Dalwhinnie - Fort Augustus Military Road

NN59SE 8.00 5999 9358 to 5500 9348. MR 4 (formerly Lin 504).

NN59SE 8.01 5687 9301 Bridge.

Having followed the drive to Dalchully House, the military road then takes the line of a rough track beside the River Spey from the point where the drive turns sharply to the SW. It links with the modern minor road from Laggan to Garva Bridge in the vicinity of NN 583 935, follows this for a quarter of a mile and then heads towards the reservoir, becoming lost for about half a mile. It is traceable in the neighbourhood of Sherrabeg and then intermittently for the next half mile. The next clear signs of the road are where a bridge (NN59SE 7) traverses a dry burn at NN 555 932, just to the SE of the location where the modern road crosses the canal. The angle of the bridge suggests that Wade's road was probably to the S side of the modern road for this last section. To the N of the canal bridge the route of the military road is resumed. The altered topography in this area was caused by the damming of the Spey in 1946 to form a reservoir, at which time the water from the burn which was crossed by the Wade bridge was diverted into a specially constructed canal.

J B Salmond 1938; W Taylor 1976; J and A Baker 1982.

NN 5999 9358 to NN 5981 9382 no reason apparent for road to bend around flat farmland but no trace in fields.

NN 5981 9382 to NN 5836 9343 Wade's road well-preserved rough track 4.5m wide.

NN 5836 9343 to NN 5830 9345 Wade's road visible alongside modern road.

NN 5830 9345 to NN 5500 9348 much of road obliterated by waterworks.

NN 5830 9345 to NN 5789 9333 modern road on line.

NN 5789 9333 to NN 5758 9318 Wade's road submerged.

NN 5758 9318 to NN 5716 9306 modern road on line.

NN 5716 9306 to NN 5600 9302 Wade's road submerged.

NN 5687 9301 site of Wade bridge (NN59SE 8.01) swept away by flood 22 May 1831 (NSA 1845).

NN 5600 9302 to NN 5547 9316 modern causewayed road on line.

NN 5547 9316 Wade bridge (NN59SE 7) over dry burn by-passed and in good condition.

NN 5547 9316 to NN 5535 9325 submerged at time of investigation.

NN 5535 9325 to NN 5500 9348 modern road on line.

Visited by OS March 1979.

The military road initially follows the modern tarmac road to Dalchully House as far as NN 5917 9380 and then continues in the form of a farm track, with no military features of note. The E end of the track is very overgrown and grass-covered, becoming less overgrown as it heads W and being roughly metalled at the W end. Along the S side of the track is a grass bank, either a modified stretch of military banking or recently constructed, forming one side of a series of banks going round the outside of a field which is located next to the S side of the route. A stretch of this track at NN 5955 9387 had collapsed into the River Spey a few years ago, according to the landowner, and was subsequently rebuilt.

The military road continues S of the River Spey as far as NN 5841 9345, where it joins the modern tarmac road, which heads N across the River Spey at this point. The route remains on the modern road until NN 5715 9307, from which point sections of the route are now beneath reservoir waters. There are two stretches surviving to the E and to the W of Sherrabeg House. To the E the line passes through a field under pasture as a grass-covered track with well-preserved flanking banks and continues past the front of Sherrabeg House. A section of approximately 0.5km of grass-covered track with low flanking banks runs away from the area of the reservoir to the W of the house as far as NN 5601 9302, where the route re-joins the modern tarmac road. It traverses a dried up burn just E of the turn-off to Glenshero Lodge, crossing it on a military-style single arch bridge (NN59SE 7) at NN 5547 9316, known as the Drochaid A' Bhuilg Bhuidhe bridge.

M Logie (Highland Council) 1997; NMRS MS 1007/4.