the others being A12, A14, A16, A17, A22, A42, A43, A45, A53, A55, A75, A78, A84, A86, and A87).

The A83 is also very much a product of its geography. Argyll is threaded by very many long narrow lochs, most running from north to south, which are a legacy of the last ice age. Most of them, like Loch Fyne, are sea lochs (fjords) but some, like Loch Lomond, are fresh water lochs, cut off from the sea by silt or moraine dumped at the mouth. The A83 threads a path connecting several of these lochs, before running along the shore of Loch Fyne and almost the entire length of the Kintyre peninsula.

Route

Section 1: Tarbet - Inveraray

The road starts at Tarbet on the banks of Loch Lomond at a TOTSO for the A82. Most traffic turns right here for Rannoch Moor and Fort William, so after the long slow crawl up Loch Lomond the sense of relief at losing most of the coaches and caravans is palpable.

Two miles along and the road dives under the West Highland railway at Arrochar. The A814 down the side of Loch Long to Garelochhead and the home of Britain's nuclear submarines goes off here - if coming up from the south why not turn off the A82 onto the wonderful A817 then come up the coast to join the A83 here?

Off we go onto the actual A83. We start by winding our way round the head of Loch Long so that Arrochar becomes visible across the loch to our left - but not for long as we turn right and climb up Glen Croe. A classic Scottish mountain pass with cloud-tipped mountain peaks on one side and an indeterminable drop on the other. On the way up the hill, look out for a small forestry car park on the right. This is the start of an abandoned section up the hill, still resplendent in fresh looking tarmac in places!

At the top is a viewpoint called Rest and be Thankful where the single track B828 to Lochgoilhead goes off. The main road immediately starts its descent down Glen Kinglas towards Loch Fyne. Before long, it takes a wide curve down the hill, with the little stone arch of Butter Bridge on the left, part of the old military road that was built through here in the middle of the 18th century. Beyond, the old road is often visible on one side or the other, and as we descend towards Cairndow it runs parallel to the modern route, just a few paces through the undergrowth.

We pass the A815 which is the first of the "Ferry Turns". The A83 has two sets of distance signs - those on the road, and those reached by ferry. The A815 heads for the Cowal peninsula, leading to Dunoon (and the ferry to Gourock), as well as the Kyles of Bute Ferry and the Tarbert ferry to Kintyre (no, not the Tarbet 12 miles behind us, the Tarbert 50 miles in front of us - this one has an extra "r" so that you can tell the difference). We then bypass the village of Cairndow and sweep around the head of Loch Fyne, crossing Inverfyne Bridge (completed in 1980), then over Garron Bridge (completed in 1981) at the head of the stumpy Loch Shira before coming into Inveraray. The view of the town on the approach is breathtaking, and you should get time to enjoy it as you pause, waiting for the lights to change at Aray Bridge.

Passing through Inveraray

The first "big" town we come to, Inveraray is populated by several white-fronted hotels, and the A819 goes off to the right through an archway between two of them - this road runs up Glen Aray to the A85 and Loch Awe. Meanwhile back in Inveraray, the A83 splits to run on either side of the church before joining the coast again at Inveraray's Newtown!

Section 2: Inveraray - Tarbert

Minard

We run inland for a while now until we reach the charmingly-named town of Furnace where we regain the lochside on and off all the way down to Lochgilphead. On this section we pass several settlements (Sandhole, Crarae, Minard, Tullochgorm) which consist of nothing more than a loose collection of large houses/mansions set back from the road. Each settlement has a bus stop so that the thrice-daily Glasgow - Campbeltown bus can drop you here.

Just like the smaller Loch Shira before it, Loch Gilp is a small bay off the main Loch Fyne. Lochgilphead itself has no less than 3 roundabouts to stop the mass of traffic passing through from crashing into each other. The 3rd one marks the junction with the A816, which has come down from Oban. The A83 TOTSOs here, and heads south with Loch Gilp on one side and the Crinan canal on the other (which connects Loch Gilp to Loch Crinan on the Atlantic coast). We cross the canal at Ardrishaig, a busy fishing community.

South from here and we're back onto the lochside, with the National Grid sharing the narrow ledge to run power down the peninsula. We pass one end of the single-track B8024, which runs in a big loop around the other side of the peninsula without going anywhere in particular. For us the next big town is Tarbert, which is a big ferry town for these parts. Tarbert looks more like a Cornish fishing village than a Scottish town - the loch is very short and narrow, and with its craggy cliffs it looks more like a bay. Anyway, Tarbert has its own A road (the A8015) for ferry traffic which wanders half a mile down the quayside of East Loch Tarbert to the terminal. Ferries run to Loch Ranza on Arran and Portavadie on the Cowal Peninsula (where you can drive back to Glasgow via the A83, or take more ferries to Bute or Gourock).

Section 3: Tarbert - Campbeltown

The A83 now runs onto the Kintyre peninsula, which hangs limply off the main part of Scotland. For the first time we also hit the western side of the peninsula. Soon we meet Kennacraig ferry terminal (ferries for Port Askaig on Islay, with connections onto Jura and Colonsay, and to Port Ellen, which is also on Islay). South of here we really are out in the wilds. There's the odd settlement/petrol station/post office dotted about, but that's it. We soon pass the B8001, which leads to Campbeltown via the inland side of Kintyre. The main road continues along the Atlantic coast, and gives us stunning views out across to Islay and Gigha (which is reached by Ferry from Tayinloan which we bypass).

The 4 mile reconstruction scheme between Redhouse (B8001, Kennacraig) and Loch nan Duill (Loch nan Gad on OS map) was completed in 1967 per the 1967 Scottish Development Department Report. It is expected that it included the short diversion around Whitehouse village. Prior to Clachan is a new section of road which cut out the steep twisting descent into the village of the old road. The road between Loch an Duill (Loch nan Gad) and Clachan was completed in 1965 per the 1965 Scottish Development Department Report. It was part of a 3.25 mile scheme including the online reconstruction south-westwards to Ronachan.

A spectacular drive - the A83 near Muasdale

On our right now is the Atlantic, with no land between us and North America. Still we pass occasional settlements of lonely looking (but rather grand) houses, and hopeful hotels offering wonderful views to the few who stay there. On our left is the unexplored mystery of Kintyre, with nothing but footpaths crossing the interior. The road is now flat, wide and completely empty. Other vehicles, when you see them, can be overtaken without pause and we charge southwards. The 1.25 mile offline and online diversion at Glenbarr was completed in 1974 per the 1974 Scottish Development Department Report. The 4.3 mile improvement with diversions from Bellochantuy to Westport was completed in 1983 per the Roads in Scotland Report for 1983.

Finally (after about 25 uninterrupted miles) we turn away from the coast and make a bee-line for Campbeltown which sits on the eastern side of the peninsula. As we pass inland we run close to Campbeltown's airport, which used to be RAF Machrihanish. This tiny airport has a massive 3.2 mile long runway, and during the cold war housed Vulcan bombers, US Navy SEALS and the SAS. There are also allegations that the airfield hosted America's top-secret prototype spy plane the Aurura (giant flying triangle - in black of course).

The end of the road in Campbeltown

Campbeltown comes into view, and with it the end of the A83. The town itself is a bustling community, and it's surprising at how busy its streets are. The road ends at a T-junction on Main Street, which is the B842. To the left is Campbeltown Loch, where a European-funded ferry terminal stands rusting after the ferry to Ballycastle in Northern Ireland (14 miles!) stopped running just after they finished the terminal a few years ago. There is, however, currently a Summer-only trial ferry running from here to Ardrossan in Ayrshire.

In fact, originally the A83 did not end here but turned right to head out of town to end at the fork in Stewarton, where (as is still the case), the B842 turned left and B843 right. Stewarton is a place of no importance so there seemed no reason why the A83 should end here rather than in the relative metropolis of Campbeltown. As such, the A83 was truncated back to its current southern end in the 1970s.

To get from Campbeltown to anywhere you have a choice of driving like we just have (and it's taken a good 4 hours from Glasgow), spending all day on the bus, or taking an expensive flight to Glasgow (journey time 10 seconds, give or take!). We're further south than Ayr, yet have to go all the way back up to Loch Lomond to head any further south. Well, you can head slightly further south along the B842 to the aptly named Southend and the Mull of Kintyre (think Paul McCartney and the pipe band) from where County Antrim should be visible on a clear day, but that's it.

As for us, its back up the A83. This is the reason why I think this is the best A-road anywhere. No only does it have staggering scenery, wide open roads with no traffic or cops to slow you down, not only does the journey feel like an odyssey, but when you get to journey's end you get to do it all again!

Original Author(s): Ian Bailey, T1(M)

Trivia

The A83 is one of just sixteen F99 routes that have the distinction of maintaining green-signage throughout its entire length. The others are the A12, A14, A16, A17, A22, A42, A43, A45, A53, A55, A75, A78, A84, A86, and A87.

History

A83 historic route from 1922/3 numbering


Apart from the deletion of the final couple of miles west of Campbeltown as noted above, the route remains as it was in 1922. The part from Tarbet to Lochgilphead became a trunk road in 1946. The trunk road was extended to the Kennacraig ferry terminal in 1996 and all the way to Campbeltown on 4th August 2014. Thus the whole route is now a trunk road.

Rest and be Thankful

One of the most famous areas of the road is Rest and be Thankful. Once an area where horses could rest after a climb and riders could thank the Lord the horse had made it (hence the name). It is now a parking area and viewpoint maintained by Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park.

To the east is the new road to Loch Long, south-west of Arrochar. Blasting work was ongoing in August 1939 but the programme was modified by the war. Photo captions in The Scotsman on 30 August 1945 stated that the new road had replaced old road - the largely single track road of the old military road which had hairpins before the summit.

A little to the east of the Rest and be Thankful junction, the new road is frequently hit by landslides. Due to the steepness of the hillside, there is no easy engineering solution, but at least the closure in 2009 was significantly shorter than the closure a couple of years before in the same spot.


Links

A83 Trunk Road Study - Rest and be Thankful - February 2013



A83
Sections
Projects
Junctions
Crossings
Roads
Places
Miscellaneous
Related Pictures
View gallery (56)
A83 looking south - Geograph - 1684468.jpgButter-br1.jpgA83-a816-2.jpgA83-port-ann.jpgCroe-br1.jpg
Other nearby roads
Tarbet
Inveraray
Lochgilphead
Campbeltown
A1-A99
The First 99           A1  •  A2  •  A3  •  A4  •  A5  •  A6  •  A7  •  A8  •  A9  • A10 • A11 • A12 • A13 • A14 • A15 • A16 • A17 • A18 • A19
A20 • A21 • A22 • A23 • A24 • A25 • A26 • A27 • A28 • A29 • A30 • A31 • A32 • A33 • A34 • A35 • A36 • A37 • A38 • A39
A40 • A41 • A42 • A43 • A44 • A45 • A46 • A47 • A48 • A49 • A50 • A51 • A52 • A53 • A54 • A55 • A56 • A57 • A58 • A59
A60 • A61 • A62 • A63 • A64 • A65 • A66 • A67 • A68 • A69 • A70 • A71 • A72 • A73 • A74 • A75 • A76 • A77 • A78 • A79
A80 • A81 • A82 • A83 • A84 • A85 • A86 • A87 • A88 • A89 • A90 • A91 • A92 • A93 • A94 • A95 • A96 • A97 • A98 • A99
Motorway sectionsA1(M): (South Mimms - Baldock • Alconbury - Peterborough • Doncaster Bypass • Darrington - Birtley)
A3(M) • A8(M) Baillieston spur • A38(M) • A48(M) Cardiff spur • A57(M) • A58(M) • A64(M) • A66(M) • A74(M) • A92(M)
DefunctA1(M) Newcastle CME • A2(M) Medway Towns Bypass • A4(M) • A5(M) • A8(M) Renfrew bypass • A14 • A14(M) • A18(M) • A20(M) • A36(M)
A40(M): (Westway • Denham -Stokenchurch) • A41(M) • A42 • A46(M) • A48(M): (Port Talbot bypass • Morriston bypass) • A62(M) • A88 • A99
UnbuiltA2(M) Rochester Way Relief Road • A6(M): (Western route • Eastern route) • A14(M) (Expressway) • A34(M) • A48(M) Llantrisant Radial • A59(M) • A61(M)


SABRE - The Society for All British and Irish Road Enthusiasts
Discuss - Digest - Discover - Help