A95

The A95 is an important through route in north-east Scotland, in the heart of the whisky country, running through much of Strathspey and then lower Banffshire, ending within striking distance of the Moray Firth coast. Until 1996 it was primary, but not trunk, from Aviemore to Craigellachie, and non-primary thereafter. In 1996 it became a trunk road from Aviemore to Keith.

Route

Section 1: Aviemore – Grantown-on-Spey

The A95 starts just to the north of Aviemore, on a link between the old and new routes of the A9, built at the same time as the Aviemore bypass. Leaving the A9, it heads east for about 100 m before immediately reaching a TOTSO where it turns north onto the old route of the A9, which continues south as the B9152 through Aviemore. Just over two miles later, at Kinveachy, the A95 reaches its original starting point. Here, at a realigned junction to give A95 priority, it is the B9153 that takes up the old A9, continuing north to Carrbridge.

We are now heading north-east, passing through Strathspey, with trees on the higher slopes to the north and open views across the river to the Cairngorm mountains to the south. Below, to the right, Boat of Garten sits on the riverbank with the intermediate station of the preserved Strathspey Railway from Aviemore to Broomhill (on part of the former Highland main line to Forres, partially superseded when the direct Aviemore-Inverness line was opened). The road then drops slightly towards the river, and for a while the railway is clearly visible on the right, before we diverge once more. The quality of the road is quite variable, this stretch undulating across several blind summits. The surrounding landscape is littered with prehistoric cairns and standing stones, but the A95 ploughs on, finding a new alignment for a few miles, past Broomhill where the Strathspey Railway currently ends and a minor road (formerly B970), crosses the river to Nethbridge. From here to Grantown, the old road is frequently visible to the left, although as we bypass Dulnain Bridge, the A938 briefly takes up its course. A little further on, a sharp bend at the end of the realigned section brings a view of the old railway line suddenly rearing up out of a field, with a truncated embankment. The road here used to take a double bend under the railway (the bridge still stands) but perhaps 10 years after the railway closed in 1965, it reverted to its straighter pre-railway route. The Strathspey eventually intends to reach Grantown, and Transport Scotland and its predecessors have a long-standing agreement that when this section of the A95 is modernised, it will include an underpass for the railway, but there is no timescale for that being done.

On the outskirts of Grantown, we meet the B9102 at a roundabout, and turn right onto the short bypass. This had been planned by the then Highland Regional Council, and was listed as a "proposed road" to be included in the trunk network when many routes including the A95 were trunked in 1996. It was built shortly afterwards. Half a mile later, we find another roundabout, this time with the A939. Here we turn right across the New Speybridge with its graceful shallow arch, built in 1931. The old road stayed on the north bank to cross the river half a mile downstream on the Old Speybridge. It is now a no through road serving a number of houses. After passing the start of the B970 and the renovated Grantown on Spey East station (on a different railway, also closed in 1965) we rejoin the original alignment where the A939 turns off after its short multiplex and heads south to Tomintoul and climbs over the Grampian Mountains. Our own journey is far less exciting, although still scenic, as we continue east.

Section 2: Grantown-on-Spey – Keith

From Grantown, the A95 continues to closely follow the River Spey as it winds its way north-eastwards. The small villages of Cromdale and Advie are the only real settlements passed, and the latter is largely down the hill nearer the river. The road is, for the most part, a wide and fast route. However, with significant numbers of lorries using it, and only short straights allowing overtaking between gently sweeping bends, progress can be slower than you might otherwise expect. There are also a couple of narrow bridges requiring traffic light control.

A sharp bend on the A95 at Ballindaloch

After Advie, the road continues to climb the contours away from the river, passing a distillery at Tormore. Another is located at Cragganmore at the end of the B9137, a short and rather pointless B road that drops down the hill towards the river. Shortly after the B9137 junction, the A95 turns round to the south and drops to cross the Bridge of Avon, although a new bridge has long since replaced the pretty old arch (which still stands). After the bridge, the road takes a sharp hairpin back to the north to climb back up the side of Strathspey, and so passes the junction with the B9008 which continues south through the Avon Valley. After a couple of miles the B9138 turns left to drop down and cross the river on Blacksboat Bridge.

Once more the A95 is undulating through short straights and sweeping bends as it uses a high pass to cut off a large, steep meander in Strathspey itself. The river is rejoined once more as we approach Charlestown of Aberlour, commonly known simply as Aberlour. This long, pretty town sits alongside the river, straddling the road, but doesn't provide a road bridge. For that, we have to wait for Craigellachie, a mile or so to the north. Here, Telford's famous Craigellachie Bridge provides a dramatic view as the A95 drops down the hill to its twin junctions with the A941 on the Craigellachie bypass. The first junction sees the A941 heading south east to Dufftown, initially on the pre-bypass route of the A95, with the current A95 as the mainline. However, at the second junction the A95 has to TOTSO right (on to what was the A941 before the bypass) and also loses the company of the River Spey. Worse still, it used to lose primary status here as well (giving it to the northbound A941) for many years but rather strangely, Keith rather than Elgin was made the trunk road destination so the A95 is now trunk for a further 11 miles.

With the A941 continuing north across the Spey as the direct route to Elgin, the A95 passes through the lower part of the small village of Craigellachie. Rather strangely, at one point a quick glance between buildings shows that the A941 to Dufftown is just a stone's throw away, following a parallel course, separated by old buildings and steep narrow streets - it's fairly obvious why the A95 no longer goes that way. Soon, however, the two routes have diverged and the A95 continues its north-easterly journey towards Keith. Leaving the village it takes some tight bends over the old railway line and then up the gorge of the River Fiddich before reaching more open country. There are few houses, let alone any villages, along this stretch, but after only 6 or 7 miles, on reaching Mulben the A95 is humiliated once more, this time having to TOTSO with a B road! Straight ahead is an unclassified road leading to the B9016, and to the left the B9103 looks wide enough to start with, but soon narrows, and crosses the Spey on the single-track Boat O'Brig. Meanwhile, the A95 heads east, following the main Inverness - Aberdeen railway line into Keith, although with some sharpish bends as it closely follows the edge of the valley floodplain. It meets the A96 on Keith's western edge.

Section 3: Keith - Boyndie

Keith is a hilly town, and there is a multiplex for a mile or so into its centre with some rises and falls, and the A96 number dominant. (Originally the A95 was dominant; presumably the change was made when the A96 became trunk in 1946.) The multiplex crosses the River Isla and the route's second preserved railway, the Keith & Dufftown Railway, before the A95 regains its number by turning left at a crossroads, finally losing its trunk status. (The A96 goes straight on, and Mid Street, the town's one-way main shopping street, is on the right.) The A95 climbs slightly, bears right, passes the secondary school and community centre on the right and cemetery on the left, and as it leaves the town it descends into the Isla valley. From here to Boyndie the route is almost all through farmand, with a few patches of woodland. After crossing the main railway and the river, the road turns east to run along Strathisla. The first two miles from Keith to Auchinhove farm, where the B9018 turns off for Cullen, are broad and fast, having been realigned in stages in the early 1960s, and traces of the old alignment remain visible. After Auchinhove the road continues along Strathisla, mostly just above the floodplain of this broad valley, for another three miles until climbing slightly and turning away to the north-east. Soon after this the B9117 turns off for Rothiemay.

The A95 continues across gently undulating terrain, avoiding the hills to the left, although the dome of the Knock Hill is clearly seen ahead. A slight summit is reached before reaching the hamlet of Glenbarry and the start of a multiplex with the B9022. A more winding section follows as it passes between the Knock on the west and the smaller Barry Hill on the east. As it descends through the scattered settlement of Gordonstown the B9022 turns off again to Portsoy. The A95 narrows somewhat and continues with frequent slight bends, until Cornhill is rather suddenly reached. Cornhill, although little more than a single street, is the largest place between Keith and Banff, and the B9023 crosses here. Our road widens again, and the land becomes flatter, except for the low Boyndie Hill in front of us with its wind turbines. There is a brief glimpse of the sea before the B9025 crosses at a staggered crossroads, and there is a tight double bend at a bridge which once crossed the Banff railway branch, although all traces of the railway have now disappeared from the fields on either side. The A95 ends a short distance further on at a triangular junction with the A98. Banff, our destination since leaving Keith, seems to have disappeared from the signs (it's to the right, signed to Fraserburgh).

History

Apart from its extension southwards to meet the current A9, and the bypasses at Dulnain Bridge, Grantown and Craigellachie, the route of the A95 remains much as it was in 1922, although with quite a number of improvements and realignments along the way. At Grantown the bypass replaces a fairly narrow unclassified road which at one time was signed as a bypass route for lorries, and later for light vehicles only! The original route was through Grantown on what is now extensions of the B9102 and A939; there was a TOTSO near the town centre.

Between the New Speybridge and the turn for Tomintoul our road is on its third alignment: the original being via the Old Speybridge as stated above, and after the New Speybridge was built it took over what was the northern end of the B970 from Nethybridge, staying north of the Strathspey railway so between the river and the current road. The bend above Ballindalloch, although still sharp, is not nearly as sharp and steep as it once was.

In Craigellachie there used to be a very short multiplex between the A95 and A941 in the centre of the village. The west end of this is now blocked off as there was an extremely sharp turn for traffic taking the A941 south.

The last improvement of any note is the two miles from Keith to the B9018 junction, as described above.

A95 historic route from 1922/3 numbering

Opening Dates

Year	Section	Notes
1995	Grantown-on-Spey Bypass	Upper Craggan to north of New Spey Bridge. Mentioned as in use by the Aberdeen Press and Journal of 8 April 1998. Not shown on 1996 A-Z Road Atlas. Opened between those dates.