Garron Bridge

Garron Bridge is an elegant single stone arch bridge across the Gearr Abhainn at the head of little Loch Shira, an inlet of Loch Fyne a couple of miles north of Inveraray. It was built by the Board of Ordnance in 1748 as part of the military road from Dumbarton to Inveraray overseen by Major Caulfeild. However, as the bridge lies within the lands of the Duke of Argyll, he appears to have used his influence and had the bridge architecturally designed, rather than the more utilitarian style of most of Caulfeild's bridges.

The semi-circular, humped arch, is flanked by semi-octagonal pilasters rising up the abutments to form small refuges in each corner, with elegant balustraded parapets between. The parapets around the refuges were originally topped with large stone balls, although the two on the upstream side seem to have disappeared. At the western end, a long stone built causeway crosses the low lying ground at the bottom of Glen Shira.

New Bridge

Unlike the nearby Aray Bridge, Garron Bridge had land available on the upstream side to realign the main road, and so avoid this narrow old hump backed bridge. The new bridge has been built on a sweeping curve which cuts across Glen Shira with two skew spans carrying the A83. The bridge is built of concrete, with the supporting beams dipping below the deck to be deeper in the centre where they rest on the central pier.