Ghost junctions

Tyndrum via Google Streetview

I like road junctions. Especially the big ones where there's a parting of the ways in the main road and you have to make a conscious decision which way you're going. Tyndrum, pictured above, is a good example: right on the A82 for Glen Coe and Fort William or left on the A85 for Oban and the ferries to the islands?

Junctions often used to be equipped with evocative paraphernalia - road signs, obviously, but also sometimes a bridge, an AA or RAC box or a hotel - but many have been realigned in the last 50-60 years due to road improvements and have lost some of their character. It is, however, often possible to trace where the old junction lay: I call these "ghost junctions". A particularly well preserved one lies just west of Kinlocheil where the A861 to Corran Ferry down the west side of Loch Linnhe leaves the A830 to Mallaig. It was created by the rebuilding (in the late 1960s or early 1970s, I think) of the A830 on a line slightly to the south of its original track as seen below:-

Looking west at the old junction between the A861 and the A830 - you can go for a virtual walk round here

The old junction between the A830 & A861 as seen on the OS 1 inch map, 7th series, Sheet 35 "Loch Arkaig"

So with that introduction, here's a tour round some more of my favourite ghost junctions:-

Gorstan - A835/A832
 Gorstan just west of Garve is where the A832 for Gairloch and Kyle peels off from the A835 to Ullapool. It has a ghost 300 yards west created when the last single track section of the A835 - the mile and a half from Gorstan north to the bridge over the Black Water - was doubled in the early 1980s. The "change transparency of overlay" slider when you overlay old maps on modern aerial photography on the National Libraries of Scotland's Georeferenced mapping pages is ideal for tracing ghost junctions:-

By the way, right at the end of this post, there's a map showing all the places mentioned in the text. And under all the following screengrabs from Google Streetview, there's a link that should take you to the spot viewed so you can go for a virtual walk round. Anyway, here's what the A835/A832 junction at Gorstan looks like today:-

Google Streetview

And here's the ghost junction 300 yards west on the A832. It's now just a local access to the hamlet of Gorstan:-

Google Streetview

This ghost junction is not in such a pristine state of preservation as the A830/A861 one at Kinlocheil because the A832 has been widened and regraded to lessen that gradient as it climbs westward. Here are some pictures of the old junction in former times:-

Next is the AA box which used to stand just west of the junction pictured in 1964 - the A832 was single track from Gorstan until the early/mid 1970s and note the sign (click to enlarge) warning that the Skye and Strome ferries didn't operate on a Sunday:-

Picture credit the AA

And this old sign still stood just west of Gorstan junction until the mid 1980s when I photographed it:-

Achnasheen - A832/A890
16 miles west of Gorstan, the ways part again at Achnasheen where you go left on the A890 for Lochcarron and Kyle (via the Strome Ferry until 1970) or straight on with the A832 for Gairloch. This junction was re-jigged in early/mid 1990s when the adjacent roads were doubled and it's now a roundabout:-

Google Streetview

But again, there's a ghost junction 100 yards west of the roundabout where the A890 used to join the A832 at a bridge over the River Bran built by the Highland Roads & Bridges Commission about 1810-20: as a listed building, it's been retained as a footbridge to Ledgowan Lodge and Hotel (I recall a stushie a few years back when the new owners of the Lodge claimed this was no longer a public right of way but don't remember the outcome):-

Google Streetview

A832/A890 junction at Achnasheen

Here are some pictures I took of the old junction in the 1980s before the roads were realigned:-

     

viewed from the south, approaching on the A890 from Lochcarron

viewed from the west, approaching on the A832 from Gairloch

And finally, a nice recent picture of the old bridge:-

Picture credit - Simone grooms.com

Auchtertyre - A890/A87

33 miles south west of Achnasheen, the A890 meets the A87 at Auchtertyre where, due to the two roads having been upgraded at different times, there are not one but two ghost junctions.

Auchtertyre

The first, original junction was in the centre of the village, joining roads built by the Highland Roads & Bridges Commission around 1810-20. Here's a picture of it - note the finger post pointing to Dornie Ferry along the A87 to the right:-

In the late 1960s/early 1970s, the A87 was bypassed to the south of the village so that the junction moved south with it. At the same time, the first 100 yards of the A890 to the north of the old A87 through the village was realigned on a slightly more easterly (to the right in the picture above) line leaving the original junction as a ghost. This is how I photographed it in 1986:-

Since then, the first few yards of the old A890 have been incorporated as a driveway to the house:-

Google Streetview

Finally, in 1978, the A890 from Stromeferry to Auchtertyre was rebuilt as a double track road and by-passing Auchtertyre to the east so the junction with the A87 was moved again. Here's the OS 1:50,000 map (Sheet 33 "Loch Alsh & Glen Shiel") in the mid 70s after the A87 had been moved but still with the original single track A890 passing through the village:-

Here's the second A890/A87 junction (which lasted less than 10 years between the A87 by-passing south of Auchtertyre in the late 60s/early 70s and the A890 being rebuilt in 1978) as it appears today, now just a local access into the village:-

Google Streetview

And here's the third and present A890/A87 junction viewed from the north coming down the A890:-

Google Streetview

Finally, although slightly off topic, I can't leave the A890 without sharing two pictures of it between Achmore and Auchtertyre before 1978 when it was still a single track:-

The A890 descending towards Auchtertyre in 1966 - picture credit Peter Jeffrey

The A890 beside Loch Udalain in 1971 - picture credit Doveson2002

Braemore Junction - A835/A832

If we retrace our steps back to Gorstan and, instead of going left on the A832 towards Achnasheen, carry on on the A835 towards Ullapool, the first junction we come to, after 19 miles, is Braemore Junction where the far end of the A832 rejoins the A835.

Google Streetview

Needless to say, it too was re-arranged when the adjacent roads were upgraded from single to double track in the late 1960s. You can see this most clearly on the NLS georeferenced map viewer (remember to move the transparency of overlay slider):-

     

The A835 from the east used to approach along a slightly more northerly line then divide into three in front of the gate lodge at the entrance to Braemore Estate: the private road into the estate went straight ahead, the A835 towards Ullapool swung round to the left of the lodge and the A832 to Dundonnell went left over a bridge over the Abhainn Droma river 60 yards west of the present bridge. This is what it looked like:-

Braemore Junction - picture credit Peter Newling

That's the private road into Braemore Estate going to the right of the lodge, the A835 to Ullapool to the left and the A832 to Dundonnell via the Destitution Road is going out the bottom left of the photo in front of the wall. Note the finger post. Contrast with the same view today:- 

Google Streetview

Here's the old bridge that used to carry the A832 over the Abhainn Droma - sadly, it no longer exists:-

Braemore Bridge - picture credit Peter Newling

Thanks to Peter for permission to use these last two pictures.

NLS side-by-side map viewer

Google Streetview

I've just noticed from Google Earth aerial imagery dated August 2019 that recent landscaping in front (to the east) of the lodge appears to have obliterated the traces of the old junction. So below is your last chance to see this most spectral of all ghost junctions zoomed in on older Bing imagery:-

Below is approaching Braemore from the west on the A832 - you can see the old road going off to the left towards the old bridge:-

Google Streetview

Finally, here are a few pictures of Braemore Junction, approaching from the east on the A835, before it was realigned:-

1967 - Picture credit Alan Reid

Picture credit - the AA. That's a very high res picture worth clicking to enlarge.

Lastly, a similar but older and rather grainy photo from an old guide book to Wester Ross when the trees were younger. If you click to enlarge, you can just make out a finger post in front of the lodge:-

Well, reading this post back, I realise it's perhaps a tad esoteric for most tastes but I certainly enjoyed messing about with maps, aerial imagery, Streetview and old photos putting it together! If anyone has any other old photos of any of these junctions, do let me know. I leave you with a map of the locations mentioned above:-