Dumbarton

Dumbarton is the county town of Dunbartonshire, located on the northern bank of the River Clyde west of Glasgow. It is a small town which has just about managed to remain separate from the main Glasgow Urban Area, although driving along the A82 between the two seems far from a rural route at any point! To the north, however, the break between Dumbarton and Renton and Alexandria has almost disappeared, and with the redevelopment of parts of the Vale of Leven Industrial area and new housing estates, the two towns are set to merge in the near future.

The town itself is a pleasant place, sitting on the east bank of the River Leven just before it flows into the Clyde. The town has a long history, with Dumbarton Castle on the rock just outside the town centre, and the old Dumbarton Bridge showing that it has long been an important place. Indeed, the castle site is reputed to date back millenia. Dumbarton is by no means the most prosperous town in the Glasgow area, but it offers a good range of shops and services, with museums and the castle drawing tourists. A riverside cycle track extends north to Loch Lomond, further boosting the town's popularity amongst visitors.

The main road through the town was once the A82, but after a series of moves, this now cuts through the thin sliver of country between Dumbarton and Alexandria on a dual carriageway bypass to both towns. In its place, the A814 runs around the town centre on its way to the more genteel resort of Helensburgh a few miles west along the Clyde. The B830 and A812 provide links between the old and new A82 routes, the former crossing the A82 at the busy Barloan Toll roundabout. This junction remains a bottleneck, despite the A813 having been re-routed west to the new Lomondgate Roundabout a short distance to the west. Between them they mark the start of the A82s journey from the fringe of Glasgow into the Highlands, the road to the east being more urban in character as it winds through the suburbs into the city centre.

East of Dumbarton, the A82 and A814 meet for a short multiplex at Dumbarton Fork. This junction is well known by travellers along the A82 thanks to the painted destinations on the wall, showing Helensburgh to the left and Loch Lomond to the right. Thankfully, there is also signage informing drivers of the other destinations in either direction!

Routes

Route	To	Notes
A82	Crianlarich, Stirling (A811)
A82	Glasgow, Erskine Bridge (A898)
A812	Renton, Alexandria (B857)
A813	Bonhill
A814	Helensburgh
B830
B857	Renton, Alexandria
A811	Bonhill	now A82 and A813