B8056

Route

the B8056 near South Erradale

The B8056 is one of the very picturesque dead-end coastal roads that are found in Wester Ross.

The road starts in the narrow Glen Kerry, near Kerrysdale south of Gairloch and heads east, immediately crossing an old stone-arch bridge over the River Kerry. For about a mile it winds across moorland, before dipping down and reaching the shore at Shieldaig. From here on, the sea is almost regularly in sight as the route progresses slowly along the coast, weaving in and out, with traffic waiting patiently in the passing places, and wishing that that lazy sheep would rise from its slumber and vacate the tarmac! After curving around the shore of pretty Loch Shieldaig, the road climbs a little, squeezing between some low hills to find Loch Bad a Crotha, before dropping back down to the shore at Badachro, perhaps the largest of the villages along the road.

The villages along the B8056 are all scattered and strung out along the roadside. After Badachro comes Port Henderson, Opinan, South Erradale and finally Redpoint but it is difficult to tell where one finishes and the next one starts. From Badachro, the road again climbs a little up to Loch Bad na h-Achlaise, beyond which the sea appears again, stretching out to the horizon. The road stays much closer to the shore now, winding through the villages and across cliff tops, reaching a summit of 64m beyond South Erradale. Eventually, after 9 or so very scenic miles, it reaches the large viewpoint car park above Redpoint. The road then dips steeply down to another car park, where footpaths run out to the actual headland, down to the beach and on along the coast to Torridon.

Anyone who reaches the end by car will need to drive back to the A832 (a necessity, I'm afraid, if you wish to retain ownership of your car), and it has to be said that this is the better direction to travel this road as there are some fantastic views across the low lying land to the mountains of Torridon when heading back. It is also worth taking some of the side roads, which lead down to little bays and harbours, with views along the coast and across to Gairloch, although you may need to get out of the car for the best views.

History

The 1923 MoT map shows this road as little more than a track but it was important enough to merit Class II status, gaining its number by 1932.

Old maps suggest that there was a short spur on this road, first shown in the 1932 ten-mile map, and still marked in the 1960s. The road is largely still there, running from Loch Bad na h'Achlaise down to the jetties in the cove, just to the west of Badachro. Obviously the scale of maps makes it difficult to be certain of the exact end point, but it appears from the 1962 and 1968 OS One Inch Sheets that the route ended at the parking area above Dry Island, rather than running to a pier which was perhaps more common with such spurs. However, there is a final curve to the east which doesn't show up on modern mapping. While this isn't shown to reach the coast, it does vaguely suggest that the parking area was once part of the road!