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A984

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A984
Location Map ( geo)
Cameraicon.png View gallery (3)
From:  Dunkeld (NO026425)
To:  Coupar Angus (NO208410)
Distance:  13.5 miles (21.7 km)
Meets:  A923, B9099, B947, A93
Former Number(s):  B947
Highway Authorities

Perth and Kinross

Traditional Counties

Perthshire

Route outline (key)
A984 Dunkeld – Coupar Angus

The A984 forms the direct route between Dunkeld and Coupar Angus, avoiding Blairgowrie and meeting the A923 at both ends. It provides a shorter, flatter alternative to that road.

Redgole Bank near Spittalfield

The route begins at a blink-and-you'll-miss-it junction on the northern side of Thomas Telford's Dunkeld Bridge. There is no advance signage meaning that traffic is almost past the junction before spotting the sign, right at the junction itself. Heading east along Tay Terrace, the road passes an old church sandwiched between to grand hotels and then one of Dunkeld's large car parks before leaving the pretty riverside town with its ruined cathedral behind. The route along the north bank of the Tay is picturesque and leafy in summer, as it winds through the woodlands that cloak the steep hillside. The road climbs up the hillside to avoid an especially steep section, and then after passing a small quarry it turns further away from the river between small fields.

The road is not particularly wide, and the hedges and walls give little room for manoeuvre as the road snakes around a series of bends past Dalbeathie before briefly dipping back down towards the river bank. After following the River Tay downstream for around five miles, the route reaches the small village of Caputh, which has two right turns for the B9099. Opposite the second junction sits a row of delightful arts and craft style houses, and the village hall. After a short sinuous section a long straight leads to the next tiny village of Spittalfield, with its houses set around a village green. Beyond the village, the route becomes twistier again with a couple of sharp, narrow bends to negotiate, connected by short straights. The B947 turns off to the left, heading for Blairgowrie, while the A984 continues to wind eastwards.

Meikleour is another picturesque village and home to another sneakily hidden sign where the route TOTSOs left, while the minor road continues ahead to meet the A93 at the famous Meikleour Beech Hedges. The A984 also quickly reaches and crosses the busy A93 Perth – Blairgowrie – Braemar road at the Meikleour Crossroads and beyond follows a long straight through the trees. The white centre line disappears here, although the road is wide enough for two cars to pass care should be taken with larger vehicles. Thereafter it widens again, with a series of windy bends leading across the flat fields to the banks of the River Isla. Another long straight then leads to the A923 Blairgowrie – Coupar Angus road. Coupar Angus is a short distance to the right on the far side of the River Isla, bridged by the Bridge of Couttie.

History

When originally classified in 1922, this route was given the B947 number. However, by 1932 the route had already been upgraded to become the A984 we see today, with the B947 number reallocated to the current spur route into Blairgowrie. Mapping suggests that the A984 originally followed the B9099 route through Caputh, despite the current route being in existence. The 1957 OS Quarter Inch map still shows this, while the One Inch map from a year later shows the current situation with the A984 using the 'bypass'.

Old Military Road

Much of the A984 route follows a military road laid out by Major Caulfeild in the 1760s. It was one of the minor routes which connected the original route north (the A9) at Dunkeld with his new route north (now mostly the A93 / A939) at Coupar Angus. The departure from Dunkeld was slightly different, however, as the old route used the steep and narrow Brae Street to the north rather than the A984s current riverside route. This may have been related to a well-founded fear of spates on the Tay which had previously damaged the road north of Dunkeld. Continuing east, the old road forks off again at Newtyle Farm, and climbs the hill past Dungarthill, still in use as driveways. However, where the modern driveway turns round to the south, the old road can still be seen as a field boundary and drainage channel which meets the modern road next to the pond near Stenton House.

It is not clear whether the military road followed the A984 or B9099 route through Caputh, but otherwise the A984 seems to stay fairly true to the old road line. Unlike the wild wastelands of the Highlands, where roads could be drawn in straight lines on a map without any problems, the rich farmlands of Strathtay would have had many landowners with vested interests, all of whom would need placating and perhaps even bribing to secure the land for the road. This explains the many twists and turns across a largely flat landscape, where existing tracks and field boundaries would have been used to minimise the upset. A number of good straights can, however, be identified, and some of the twists and turns may be subsequent adjustments to the original route, but two centuries of farming have destroyed any evidence of a different line.




A984
Junctions
Related Pictures
View gallery (3)
Redgole Bank - Geograph - 467944.jpgRoad leaving Meikleour - Geograph - 1645566.jpgA984 Milestone at Spittalfield.jpg
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A980 • A981 • A982 • A983 • A984 • A985 • A986 • A987 • A988 • A989 • A990 • A991 • A992 • A993 • A994 • A995 • A996 • A997 • A998 • A999

Defunct Itineries: A920 (Perth) • A920 (Banff) • A921 (Perth) • A921 (Fife) • A922 • A949 • A951 • A968 • A982

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