A824
A824 | |||||||
Location Map ( geo) | |||||||
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From: | Aberuthven (NN982157) | ||||||
To: | Muir of Auchterarder (NN929113) | ||||||
Distance: | 4.7 miles (7.6 km) | ||||||
Meets: | A9, B8062, A9 | ||||||
Former Number(s): | A9 | ||||||
Highway Authorities | |||||||
Traditional Counties | |||||||
Route outline (key) | |||||||
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The A824 was originally just a short link between the old A9 and A823 in the Perthshire town of Auchterarder. It ran along Orchill Road and Church Road, and while some maps also show Muirton Road as part of the A824, the OS don't appear to have ever depicted it as such. Until the line closed in the 1960s, the road crossed the Crieff branch line midway along, although the railway was in a cutting which has since been largely filled in, so there was no obvious bridge.
Today, however, the precise route of the A824 is less certain. What is known is that since the A9 bypass was built, the old route of the A9 through Aberuthven and Auchterarder has been part of the A824, and this remains the case today. However, to start with at least, the original A824 kept its number, as a spur of the new line of the road. This is now not so certain, with many maps showing the original route as unclassified, although it is still signed as the A824 from the mini roundabout on the A823.
The A824 now starts on the A9 just to the east of Aberuthven and picks up the route of the old A9 through the small village. There is then about a mile of almost open farmland, dotted with occasional roadside houses, before the edge of Auchterarder is reached. Along the way, the B8062 has turned off to the left, to pass under the A9 on its way to Dunning.
Almost a mile to the west, well within Auchterarder, the same B8062 turns north, heading for Crieff, although a new housing estate is being built behind the main street here, and traffic is now directed along Benton Road to/from the new roundabout at the eastern end of the town. While most traffic sails past on the modern dual carriageway bypass, a detour through this pretty town is worth it, with a selection of shops and places of interest to make a pleasant break on a journey. Indeed, the high street shares many of the joys of places like Pitlochry or Callander, but is overlooked by the hoardes of tourists that crowd into those more popular destinations. Beyond the western end of the wide High Street, just before it reaches the edge of town, the A824 (still following the old A9) curves round to the south to rejoin the bypass near Gleneagles Station. Meanwhile, Orchil Road has forked to the right and follows the northern edge of the Golf Course to the A823 at Gleneagles. This is the original route of the A824, and remained as a spur on the 2004 OS Landranger, but is shown as unclassified on the 2011 edition.
A824 | ||
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