A9
From Roader's Digest: The SABRE Wiki
| A9 | |||||||||||||
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| From: | Polmont, Stirlingshire (M9) (NS929796) | ||||||||||||
| To: | Scrabster, Caithness (ND101704) | ||||||||||||
| Length: | 279 miles (449 km) | ||||||||||||
| Meets: | M9, M90, A82, A99 | ||||||||||||
| Former Number(s): | A88 | ||||||||||||
| Primary Destinations | |||||||||||||
| Edinburgh • Inverness • Perth • Stirling • Thurso • Wick • | |||||||||||||
| Highways Authorities | |||||||||||||
| Traditional Counties | |||||||||||||
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Stirlingshire • Perthshire • Inverness-shire • Moray • Ross-shire • Cromartyshire • Sutherland • Caithness | |||||||||||||
| Route outline (key) | |||||||||||||
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Contents |
Route
The A9 is a strategic link from the Highlands of Scotland south to the Central Belt - perhaps the most strategic link. It is certainly the highest quality route between the Central Belt and Inverness. The Scottish Government have announced proposals to dual the whole route from Perth to Inverness, but commencement of work is still several years away at least!
History
Today's A9 is a very different road from the route described in the 1922 Road Lists, not least because that route stopped at Inverness! It was extended to John o'Groats in 1935. It has been truncated at the Edinburgh end by the construction of the M9 and almost all of the road north of Dunblane has been reconstructed, with the section from Dunblane to the Dornoch Firth mostly being on a new alignment.
Wade's Military Roads
Before even Telford had arrived in the Highlands, General Wade and his successor General Cauldfield had built a route north to Inverness, using much of the route that the A9 still follows.
Telford's Highland Roads
Little more than 50 years later, Thomas Telford was commissioned to build a network of roads across the Highlands, and many sections of the A9 owe their existence to him.
Notable locations along the route
Kessock Bridge
After many years of ferries crossing the narrow point of the Moray Firth from Inverness to North Kessock, the Kessock Bridge was finally built to take the A9 north, bypassing the city centre.
Cromarty Bridge
Cutting a dozen or more miles off the route north, and bypassing towns such as Beauly, Muir of Ord and Dingwall, the Cromarty Bridge has significantly shortened the route north from Inverness. It was opened as part of major improvement works, which also saw a new stretch of road constructed across the Black Isle.
Dornoch Firth Bridge
Like the Cromarty Bridge to the south, the Dornoch Firth Bridge cut a dozen or so miles off the route north when it was opened. These two old roads meet at Bonar Bridge, where the A9 used to cross the Kyle of Sutherland at the head of the Dornoch Firth.
The Mound
Crossing the head of Loch Fleet, Thomas Telford's Mound is still serving the purpose for which it was built nearly 200 years later. It replaced an ancient Ferry at Littleferry across the narrow mouth of the loch, and while this actually added to the distance, it significantly improved the reliability of the northward route.
Helmsdale Bridge & The Ord of Caithness
As the A9 fights its way north along the Sutherland Coast, the landscape becomes ever more challenging. For centuries, travellers had to descend to cross the river at Helmsdale and then climb out the other side, latterly by Telford's Bridge. However, in 1972 the Scottish Development Department built the new bridge, which soars across the whole valley, leaving the A9 traffic to cross on the level.
In the last few years the northbound journey has been eased even more with a new road round the Ord of Caithness.
Dunbeath Bridge & Berriedale Braes
Dunbeath was the last point on the A9 where the road had to fight the contours in a long descent and reascent. This time to cross the Dunbeath Water. The original road built by Telford still exists, winding its way down and up again, while the new road with a new approach alignment to the south, soars across the valley, barely even noticing the village beneath.
Just to the south, the Berriedale Braes remain un-bridged.
Scrabster Ferry
The A9 now terminates at the Scrabster Ferry port north of Thurso. This is a traditional crossing point for the Orkney Isles, and was where the original north road, the A88 also terminated.
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