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{{Short description|Road in the Scottish Highlands}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2013}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2013}}
{{More citations needed|date=September 2022}}
⚫
[[File:The Glasnacardoch turning off the A830 - geograph.org.uk - 1291636.jpg|thumb|300px|The A830 between [[Arisaig]] and [[Mallaig]]]]
{{Redirect|Road to the Isles|the song|The Road to the Isles}}
{{Infobox road
|country=GBR
|type=A
|route=830
|alternate_name='''The road to the Isles'''
⚫
|image=The Glasnacardoch turning off the A830 - geograph.org.uk - 1291636.jpg
|image_notes=The A830 between [[Arisaig]] and [[Mallaig]]
|header_type=minor
|length_mi=46
|direction_a= West
|terminus_a = [[Mallaig]]
|direction_b= East
|terminus_b = [[Fort William, Highland|Fort William]]
|junction = {{jct|country=GBR|A|82|name1= }}<br />{{jct|country=GBR|A|861|name1= }}
|destinations=
|previous_type = A
|next_type = A
|previous_route = 828
|next_route = 831
}}


The '''A830''', also known as the '''Road to the Isles''' (though it forms only a part of the historic route) is a major road in [[Lochaber]], [[Scottish Highlands]]. It connects the town of [[Fort William, Scotland|Fort William]] to the port of [[Mallaig]]. It was constructed by [[Thomas Telford]] in 1803 and has been celebrated as a historic part of Scottish culture.
The '''A830''', also known as the '''Road to the Isles''' (though it forms only a part of the historic route) is a major road in [[Lochaber]], [[Scottish Highlands]]. It connects the town of [[Fort William, Scotland|Fort William]] to the port of [[Mallaig]].


==Route==
==Route==
The A830 is 46 miles long. It starts at a junction on the [[A82 road]] and immediately crosses the River Lochy over the Victoria Bridge. The road passes through several small settlements, including [[Corpach]], [[Glenfinnan]] and [[Arisaig]] and bypasses the village of [[Morar]]. It also follows the shorelines of [[Loch Eil]] and [[Loch Eilt]], and passes between a series of several glens between these.<ref name=os40/><ref name=os41/><ref>{{cite book|title=Scotland Highlands & Islands Footprint Handbook|first=Alan|last=Murphy|publisher=Footprint|p=221|year=2014|isbn=978-1-909-26862-3}}</ref>
The A830 is 46 miles long. Throughout its length, the road follows the route of the [[West Highland Line]] from Fort William to Mallaig. It starts at a junction on the [[A82 road|A82]] north of [[Fort William, Highland|Fort William]] and immediately crosses the River Lochy over the Victoria Bridge. The road passes through several small settlements, including [[Corpach]], [[Glenfinnan]] and [[Arisaig]] and bypasses the village of [[Morar]]. It also follows the shorelines of [[Loch Eil]] and [[Loch Eilt]], and passes between a series of several glens between these.<ref name=os40/><ref name=os41/><ref>{{cite book |title=Scotland Highlands & Islands Footprint Handbook |first=Alan |last=Murphy |publisher=Footprint |page=221 |year=2014 |isbn=978-1-909-26862-3}}</ref>


The road ends at the quayside in the port of Mallaig adjacent to [[Mallaig railway station|the railway station]] with onward ferry services to the isles of [[Muck, Scotland|Muck]], [[Eigg]], [[Rùm]], [[Canna, Scotland|Canna]] and [[Skye]], and a ferry across to the neighbouring peninsula at [[Inverie]] which although on the mainland has no other road access. Throughout its length, the road follows the route of the [[West Highland Line]] from Fort William to Mallaig.<ref name=os40>{{cite map|title=Mallaig & Glenfinnan (inc. Loch Shiel)|publisher=Ordnance Survey|scale=1:50 000|series=Landranger|id=40|year=2015}}</ref><ref name=os41>{{cite map|title=Ben Nevis (inc. Fort William & Glen Coe)|publisher=Ordnance Survey|scale=1:50 000|series=Landranger|id=41|year=2015}}</ref>
The road ends at the quayside in the port of Mallaig adjacent to [[Mallaig railway station|the railway station]] with onward ferry services to the isles of [[Muck, Scotland|Muck]], [[Eigg]], [[Rùm]], [[Canna, Scotland|Canna]], [[Skye]] and [[South Uist]], and a ferry across to the neighbouring peninsula at [[Inverie]] which although on the mainland has no other road access.<ref name=os40>{{cite map |title=Mallaig & Glenfinnan (inc. Loch Shiel) |publisher=Ordnance Survey |scale=1:50 000 |series=Landranger |id=40 |year=2015}}</ref><ref name=os41>{{cite map |title=Ben Nevis (inc. Fort William & Glen Coe) |publisher=Ordnance Survey |scale=1:50 000 |series=Landranger |id=41 |year=2015}}</ref>


==History==
==History==
[[File:Larichmore Viaduct and the A830 - geograph.org.uk - 37338.jpg|thumb|The A830 next to [[Larichmore Viaduct]] in 2005, when it was still a [[single track road|single-track]] road]]
The historic Road to the Isles is an ancient [[drove road]] which leaves [[General Wade]]'s military road from [[Stirling]] to [[Inverness]] at [[Tummel Bridge]], along the northern banks of the [[River Tummel]] and [[Loch Rannoch]] roughly along the present day B846. Where today's road runs out the old road continued over [[Rannoch Moor]] towards Kings House on the [[A82 road|A82]], over the [[Aonach Eagach#Devil's Staircase|Devil's Staircase]] and past [[Kinlochleven]], to meet the present A830 at Fort William.
The historic Road to the Isles is an ancient [[drove road]] which leaves [[General Wade]]'s military road from [[Stirling]] to [[Inverness]] at [[Tummel Bridge]], along the northern banks of the [[River Tummel]] and [[Loch Rannoch]] roughly along the present day B846. Where today's road runs out the old road continued over [[Rannoch Moor]] past [[Corrour Old Lodge]] towards [[Kings House Hotel|Kings House]] on the [[A82 road|A82]], over the [[Aonach Eagach#Devil's Staircase|Devil's Staircase]] and past [[Kinlochleven]], to meet the present A830 at Fort William.


Before the 19th century, there was no established road beyond Glenfinnan. The area beyond this to Mallaig was known as the Na Garbh-Chriochain (The Rough Bounds) and was part of the Lordship of the Isles of [[Clan Donald]], then part of the estates of [[Clan Macdonald of Clanranald]]. In 1803, [[Thomas Telford]] campaigned for government funding to build a "Parliamentry Road" across the estate from Banavie and Corpach towards Arisaig. The road was described as the "Loch-na-Gaul" road.<ref name=scotsman>{{cite news|url=http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/opening-up-the-road-to-the-isles-1-684873|title=Opening up the road to the isles|newspaper=The Scotsman|date=7 March 2007|accessdate=29 August 2017}}</ref>
Before the 19th century, there was no established road beyond Glenfinnan. The area beyond this to Mallaig was known as the Na Garbh-Chriochain (The Rough Bounds) and was part of the Lordship of the Isles of [[Clan Donald]], then part of the estates of [[Clan Macdonald of Clanranald]]. In 1803, [[Thomas Telford]] campaigned for government funding to build a "Parliamentary Road" across the estate from Banavie and Corpach towards Arisaig. The road was described as the "Loch-na-Gaul" road.<ref name=scotsman>{{cite news |url=http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/opening-up-the-road-to-the-isles-1-684873 |title=Opening up the road to the isles |newspaper=The Scotsman |date=7 March 2007|access-date=29 August 2017}}</ref>


The road was constructed by [[Thomas Telford]] in the early 19th century. It remained a [[single-track road]] throughout most of the 20th century, with the final section being upgraded in 2009. As the Road to the Isles, it has been celebrated as a historic part of Scottish culture.
Until spring 2009, the A830 between Arisaig and [[Lochailort]] was the only remaining [[single track road|single-track]] [[trunk road]] still in use in the UK.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sabre-roads.org.uk/wiki/index.php?title=A830|title=A830 - Roader's Digest|publisher=The SABRE Wiki|accessdate=4 September 2012}}</ref> The {{convert|7.4|mi|adj=on}} bypassed section has been handed to the local authority for maintenance and designated the B8008.<ref>{{cite web|title=LIST OF PUBLIC ROADS – PROPOSED REVISIONS |url=http://www.highland.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/A6D8187D-B4C7-4BDF-A6B1-1A448C7CE931/0/Item46LA11106.pdf |publisher=The Highland Council |accessdate=23 September 2013 |format=pdf |date=12 June 2006 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927100545/http://www.highland.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/A6D8187D-B4C7-4BDF-A6B1-1A448C7CE931/0/Item46LA11106.pdf |archivedate=27 September 2013 }}</ref>

In the late 1930s, a proposal was put forward in parliament to extend the A830 along the coast of the mainland as far as [[Kyle of Lochalsh]]. This was dismissed as being prohibitively expensive and of little practical use.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1939/mar/22/road-facilities-west-coast-of-scotland#S5CV0345P0_19390322_HOC_227 |title=Road Facilities, West Coast of Scotland |work=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]] |date=22 March 1939|access-date=29 August 2017}}</ref>

The road was predominantly [[single track road|single-track]] until the late 20th century. By 1954, a {{convert|6|long ton|tonne|adj=on}} weight limit had been imposed on the road.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1954/feb/10/fort-william-mallaig-road#S5CV0523P0_19540210_HOC_167 |title=Fort William—Mallaig Road |work=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]] |date=10 February 1954|access-date=29 August 2017}}</ref> while a report in 1965 showed there were still {{convert|30|miles}} of single-track along the route.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1965/nov/17/fort-william-mallaig-road-dual#S5CV0720P0_19651117_HOC_122 |title=Fort William-Mallaig Road (Dual Carriageway) |work=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]] |date=17 November 1965|access-date=29 August 2017}}</ref> In 1969, the section between Craigag and Glenfinnan was upgraded to a two-way road and realigned in some places. A new bridge over the [[Caledonian Canal]] at Banavie was built the following year.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1969/nov/19/a830-fort-william-mallaig |title=A830, Fort William-Mallaig |first=Dickson |last=Mabon|author-link=Dickson Mabon |work=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]] |date=19 November 1969|access-date=29 August 2017}}</ref> The poor quality of the A830 enabled the West Highland Line to remain open; it was marked for closure in the [[Beeching Report]] but this was not done because it was impractical to run a replacement bus service along the parallel road.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/written-answers/1967/mar/01/mallaig-line-closure#S5CV0742P0_19670301_CWA_105 |title=Mallaig Line (Closure) |work=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]] |date=1 March 1967|access-date=29 August 2017}}</ref> In August 1991, a group of protestors, organised by a local councillor, blockaded the road as a protest over lack of improvements.<ref name=herald/>

In 2007, the road was assessed by the [[Institute of Advanced Motorists]] as being 1 of 11 roads in the UK having a "1 star" dangerous section along it.<ref>{{cite news |first=Ben |last=Webster |title=Star-rating system shows which roads are most likely to kill you |newspaper=The Times |location=London, England |date=3 December 2007 |page=4|access-date=29 August 2017 |url=http://find.galegroup.com/ttda/infomark.do?&source=gale&prodId=TTDA&userGroupName=kccl&tabID=T003&docPage=article&searchType=BasicSearchForm&docId=IF503601311&type=multipage&contentSet=LTO&version=1.0|url-access=subscription}}</ref> In April 2009, the final single-track section of A830 between Arisaig and [[Lochailort]] (the only such example left on a British [[trunk road]]) was bypassed by a modern replacement as part of a £23.4m upgrade.<ref name=herald>{{Cite news |url=http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/12385994.Delight_as_infamous_single_track_A830_bites_the_dust/ |title=Delight as infamous single-track A830 bites the dust |newspaper=Scottish Herald |date=11 April 2009|access-date=29 August 2017}}</ref> The {{convert|7.4|mi|adj=on}} bypassed section has been handed to the local authority for maintenance and designated the B8008.<ref>{{cite web |title=LIST OF PUBLIC ROADS – PROPOSED REVISIONS |url=http://www.highland.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/A6D8187D-B4C7-4BDF-A6B1-1A448C7CE931/0/Item46LA11106.pdf |publisher=The Highland Council |access-date=23 September 2013 |date=12 June 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927100545/http://www.highland.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/A6D8187D-B4C7-4BDF-A6B1-1A448C7CE931/0/Item46LA11106.pdf |archive-date=27 September 2013}}</ref>


==Culture==
==Culture==
===BBC programme Countryfile 2008===
On 25 May 2008 the road was featured in the [[British Broadcasting Corporation|BBC]] TV programme ''[[Countryfile]]''.
On 25 May 2008 the road was featured in the [[British Broadcasting Corporation|BBC]] TV programme ''[[Countryfile]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://ontelly.co.uk/programme/countryfile/25-05-2008/ |title=Countryfile - 25/05/2008 |website=OnTelly|access-date=28 September 2022}}</ref>


===Songs===
===Songs===
There is a traditional Scottish song about the road, called ''[[The Road to the Isles]]''. The lyrics mention locations the road passes, including (in order): the [[Cuillin|Cuillin Hills]], [[River Tummel|Tummel]], [[Loch Rannoch]], Lochaber, [[Loch Shiel|Shiel]], [[Lochailort|Ailort]], [[Morar]], the [[List of Orkney islands|Skerries]] and the [[Lews Castle|Lews]].
There is a traditional Scottish song about the road, called ''[[The Road to the Isles]]''. The lyrics mention locations the road passes, including (in order): the [[Cuillin|Cuillin Hills]], [[River Tummel|Tummel]], [[Loch Rannoch]], Lochaber, [[Loch Shiel|Shiel]], [[Lochailort|Ailort]], [[Morar]], the [[List of Orkney islands|Skerries]] and the [[Lews Castle|Lews]].


A satirical song about the road, "The 8-3-0," was written by Ian McCalman (of the Scottish folk group [[The McCalmans]]) and published in 1993, before the road's widening. The song lampoons the "single track" nature of the A-status road and depicts unsuspecting tourists dodging tourist buses and fish vans, and returning from Mallaig by train instead.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.the-mccalmans.com/lyrics/lyrics-The-8-3-0.htm|title=Lyrics - The 8-3-0|website=www.the-mccalmans.com}}</ref>
A satirical song about the road, "The 8-3-0," was written by Ian McCalman (of the Scottish folk group [[The McCalmans]]) and published in 1993, before the road's widening. The song lampoons the "single track" nature of the A-status road and depicts unsuspecting tourists dodging tourist buses and fish vans, and returning from Mallaig by train instead.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.the-mccalmans.com/lyrics/lyrics-The-8-3-0.htm |title=Lyrics – The 8-3-0 |website=www.the-mccalmans.com}}</ref>


== References ==
== References ==
{{reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


{{portal bar|Roads|Scotland}}
{{Portal bar|Roads|Scotland}}
{{Lochaber}}
{{Lochaber}}
{{UK primary routes 8}}
{{UK primary routes 8}}


{{coord|56.87842|N|5.48682|W|type:landmark_region:GB|display=title}}
{{Coord|56.87842|N|5.48682|W|type:landmark_region:GB|display=title}}


==External links==
==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*{{Youtube|Lb82G-72L8k|"Road to the Isles performed by Kings own Scottish Borderers"}}
*{{Youtube|Lb82G-72L8k|"Road to the Isles performed by Kings own Scottish Borderers"}}
{{Authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:8-0830}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:8-0830}}
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[[Category:Transport in Highland (council area)]]
[[Category:Transport in Highland (council area)]]
[[Category:Works of Thomas Telford]]
[[Category:Works of Thomas Telford]]
[[Category:Mallaig]]

[[Category:Fort William, Highland]]

[[Category:Droving roads]]
{{Scotland-road-stub}}

Revision as of 07:48, 13 September 2024

"Road to the Isles" redirects here. For the song, see The Road to the Isles.
A830 shield
A830
The road to the Isles
The Glasnacardoch turning off the A830 - geograph.org.uk - 1291636.jpg
The A830 between Arisaig and Mallaig
Route information
Length46 mi (74 km)
Major junctions
West endMallaig
Major intersections A82
A861
East endFort William
Location
CountryUnited Kingdom
Road network
← A828→ A831

The A830, also known as the Road to the Isles (though it forms only a part of the historic route) is a major road in Lochaber, Scottish Highlands. It connects the town of Fort William to the port of Mallaig.

Route

The A830 is 46 miles long. Throughout its length, the road follows the route of the West Highland Line from Fort William to Mallaig. It starts at a junction on the A82 north of Fort William and immediately crosses the River Lochy over the Victoria Bridge. The road passes through several small settlements, including Corpach, Glenfinnan and Arisaig and bypasses the village of Morar. It also follows the shorelines of Loch Eil and Loch Eilt, and passes between a series of several glens between these.[1][2][3]

The road ends at the quayside in the port of Mallaig adjacent to the railway station with onward ferry services to the isles of Muck, Eigg, Rùm, Canna, Skye and South Uist, and a ferry across to the neighbouring peninsula at Inverie which although on the mainland has no other road access.[1][2]

History

The A830 next to Larichmore Viaduct in 2005, when it was still a single-track road

The historic Road to the Isles is an ancient drove road which leaves General Wade's military road from Stirling to Inverness at Tummel Bridge, along the northern banks of the River Tummel and Loch Rannoch roughly along the present day B846. Where today's road runs out the old road continued over Rannoch Moor past Corrour Old Lodge towards Kings House on the A82, over the Devil's Staircase and past Kinlochleven, to meet the present A830 at Fort William.

Before the 19th century, there was no established road beyond Glenfinnan. The area beyond this to Mallaig was known as the Na Garbh-Chriochain (The Rough Bounds) and was part of the Lordship of the Isles of Clan Donald, then part of the estates of Clan Macdonald of Clanranald. In 1803, Thomas Telford campaigned for government funding to build a "Parliamentary Road" across the estate from Banavie and Corpach towards Arisaig. The road was described as the "Loch-na-Gaul" road.[4]

The road was constructed by Thomas Telford in the early 19th century. It remained a single-track road throughout most of the 20th century, with the final section being upgraded in 2009. As the Road to the Isles, it has been celebrated as a historic part of Scottish culture.

In the late 1930s, a proposal was put forward in parliament to extend the A830 along the coast of the mainland as far as Kyle of Lochalsh. This was dismissed as being prohibitively expensive and of little practical use.[5]

The road was predominantly single-track until the late 20th century. By 1954, a 6-long-ton (6.1 t) weight limit had been imposed on the road.[6] while a report in 1965 showed there were still 30 miles (48 km) of single-track along the route.[7] In 1969, the section between Craigag and Glenfinnan was upgraded to a two-way road and realigned in some places. A new bridge over the Caledonian Canal at Banavie was built the following year.[8] The poor quality of the A830 enabled the West Highland Line to remain open; it was marked for closure in the Beeching Report but this was not done because it was impractical to run a replacement bus service along the parallel road.[9] In August 1991, a group of protestors, organised by a local councillor, blockaded the road as a protest over lack of improvements.[10]

In 2007, the road was assessed by the Institute of Advanced Motorists as being 1 of 11 roads in the UK having a "1 star" dangerous section along it.[11] In April 2009, the final single-track section of A830 between Arisaig and Lochailort (the only such example left on a British trunk road) was bypassed by a modern replacement as part of a £23.4m upgrade.[10] The 7.4-mile (11.9 km) bypassed section has been handed to the local authority for maintenance and designated the B8008.[12]

Culture

BBC programme Countryfile 2008

On 25 May 2008 the road was featured in the BBC TV programme Countryfile.[13]

Songs

There is a traditional Scottish song about the road, called The Road to the Isles. The lyrics mention locations the road passes, including (in order): the Cuillin Hills, Tummel, Loch Rannoch, Lochaber, Shiel, Ailort, Morar, the Skerries and the Lews.

A satirical song about the road, "The 8-3-0," was written by Ian McCalman (of the Scottish folk group The McCalmans) and published in 1993, before the road's widening. The song lampoons the "single track" nature of the A-status road and depicts unsuspecting tourists dodging tourist buses and fish vans, and returning from Mallaig by train instead.[14]

References

  1. ^ a b Mallaig & Glenfinnan (inc. Loch Shiel) (Map). 1:50 000. Landranger. Ordnance Survey. 2015. 40.
  2. ^ a b Ben Nevis (inc. Fort William & Glen Coe) (Map). 1:50 000. Landranger. Ordnance Survey. 2015. 41.
  3. ^ Murphy, Alan (2014). Scotland Highlands & Islands Footprint Handbook. Footprint. p. 221. ISBN 978-1-909-26862-3.
  4. ^ "Opening up the road to the isles". The Scotsman. 7 March 2007. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  5. ^ "Road Facilities, West Coast of Scotland". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 22 March 1939. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  6. ^ "Fort William—Mallaig Road". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 10 February 1954. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  7. ^ "Fort William-Mallaig Road (Dual Carriageway)". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 17 November 1965. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  8. ^ Mabon, Dickson (19 November 1969). "A830, Fort William-Mallaig". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  9. ^ "Mallaig Line (Closure)". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 1 March 1967. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  10. ^ a b "Delight as infamous single-track A830 bites the dust". Scottish Herald. 11 April 2009. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  11. ^ Webster, Ben (3 December 2007). "Star-rating system shows which roads are most likely to kill you". The Times. London, England. p. 4. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  12. ^ "LIST OF PUBLIC ROADS – PROPOSED REVISIONS" (PDF). The Highland Council. 12 June 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
  13. ^ "Countryfile - 25/05/2008". OnTelly. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  14. ^ "Lyrics – The 8-3-0". www.the-mccalmans.com.

56°52′42″N 5°29′13″W / 56.87842°N 5.48682°W / 56.87842; -5.48682

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