There are not many large rivers on Islay, as it is a fairly flat island with lower rainfall than the mainland, but one of the largest is the River Sorn which flows out into the head of Loch Indaal and Bridgend. The river is particularly significant on the island as it drains Loch Finlaggan, the ancient seat of the Lord of the Isles. The village of Bridgend consists largely of a Hotel, shop and filling station, with a scattering of houses nearby, but it is also the busiest junction on the island, where the A846 and A847 meet, so despite its small size it is an important place.
The Bridge
The bridge over the River Sorn is a stone twin arch bridge with the river channelled between stone walls on either side. This means that not only the central pier, but also the abutments sit in the riverbed, as the arches sit slightly inside the stone river banks. The history of the bridge is difficult to ascertain, but some details of the bridge are consistent with the work of Thomas Telford, and he was certainly responsible for some of Islay's roads as part of his commission on Highland Roads and Bridges. If this assumption is correct, the bridge probably dates from the early 1810s. The roadway is a narrow S2, without pavements, between stone parapets which continue as wing walls at either end, unlike many of Telford's bridges where the coping stones curve downwards, but not always. Indeed, to the north they continue as far as the junction. The cutwaters are also similar to Telfords, in that they terminate part way up the arches, but they seem fatter and lower than many other bridges.
The Junction
A short distance to the north of the bridge, the A846 and A847 meet at a simple T junction. As the A846 connects the two ferry ports on the island, while also passing through the island capital of Bowmore, it is a very busy road (for an island at least), and the A847 is the main route to Bowmore and the ferrys for anyone living along the Rhinns of Islay Peninsula. As a result, this junction is the busiest on the island, but nowhere near busy enough for it to become congested.
