A897

The A897 is a long and winding road running through a vast area of wilderness in the Scottish Highlands. It should therefore be a stunning drive, but unfortunately this is not always the case. Running through the border country between Caithness and Sutherland, the road has far more of the character of the former county, mostly running through a low moorland landscape with only distant views of the mountains to the south west. Whilst it is a very important route for the scattered communities that lie along it, tourists would be better advised to look further west for a real taste of the Highlands!

Route

Helmsdale - Kinbrace

The A897 in the Strath of Kildonan

The route starts on the A9 in Helmsdale, having been very slightly extended along Dunrobin Street, past the shops, when the A9 was rerouted along the semi-bypass. Helmsdale's street names are connected to the Dukes of Sutherland which explain why some of them seem quite out-of-place: it starts on Stafford Street then cross Trentham Street and Lilleshall Street, places much further south but either subsidiary titles of the dukes or part of their once-vast estates. At the end of Dunrobin Street a mini roundabout marks the original junction at the southern end of the A897, and the route then quickly heads out of town along Golf Road, dropping to single-track just past the golf course. For the next 8 miles, the road climbs very gently westwards through the Strath of Kildonan, rarely far from the River Helmsdale. The valley floor is wide and cut up into small fields between dry stone walls, a scattering of cottages and farms are passed, interspersed with small patches of woodland. The hills to the south are the highest along the whole road, rising undramatically past 600m.

The Landscape, as is so often the case in Scotland, changes with the weather and the seasons. On a grim, grey winter's day, it is a miserable, tedious drive, but on a bright sunny spring day as the trees are starting to bud and the fresh bracken unfurling, the Strath of Kildonan can be stunning. There are numerous sites marked on the map showing a long history of settlement, even if little remains visible under the heather and bracken, while the sparkling, meandering river winds back and forth below. Keep an eye out for a train on the far side of the valley, and there are a couple of fine old stone bridges along the road too, including Torrish Bridge.

As it reaches the scattered village of Kildonan, with the old church over on the river bank, the road turns northwards, climbing steeply away from the valley floor, to cross over the Kildonan Burn. The bridge is on a tight double bend, and was very briefly the scene of Scotland's Gold Rush after Gold was found in the burn. The excitement of the late 1860s was over almost as soon as it began, but licenses are still available from the estate, and gold is still found from time to time. The route then leaves the burn behind and skirts a forested knoll before dropping into the tiny settlement at Kildonan Lodge. Here, a left turn crosses the hills to the south, before descending through Glen Loth to the A9. The A897, meanwhile, has returned to the now wooded riverbank; still heading north or north west.

One of the more picturesque spots on the road is reached at the bypassed bridge over the Suisgill Burn. Here the road sweeps round a long left hander to climb gently across the valley side as the river turns westwards once more. The road climbs above the river, before descending towards Borrobol Lodge which lies in a prominent position on the far side of the valley. After passing the lodge's wide driveway, the route curves around the hillside and some rather shapely hills are revealed ahead. They may be less than 600m high, but even at this distance there is the suggestion of craggy peaks and airy summits. Three miles further on, the village of Kinbrace is reached, not quite half way along. Those seeking more excitement should turn left here onto the B871 for Strathnaver, a much more scenic route.

Kinbrace - Melvich

Forsinard Level Crossing

With the only two notable junctions on its route behind it, the A897 can get down to the real business of being a really boring road! The railway, which has lain on the far side of the valley since Helmsdale, crossed the river just before Kinbrace and now lies alongside the road, deviating only slightly here and there. A long gentle climb through the tiny settlement of Achentoul and through patches of forestry lifts the road up to the summit of 196m, high above the watershed. A little further on, half a dozen miles from Kinbrace, Forsinard Station is reached, with a level crossing. The railway then disappears eastwards into the Caithness wilderness, while the road continues northwards. This is perhaps the least exciting stretch of the road. Even on a sunny day, this low, undulating moorland cannot be described in particularly favourable terms. The greens and browns of the bracken give way here and there to small lochs, while low rounded hills rise gently in the distance, some cloaked in large forestry plantations.

The road loses quite a bit of altitude as it passes through Forsinard, before the gradient eases as it drops into Strath Halladale, another long gentle descent to the sea, much as the Strath of Kildonan is when heading south. The map shows the contours tightening up, but this is less noticeable from the road, where the landscape appears as a wide shallow valley, with some occasional lumps and bumps. The road crosses the Halladale River at Forsinain Bridge, after which a couple of left turns give access to village roads on the other side of the river, including the small settlements of Trantlemore / Trantlebeg, Craigtown and Achiemore, amongst others.

The northern end of the A897

With just three miles to go beyond Achiemore, the end is at last in sight. The strath narrows a little, and the road is squeezed between the river and hillside around a couple of bends, before opening up once more. Improvements have been made at this end to allow lorries to reach windfarms and forestry, but it is still not a full S2 width. Some longer straights lead past Golval, then a tighter bend over the Akran Burn, before the final run down to the A836 at Halladale Bridge. The A836 may not be the best driver's road in Scotland, but with the regular glimpses of stunning coastlines it is infinitely more enjoyable than the long haul of the A897. 37 miles, perhaps an hour to drive - unless you live along it the only reason to drive it is to tick it off on the list!

History

As its high number suggests, the A897 was one of the last of the A8xx series to be allocated, certainly in the early 1930s and possibly not even being used until the mass renumbering of 1935. It does not appear on the 1932 OS 10 mile map, but is shown on the 1936 edition. Before that, the route had carried the B872 number.

The road was almost certainly built by Joseph Mitchell in the 1820s during his time as county surveyor for Sutherland. Many of the old bridges along the road are to the designs of Thomas Telford, which Mitchell, as a former apprentice of Telford, continued to use through the 1820s and 30s. A couple of the bridges have since been bypassed, but apart from some online widening to accommodate timber traffic, the road is much as was built nearly 200 years ago.