Sutherland
Sutherland Cataibh | |||
Location Map ( geo) | |||
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Other Important Destinations | |||
Dornoch • Durness • Lairg • Lochinver • Tongue | |||
Current Highway Authorities | |||
Highland | |||
Borders | |||
Caithness • Cromartyshire • Ross-shire | |||
Transport Scotland Roads | |||
A9 | |||
Sutherland is a large and sparsely populated traditional county in the far north of Scotland. It spans from the east to the north and west coasts between Caithness, Ross-shire and Cromartyshire. The county town, and historic seat of the diocese of Caithness is Dornoch on the east coast.
Geography & Economy
The county, as with other Highland Counties, has a varied landscape from the mountains of the west to the flow country bordering Caithness in the north east. In general, the mountains are not as high, or large as those further south, but in many ways this makes them even more spectacular, with the vast, isolated cones rising from the surrounding landscape. the deeply incised sea lochs are also less common in Sutherland, but the glens and straths are often filled with strings of lochs, alongside which the roads find a way through the landscape from east to west and north to south.
The economy is largely based on tourism and the land, with forestry and fishing being important. Indeed, fishing plays such a big part to the local economy that the A835 - A837 - A894 - A838 - B801 route from Ullapool to Lochinver and Kinlochbervie was substantially upgraded in the not to distant past to cope with the volume of lorries heading to these busy fishing ports.
Roads
The roads of Sutherland are a bit like part of a wheel, the hub being Lairg towards the south east of the county, from where the A837, A838, A836 and A839 radiate out to the west, north and south east. The series of routes which run around the west and north of the county - the A835, A837, A838 and A836 are often thought of as a coastal route, but in truth they are more often far inland than within sight of the often wild Atlantic. Until quite recently much of the roads in the county were single track away from the A9 and nearby routes in the east. However, Highland Council has undergone a lengthy program of works to upgrade a lot to S2. The final sections, either side of Durness, are all that remains as single track, bus with so little traffic in this remote corner of Scotland it is rarely a problem.
The majority of roads in land are A or B roads, but there are also many unclassified roads providing access to the remote coastal settlements. There are a number of important bridges in the county, including Bonar Bridge and the Dornoch Firth Bridge on the southern border and Kylesku Bridge and Kyle of Tongue Causeway to the west and north. The A9 also crosses a bridge at Helmsdale to avoid the steep descent into the village. All non-trunk roads within the traditional county are maintained by Highland. The only Trunk road is the A9, which is managed by Transport Scotland.
Route | From | To | Length |
|
---|---|---|---|---|
A9 | Polmont, Stirlingshire (M9) | Scrabster, Caithness | 279 miles | View |
A88 | Inverness | Scrabster | 157 miles | View |
A835 | Tore | Ledmore | 66.4 miles | View |
A835 | Tore | Ledmore | 66.4 miles | View |
A836 | John o' Groats | Tarlogie (Dornoch Firth Bridge) | 122 miles | View |
A836 | John o' Groats | Tarlogie (Dornoch Firth Bridge) | 122 miles | View |
A837 | Invershin | Lochinver | 44.9 miles | View |
A838 | Dalchork | Tongue | 83.3 miles | View |
A839 | The Mound | Rosehall | 22.2 miles | View |
A894 | Skiag Bridge | Laxford Bridge | 23.2 miles | View |
A897 | Helmsdale | Melvich | 37.1 miles | View |
A949 | Bonar Bridge | Dornoch | 13.3 miles | View |
B801 | Rhiconich | Kinlochbervie | 4.7 miles | View |
B860 | Ullapool | Ledmore | 17.3 miles | View |
B864 | Inveran | Lairg | 5.1 miles | View |
B867 | Evelix | Dornoch | 1.6 miles | View |
B868 | Poles | Dornoch | 2.0 miles | View |
B869 | Lochinver | Unapool | 22.0 miles | View |
B869 | Invercassley | Lairg | 7.9 miles | View |
B870 | Skiag Bridge | Thurso | 120 miles | View |
B871 | Kinbrace | Leckfurin | 25.0 miles | View |
B872 | Helmsdale | Melvich | 37.1 miles | View |
B873 | Altnaharra | Syre | 11.3 miles | View |
B9167 | Evelix | Dornoch | 1.9 miles | View |
B9168 | Poles | Dornoch | 2.0 miles | View |
T1 | London | Scrabster | View |
Key
Junctions
Bridges, Tunnels, and other Crossings