A9 road
The
A9 is a major
road running from the
Falkirk council area in central
Scotland to
Thurso in the far north, via
Stirling,
Bridge of Allan,
Perth and
Inverness. It is the longest road in Scotland. Historically it was the main road between
Edinburgh and
John o' Groats, and has been called
the spine of Scotland.
In the south the road's importance has been eclipsed by (1) the
A90 across the
Forth Road Bridge and the
M90 motorway, which now link Edinburgh more directly with Perth, bypassing Stirling and Bridge of Allan as formerly important
bridge points, and (2) the
M9, which is now the main road between Edinburgh and Bridge of Allan. Between Edinbugh and Falkirk much of the M9 follows the route of the old A9, which no longer exists in that area, while between Falkirk and Bridge of Allan the M9 is new road, with the A9 surviving as a more or less parallel road.
The 113
mile section between Bridge of Allan and Inverness, via Perth, was substantially rebuilt during the
1970s,
80s and early
90s, but it follows essentially the same route, except where it skirts towns and villages instead of running through their centres. Between Perth and Inverness the road has been dubbed
the Killer, because of accidents and fatalities associated with the way
dual-carriageway sections merge into single-carriageway, without adequate signage. The
Scottish Executive is now giving serious consideration to converting the entire Perth-Inverness section to dual carriageway with more grade separated junctions, but at an estimated cost of £600 million and the inevitable envrionmental opposition (the road cuts through some of the most picturesque parts of the Highlands), it may be many years before this goal is ever realised.
The M90 meets the A9 at
Broxden Junction, on the outskirts of Perth. Broxden Junction is one of the busiest and most important
road junctions in Scotland.
In the north, beyond Inverness, the A9 designation has been transferred (1) in response to construction of new bridges across the
Moray Firth (the
Kessock Bridge), the
Cromarty Firth and the
Dornoch Firth, and (2) so that the A9 leads not to John o' Groats but to
Scrabster Harbour, Thurso, where a government-supported ferry service takes traffic to and from
Stromness in
Orkney. Therefore various towns and villages which were on the A9 are now seriously distanced from this
trunk road.
[Towns and villages which were on the A9 but now quite remote from it:]
* Beauly: now on the A862.
* Ardgay and Bonar Bridge: now on the A836. Bonar Bridge is also on the A949.
* Wick and John o' Groats: now on the A99.From
Falkirk to
Bridge of Allan the A9 runs through or near
Bannockburn,
Larbert and
Stirling.
From
Bridge of Allan to
Inverness the A9 runs through or near
Dunblane,
Blackford,
Auchterarder,
Broxden Junction,
Perth,
Birnam,
Dunkeld,
Pitlochry,
Blair Atholl, the
Grampian Mountains,
Dalwhinnie,
Kingussie,
Aviemore and
Carrbridge.
Places
From
Inverness the A9 runs across, through or near the
Moray Firth, the
Black Isle,
Tore,
Muir of Ord,
Conon Bridge, the
Cromarty Firth,
Easter Ross,
Dingwall,
Evanton,
Alness,
Invergordon,
Nigg Bay,
Fearn,
Tain, the
Dornoch Firth,
Sutherland,
Dornoch,
The Mound,
Golspie,
Dunrobin Castle,
Brora,
Helmsdale,
Caithness,
Berridale,
Dunbeath,
Latheron,
Mybster,
Georgemas and
Thurso. The road ends at
Scrabster Harbour, Thurso.
Junctions
From the
A96 in the
Raigmore area of Inverness the A9 has junctions with other
classified roads as follows:
* In the Inverness area:
** The
A96 (
Ordnance Survey ).
** The
A82 in the
Longman area (). Just north of this junction the
Kessock Bridge () carries the A9 over the
Moray Firth to the
Black Isle.
* On the
Black Isle:
** The B9161 ().
** At
Tore, near
Muir of Ord and
Conon Bridge:
*** The
A832 and the
A835 (). The A832 and the A835 meet the A9 at the same
roundabout, at Tore. The A832 links Muir of Ord with the A9. The A835 links Conon Bridge.
** The B9169 ().
** The B9163 (). Just north of this junction the A9 bridges the
Cromarty Firth () to reach
Easter Ross.
* In
Easter Ross:
** Near
Dingwall:
*** The
A862 ().
** In the
Evanton,
Alness,
Invergordon area:
*** The B817 (). The B817 runs through Evanton, Alness and Invergordon. The A9 alignment here is more west-east than south-north. Evanton and Alness are north of the A9. Invergordon is to the south.
*** The B9176 ().
*** The B817 ().
*** The B817 ().
** Near
Nigg Bay *** The B9175 ().
** Near
Hill of Fearn:
*** The B9165 (). Fearn
railway station is on the B9165, about one mile (2 km) east of the A9.
** Near
Tain:
*** The B9174 ().
*** The B9174 ).
** The
A836 (). Just north of this junction the A9 bridges the
Dornoch Firth ().
* In
Sutherland:
** The
A949 ().
** Near
Dornoch:
*** The
A949 ().
*** The B9168 ().
** At
The Mound, near
Rogart:
*** The
A839 (). Rogart
railway station is on the A839. From the Mound the A9 runs through or past
Golspie (),
Dunrobin Castle () and
Brora () before meeting another classified road, in Helmsdale.
** In
Helmsdale:
*** The
A897 (). From Helmsdale the A9 runs through
Berriedale () and
Dunbeath () before meeting another classified road, at Latheron, Caithness.
* In
Caithness:
** At
Latheron:
*** The
A99 ().
** At
Mybster:
*** B870 ().
** In the
Georgemas area:
*** The
A882 ().
*** The B874 ().
** In
Thurso:
*** The
A836 ().
*** The B874 ().
*** The
A836 ().
The A9 ends in Thurso, at (
Scrabster Harbour) ().
*
Society for All British Road Enthusiasts entry for the A9
