Fort Augustus - Bernera Military Road

NH31SW 10.00 3499 1012 to 3000 1129. MR 12 (formerly Lin 510).

NH31SW 10.01 3415 1008 Ford.

NH31SW 10.02 3249 1100 Bridge.

NH31SW 10.03 3018 1126 Bridge.

NH31SW 10.04 3494 1019 Bridge.

The military road heads W as a track, crossing under the electric cables.

W Taylor 1976.

NH 3499 1012 to NH 3395 1000 modern dirt track on line of military road.

NH 3494 1019 military bridge (NH31SW 10.04) 4.4m wide, single span of 4m. Bridge slightly damaged on S side; now superseded by modern Bailey bridge.

NH 3415 1008 possible military ford (NH31SW 10.01).

NH 3384 1000 to NH 3317 1043 modern dirt track on line of military road.

NH 3317 1043 to NH 3257 1096 generally poorly preserved track on line of military road.

NH 3257 1096 to NH 3243 1094 road heather-covered.

NH 3249 1100 military bridge (NH31SW 10.02) now destroyed. Springings only survive.

NH 3243 1094 to NH 3213 1115 very vague grass-covered track.

NH 3213 1115 to NH 3000 1129 modern track on line. Metalling visible in places, also intermittent lengths of revettment on N side of road.

NH 3120 1129 and NH 3024 1126 no bridges visible.

NH 3018 1126 bridge (NH31SW 10.03) destroyed except for footings either side of the burn. Burn now forded immediately to the S.

Visited by OS June 1964, March and April 1979.

As the road heads W, it continues to display a number of well-preserved military road characteristics and features, including bridges and fords. Although it mainly retains its form, as a track about 4m wide, much of it is quite overgrown with heather and bracken and little of the original road fabric survives. As the road leaves the plantation and heads across the open moor towards Achlain, some stretches have been affected by severe water damage. this is especially the case in the vicinity of both NH 3292 1069 and NH 3150 1135, where water on and around the track makes passage along the route quite difficult. Assessment of survival of original fabric is somewhat impractical due to the fact that the route is now very overgrown.

There are the remains of a single span stone bridge (NH31SW 10.04) at NH 3494 1019. Only the arch ring and abutments remain, as the parapet and upper courses of stone have disappeared. The bridge is generally in an overgrown state, with even the arch ring crumbling, and a wooden platform surmounting the bridge is now also decaying and overgrown. Wooden fences block access to the bridge on both sides, and a later bridge has superseded it, of which the wooden platform is rotting and the supporting iron struts and metal railing are severely eroded. There are no visible remaining traces of the bridge (NH31SW 10.02) at NH 3249 1100, of which the surviving springings are recorded by the OS (June 1964 and April 1979).

Marie Logie (Highland Council) 1997; NMRS MS 1007/6.

NH 3518 0997 to NH 34376 10115. An archaeological watching brief was undertaken during the upgrading of a section of an 19th-century military road near Fort Augustus. Little that was unexpected was uncovered during this watching brief. However, the information gathered during the project does support the fact that the road builders did not always stick to Wade's original diktats. This certainly applied to the width of the road, particularly where natural obstacles prevented ( or at least made difficult) the implementation of the engineer's wishes.

There was no opportunity to investigate in detail the structure of the road although there was nothing to suggest that the standard construction technique of using large boulders, topped by smaller stones and gravel was not used here. Indeed, small amounts of gravel survived in places and the use of large boulders was clearly visible in many places.

John Lewis (Scotia Archaeology), 2007