A820

Route

The A820 is a short, largely rural A-road in south Perthshire.

Dunblane - Doune

The road commences at its eastern end on the B8033 Stirling Road (old A9) to the south of Dunblane town centre. At this point westbound traffic heads first north on Claredon Place (formerly the B8076) before turning north west onto Springfield Terrace, eastbound traffic travels directly from Springfield Terrace onto Sunnyside to meet the B8033, Claredon Place and Sunnyside forming a one way loop off of the Stirling Road. The road continues north west, following the railway line for a short distance, becoming Doune Road as it passes through the quiet residential suburbs of Dunblane, then turns to head west, crossing over the A9 at a grade-separated junction, and leaves Dunblane behind as it heads into open countryside.

The road loosely follows the course of the dismantled Dunblane, Doune and Callander Railway and the Ardoch Burn as it passes through open fields and occasional patches of woodland. After about 3 miles from its start, it reaches a new section of road which was built in c2012 to ease a tight bend on a hill past Langbank Farm. Shortly after it meets the B824 (an old military road), where the junction has also been improved. The B824 doubles back towards Stirling, and is a useful shortcut between the A84 and M9, whilst the A820 continues ahead, entering the village of Doune as Ardochbank.

Main Street, Doune

Upon entering Doune it crosses the Ardoch Burn and passes Doune Castle (where Monty Python and the Holy Grail was filmed, followed more recently by Outlander), becoming Main Street, and then Balkerach Street after passing Doune Cross. The road ends a short distance later at a junction with the A84, close to the site of the former Doune railway station. George Street, which leads away from the town centre, is a one way spur of the B8032, which also links to the A84.

History

The A820 hasn't changed an awful lot since it was first classified in 1922. Apart from the recent realignment at Langbank, the only changes are in Dunblane, where the A9 junction has seen a slight realignment over the new bridge, and the addition of Claredon Place to make the eastern end a one-way system. It is strange that this end was never curtailed back to the A9, leaving the A820 to terminate on a B road instead.

The 1922 MOT Road List defines this route as: Dunblane - Doune