Bridge of Lochay
Bridge of Lochay | |||
Location Map ( geo) | |||
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From: | Killin | ||
To: | Loch Tay | ||
Location | |||
Killin | |||
County | |||
Perthshire | |||
Highway Authority | |||
Stirling | |||
Opening Date | |||
late 18thC? | |||
Additional Information | |||
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On road(s) | |||
A827 | |||
Crossings related to the A827 | |||
The Bridge of Lochay lies to the north of Killin and carries the A827 across the River Lochay at the mouth of Glen Lochay. It is one of only three road bridges across this wide river, the other two being modern structures in comparison.
The Bridge
The bridge itself comprises a single, high stone arch across the river. Its assumed date is late 18th Century, but it is a remarkably large and robust structure for the era, when most bridges were built with more, smaller arches (see Killin Bridge or Aberfeldy Bridge). The road deck is narrow, single carriageway at best, but so far there has been no attempt at any traffic management here!
Whilst the route along Loch Tay does not appear to have featured in either the Military Road or Telford's Road building Programs, Killin was nevertheless an important centre for the droving industry until the mid 19th century. This would have meant that a bridge across the often fast flowing and dangerous River Lochay was seen as an important piece of local infrastructure by the townspeople.
Other Lochay Bridges
The other two road bridges across the River Lochay both carry unclassified roads. The downstream bridge is a modern concrete structure carrying Pier Road about 500m downstream from the Bridge of Lochay. It appears to have been built to provide better access to the pier and Loch Tay than the old route, which followed the river from the far side of the Bridge of Lochay.
The other bridge is several miles upstream, and was built in the 1950s as part of the Hydro project that was undertaken in the surrounding hills. For many years it remained private, but it does now appear to be open to the public, although perhaps not strictly speaking public highway.
Bridge of Lochay | ||||||||||
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