Everything about A9 Road totally explained
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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. At 273 miles, it's the longest road in Scotland and the fifth-longest A-road in the
United Kingdom. Historically it was the main road between
Edinburgh and
John o' Groats, and has been called
the spine of Scotland (External Link
) and
The Road of Death due to its high rate of accidents.
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 the old A9 route has been reclassified into the A803 and the B9080 amongst others; part of the route between Kirkliston and Maybury no longer exists as the area is now part of Edinburgh Airport. Between Falkirk and Bridge of Allan the A9 survives as a more or less parallel road to the M9.
The link between the M9 and the A9, by Bridge of Allan, is the notorious Keir Roundabout. "The Keir roundabout produces more accidents per year than any other site in central Scotland."
(External Link)
The 138
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. The
Scottish Government 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 environmental 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.
Between Perth and Inverness, the A9 forms part of
Euroroute E15. Inverness is the northern terminus of this route, and it runs south to the southern Spanish town of
Algeciras.
Falkirk to Bridge of Allan
From
Falkirk to
Bridge of Allan the A9 runs through or near
Bannockburn,
Larbert and
Stirling.
Bridge of Allan to Inverness
From
Bridge of Allan to
Inverness the A9 runs through or near
Lecropt,
Dunblane,
Blackford,
Auchterarder,
Broxden Junction,
Perth,
Birnam,
Dunkeld,
Pitlochry,
Blair Atholl, the
Grampian Mountains,
Dalwhinnie,
Kingussie,
Aviemore and
Carrbridge.
Inverness to Thurso
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,
Berriedale (and the
Berriedale Braes),
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:
On the Black Isle:
In Easter Ross:
- Near Dingwall:
- In the Evanton, Alness, Invergordon area:
- The B817 . The B817 runs through Evanton, Alness and Invergordon. The A9 alignment here's 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
- 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 A836 . Just north of this junction the A9 bridges the Dornoch Firth .
In Sutherland:
In Caithness:
The A9 ends in Thurso, at (Scrabster Harbour) .
Footnotes
Further Information
Get more info on 'A9 Road'.
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