Shiel Bridge (Acharacle)

This article is about The bridge across the River Shiel on the A861 north of Acharacle.
For the bridge across the River Shiel on the A87 in Kintail, see Shiel Bridge (Kintail).

There are only two bridges across the short River Shiel north of Acharacle. The older bridge is a narrow single arch span across a narrow point in the river, hidden amongst the trees. The newer bridge sits in the meadows at the foot of Loch Shiel, and crosses the river in 3 wide spans.

The Old Bridge

The old Shiel Bridge

The old Shiel Bridge never carried the A861. Indeed, based on the plaque on the middle of the bridge, the bridge appears to have been superceded as long ago as 1899. The bridge dates back to 1804, being constructed as part of Thomas Telford's road from Corran Ferry to Kinlochmoidart, where it terminated until the A861 was extended in the mid 1960s.

The New Bridge

The current Shiel Bridge carrying the A861 across the River Shiel was constructed in 1935 and consists of three wide arches spanning the river, and a long causeway with small flood arches to the north. The bridge is single track, as is the road at either end, but with so little traffic in the area it rarely poses a problem!