Achnasheen

The A890 terminates on the A832 at a roundabout junction at Achnasheen. However, this roundabout is not that old, having only been built in 1998 when the A890 was upgraded from Achnasheen south to Glen Carron (the upper reaches of Strathcarron). This saw a completely new roadline built into Achnasheen and a new Ledgowan Bridge across the Abhainn Loch a'Chroisg. The A832 through Achnasheen had been partially upgraded some years earlier, but new approaches to the roundabout were added in 1998. The roundabout itself is a simple 3-arm junction with the A832 crossing east - west and the A890 approaching from the south.

History

The line of the A832 through Achnasheen was first mapped out by Major Caulfeild in the 1760s as part of the military road network. However, whilst parts at least were built it seems unlikely that the road was ever completed. His route probably followed a pre-existing track but there is no evidence for its existence. Move on to the 1790s and records show that a twice-weekly postal service operated from Inverness to Strathcarron via Achnasheen, suggesting there must have been a path at least along the line of the A890.

The first proper road constructed in the area was that by Thomas Telford in c1815, taking the A832-A890 line from Garve to Lochcarron. The road to Kinlochewe was added soon after, and it seems that it was at this point that the scattered communities in the area started to gravitate towards the new road junction at Achnasheen, coinciding with the notorious clearances. And the junction that Telford built survived in use until 1998!

Routes

Route	To	Notes
A832	Inverness, Dingwall, Ullapool (A835)	Wester Ross Coastal Trail, NC500
A832	Gairloch, Kinlochewe
A890	Lochcarron (A896), Kyle of Lochalsh (A87)	Wester Ross Coastal Trail, NC500