Eachaig Bridge

Prior to 1835, the river (or perhaps Holy Loch) was crossed by ferry, to connect the settlements either side of the Holy Loch). However, in 1835 an enterprising local constructed the road through Strath Eachaig from Kilmun Pier to Loch Eck as part of a short land and sea route to Inveraray. It seems that this new road included a timber bridge over the River Eachaig between the Cot House Inn and Ardbeg. This has since been replaced twice.

The New Bridge

Crossing the new bridge

The current bridge over the River Eachaig is a wide modern structure, built on a slight curve. It sits upstream of the older crossing point, and was built as part of a complete realignment of the A815 past the A880 junction, over the river and past the old Cot House Inn. The curvature of the deck seems to be largely accommodated by cantilevering the wide pavements out on either side, as the steel beams below are straight. These sit between substantial abutments which rise up to stone piers at each corner of the bridge, terminating the metal parapet rails.

The Old Bridge

Looking across the old bridge

Fifty years after it was built, the old wooden bridge was deteriorating, so the Argyll Road trustees decide to replace it with a new Iron bridge, the materials being shipped up the Clyde from Paisley. The bridge consists of a single span of around 70 feet between more traditional stone piers and abutments. The whole of the span appears to have been formed in iron, with an elaborate truss structure for either parapet, supporting the carriageway. This is formed in a fairly common manner of transverse iron beams supporting plates that form coffered arches to carry the concrete road above. The bridge was built over the winter and opened in spring 1885 in time for the summer tourist trade.