A861 road facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
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The A861 road is a winding road in the beautiful Lochaber area of Scotland. It mostly follows the coast, offering amazing views.
This road connects many small, faraway communities like Ardgour, Sunart, Moidart, and Ardnamurchan. Even though the start and end points of the road are only about 14 miles (22 km) apart in a straight line, the A861 itself is much longer, stretching about 80 miles (128 km) because of all its twists and turns!
The final part of the A861, between Kinlochmoidart and Lochailort, was finished on July 29, 1966. A politician named George Willis opened it. He said it was the longest brand-new road built in Scotland in 150 years, since the time of the famous engineer Thomas Telford.
Contents
Exploring the A861 Road
The A861 is a long, winding road in western Scotland's Lochaber area. It connects back to the A830 road (which goes from Fort William to Mallaig) by traveling around the beautiful shores of Loch Sunart. Let's explore the route if you were driving clockwise!
The journey begins with a junction with the A830 road just west of Kinlocheil. The road then goes under the West Highland Line railway.
Along the Lochs
After passing through Drimsallie, the A861 heads east along the south shore of Loch Eil. You'll drive through small places like Garvan, Duisky, and Blaich.
When Loch Eil meets Loch Linnhe, the road turns southwest. It passes through Camusnagaul and Trislaig to reach Ardgour. Here, the Corran Ferry can take cars across to Corran and the main A82 road.
The A861 then continues along the western shore of Loch Linnhe to Inversanda. From there, it turns inland, heading west through Glen Tarbert. About half a mile from Inversanda, the B8043 road splits off, taking a different route.
Coastal Views and Inland Paths
After going through Achnalea, the A861 returns to the coast, following the north shore of Loch Sunart. Near here, you'll find its only other major junction (besides its start and end points) where the A884 road branches off.
Continuing west, the road goes through several communities along the lochside, including Strontian, Ardnastang, Woodend, Camasachoirce, and Camasine. It then turns slightly north to follow the loch to Resipole and Salen.
At this point, the B8007 takes over following the coast of Loch Sunart. The A861 turns inland, heading north to Acharacle, where the B8044 road leaves to the west.
The Final Stretch
The A861 then turns east, passing through Blain, Mingarrypark, and Dalnabreck. It then turns north and northwest to reach Loch Moidart and the settlements of Ardmolich and Kinlochmoidart.
After following the loch shore, it once again heads inland to reach the Sound of Arisaig at Glenuig. The route then generally goes northeast along the south shore of Loch Ailort, through Inverailort, until it meets the A830 road again at Lochailort.
See Also
