A82
A82 | |||||||
Location Map ( geo) | |||||||
| |||||||
From: | Glasgow (NS586661) | ||||||
To: | Inverness (NH673467) | ||||||
Via: | Fort William | ||||||
Distance: | 167 miles (268.8 km) | ||||||
Meets: | A81, M8, A804, B808, A739, B8055, A8014, B814, A810, A878, A898, A814, B830, A813, A812, B857, A811, A818, B832, A817, A83, A85, B8074, B863, A828, B863, A861, A830, A86, B8004, A87, B862, A887, A831, A8082, B861, A862, B865, A9 | ||||||
Former Number(s): | A876, A828 | ||||||
Old route now: | A814, B863 | ||||||
Primary Destinations | |||||||
Highway Authorities | |||||||
Traditional Counties | |||||||
Argyll • Dunbartonshire • Inverness-shire • Lanarkshire • Perthshire | |||||||
Route outline (key) | |||||||
|
Route overview
The A82 runs from Glasgow to Fort William and Inverness, passing along the shores of Loch Lomond and Loch Ness and in the shadow of Ben Nevis along the way. It is probably the most important trunk route serving the West Highlands of Scotland, and along its route uses pieces of road first built in the 1750s. Today serious plans are in progress to start bringing the whole route up to 21st Century standards.
The London-Inverness trunk road, created in 1936, followed the A82 or the whole Glasgow-Inverness route.
Route in detail
Glasgow – Crianlarich
A82/Great Western Road: From the M8 to Dumbarton, the A82 now follows the Great Western Road, but it didn't in 1922!
A82/Loch Lomond: From the Balloch Roundabout, the A82 heads north along the shores of Loch Lomond to Tarbert, and then comes the 'fun' bit to Ardlui.
A82/Glen Falloch: At Ardlui, Loch Lomond is left behind and the A82 starts climbing through Glen Falloch to Crianlarich.
Crianlarich – Glencoe
A82/Strathfillan: From Crianlarich to Tyndrum, the A82 multiplexes with the A85, before climbing up to Bridge of Orchy.
A82/Rannoch Moor: Bridge of Orchy is the last settlement on the A82 for many miles as it heads north across Rannoch Moor to the Kingshouse Hotel.
A82/Glencoe: Perhaps one of the most evocative names in Scotland, Glencoe sees the A82 fighting the landscape to return to sea level at Loch Leven.
Glencoe – Inverness
A82/Ballachulish - Fort William: The story of the road around Loch Leven and then along the shores of Loch Linnhe to Fort William.
A82/Fort William - Fort Augustus: As the A82 starts the journey up the Great Glen, we pass Loch Lochy and Loch Oich.
A82/Loch Ness: Scotland's most famous loch has the A82 for company as we complete our journey and arrive in the Highland Capital, Inverness.
History
In the northern section of the A82, after passing Loch Lomond, the predecessors of the modern road can be easy to trace in the surrounding Landscape. The Military Roads dating from the early-mid 18th Century, and the replacement road built by Thomas Telford in the early years of the 19th century are either still in use, or left to slowly sink into the land. However, at the road's start, in the heart of Glasgow city centre, there is no hope of finding such evidence with any ease. The Military Road network is known to have extended to Dumbarton Castle, while Telford's road is described as starting in Glasgow itself, but 200 years of further development have destroyed all trace on the surface.
Some notable locations along the route
Charing Cross
This is where it all begins, the mess that is Junction 17/18 of the M8, known by some as Charing Cross, by others as Hell.
Anniesland Cross
Two miles out from the city centre, fighting through the hustle and bustle of the Great Western Road, and suddenly you are dumped here, where the A82 meets the A739. Its not a pretty sight, but with a bit of help you will make it through in one piece!
Ballachulish Bridge
For centuries, ferries had plied the narrows of Loch Leven between North and South Ballachulish. The existence of the Loch Leven and Ballachulish Hotels is evidence enough for this, but on top of that we have the slipways, queing space and Old Ferry Road on the northern shore. The Bridge changed the whole way of life in South Lochaber when it opened in 1975.
Longman Roundabout
This is the end of the road, after 175 miles, the A82 finally runs out at the Longman Roundabout with the A9 in Inverness. However, with plans afoot for a new crossing of the canal and River Ness to the south of the city, linking up with the B8082 eastern distributor road, the A82 may yet be rerouted to meet the A9 at the Inshes Junction.
Opening dates
Based on mapping and datestones on bridges (not comprehensive):
Date | From | To | Notes |
1725 | Fort William | Fort Augustus | Military Road, Roughly parallel to modern A82, except used southern shore of Loch Oich. |
1726 | Fort Augustus | Inverness | Military Road, used southern shore of Loch Ness, but predates route along northern shore. |
1736-7 | High Bridge | Wade's Bridge, over the River Spean, west of Spean Bridge. | |
1750's | Glasgow | Fort William | Military Road, using very different alignment in places, most notably Altnafeadh - Fort William. |
1786 | Altnafeadh | Glencoe Crossroads | Drove road through Glen Coe. |
c1810 | Glasgow | Inverness | Telford's Road, following modern A82 more closely. |
1913 | Laggan Diversion | The 1 mile road was opened on 26 June 1913 by Ishbel Ellice of Invergarry. It would appear from maps to be a new alignment and crossing to the south of Loch Oich. Cost £2,000. | |
1922 | Glencoe Crossroads | Kinlochleven | High Road, using Garbhein Road in Kinloch. Opened as A829. |
1927 | Glasgow | Dumbarton | Great Western Road extension (but no canal crossing). |
1927 | Kinlochleven | North Ballachulish | Low Road, opened as A829. |
1929 | High Road | Kinlochleven | Date of Kinlochleven Viaduct, built on then A829. |
1930 | Cloberhill Canal Bridge | Forth and Clyde Canal crossing for Great Western Road enabling the through route from Glasgow to Dunbarton. Opened as A876. | |
1930 | The Study | Glencoe Crossroads | Through Lower Glen Coe. |
1931 | Tyndrum | Bridge of Orchy | Clifton diversion and new road on west side of Allt Kinglas river opened 21 September 1931. |
1932 | Altnafeadh | The Study | Opened September 1932. Through Upper Glen Coe. |
1933 | Bridge of Orchy | Altnafeadh | Opened end of May 1933. East of Loch Tulla and across Rannoch Moor. |
1933 | Three Mile Water | Chiochnish | Date of new Kiachnish Bridge. |
1963 | Ewich and Castlebridge Diversion | 1.33 mile road and new railway bridge north-west of Crianlarich. | |
1964 | Auchendennan Diversion | 0.75 mile road north-west of Alexandria | |
1964 | Barloan Toll Diversion | 0.53 mile dual carriageway from north of Dunbarton cemetery to the end of Barloan Place | |
1968 | Duntocher dualling | The 0.42 mile online dualling and grade-separated Mountblow road junction was completed in 1968. It would appear to be the last section of the Great Western Road between Silverton (Dumbarton) and Glasgow to be dualled, bar for the Cloberhill Canal Bridge. | |
1969 | Stuckgowan Diversion | The 0.35 mile road beside Loch Lomand was completed in 1969 per the 1969 Scottish Development Department Report. A 24 foot carriageway with space for a second carriageway if needed in the future. Cost £91,000. | |
1970 | Alexandria Bypass | Section 1 (South): 1.28 mile dual carriageway from Barloan Toll, Dumbarton to Renton Road. Was due to be opened on 14 August 1970 (per The Scotsman of 12 August 1970). It included a bridge over River Leven Contract value was £2.4 million. | |
1975 | Alexandria Bypass | Section 2 (North): the 3.79 mile north from Renton Road was opened in late 1975 per the 1975 Scottish Development Department Report. Dual carriageway, apart from the northern 0.5 mile. | |
1975 | Glencoe Crossroads | North Ballachulish | Ballachulish Bridge - the 170 foot bridge across Loch Leven and approaches (1.75 miles) was opened on 23 December 1975 by J. Morris, chief engineer of the Scottish Development Department. |
1976 | Fort William Relief Road | The 0.63 mile road was expected to open in Spring 1976 per the 1975 Scottish Development Department Report. The Transport Centre had opened in June 1975. | |
1982 | Strathfillan Manse Improvement | The 1.2 mile scheme with diversion, north-west of Crianlarich, was completed in 1982 per the Roads in Scotland Report for 1982. | |
1982 | Eas Eonan | Derrydarroch | The 1.6 mile scheme with diversion, south of Crianlarich, was completed in 1982 per the Roads in Scotland Report for 1982. |
20.07.1987 | Camus NaN Clais | Hollybank | Improvements. |
19.09.1991 | Luss | Bypass. | |
2006/7 | The Study | Replacement Bridge at River Coe falls. | |
2008/9 | Achnambeithach | Replacement Bridge at Clachaig Road end. | |
2010 | Ba Bridge | Replacement Bridge on Rannoch Moor. | |
December 2014 | Crianlarich, Station Rd | Tyndrum Road | Bypass. |
May 2015 | Pulpit Rock | Road improvement. |
Links
![]() | ![]() | |
This page was Article of the Month October 2009 | ||
![]() | ![]() |
Videos
Ballachulish Ferry (1926)
Prior to building of the bridge the ferry was the only way to cross Loch Leven. This scene shows the ferry going from North to South rather than south to north (the direction of the journey), presumably to show a view of the hotel in the distance. This extract comes from Claude Friese-Greene's 'The Open Road' - originally filmed in 1925/6 and now re-edited and digitally resto This extract comes from Claude Friese-Greene's 'The Open Road' - originally filmed in 1925/6 and now re-edited and digitally resto This extract comes from Claude Friese-Greene's 'The Open Road' - originally filmed in 1925/6 and now re-edited and digitally restored by the BFI National Archive. Britain seen in colour for the first time was heralded as a great technical advance for the cinema audience - now we can view a much improved image, but one which still stays true to the principles of the colour process.