B827

Comrie to Braco road

Starting on the A822 just north of Braco, the B827 is a very scenic drive up the valley of the River Knaik and across the hills to Comrie on the A85.

We start on the old military road just north of Braco, amongst the Roman camps and forts that sit in the hills here, and head west up the valley of the River Knaik. At first, the river is not visible, but after a few bends and the first few farms are passed, the landscape opens up and the river can be seen in the valley below. The road tightly hugs the contours curving in and out around tributary streams, and then running past a forestry plantation where a small parking area offers a viewpoint.

Maps mark the 'village' of Langside, but in reality it is no more than a single house looking out over a ruin to the valley beyond. A very desirable property, but not a village! We have now reached the headwaters of the Knaik, and the gradient, which was never steep, levels off as we curve round to the north. Suddenly the landscape closes in on this little road, and the descent begins, with sharp bends under trees. It is a shame that the road demands so much attention, as the view northwards to the hills and mountains of the Highlands is breathtaking.

A short respite is found where the road unexpectedly levels out and curves gently round the hill, before we once more plunge down through more trees and a few farms. Then, just as suddenly as it started, it ends, and the road runs dead straight across open meadows to the little town of Comrie. We swing round to the east, before a sharp bend takes us north again, through the town to Dalginross Bridge across the River Earn, and so to the end on the A85.