Fort William - Fort Augustus - Inverness Military Road

NN17NE 3.00 from 1500 7742 to 1781 7999.

NN17NE 3.01 1502 7744 Ford.

NN17NE 3.02 1607 7818 Ford.

NN17NE 3.03 1661 7867 Ford.

NN 1500 7743 - 1665 7872 Wade road preserved as a forest track.

NN 1665 7872 - 1695 7902 Road destroyed by forestry and railway from which it emerges as a mutilated track for c.100m ul it joins the A82 at NN 1701 7912.

NN 1701 7912 - 1765 7954 A82 probably on line.

NN 1765 7954 - 1781 7999 No trace across rough pasture of road which left the present A82 hereabouts.

Visited by OS May 1970.

Initially the military road, which appears to be well preserved in parts, traverses an area of afforestation. The route, which is 4m to 5m wide, is grass-covered and lies between well defined banks. In parts the road is now marshy and water-looged as drainage is at times very poor. Due to a lack of culverts and other drainage features, streams run across the track surface, which has been overlaid by small boardwalks in some of the wettest areas. As trees have encroached onto the route in parts, considerable root damage to the track fabric has taken place.

The 18th century route is cut by the modern tarmac road to Aonach Mor, the military road reappearing on the N side of the modern route as a grass-covered track. At intervals along this section segmants of banking are visible, particularly on the S side of the route. Further damage has been caused a little further N by a stream running down the centre of the track for a short distance. In general, rutting and erosion has occurred in parts of this sector. In the vicinity of NN 1670 7875 there is a short stretch of military road which deviates from the line of the track and remains as a grass-covered route between low banks. Any surviving road fabric, however, is being threatened with damage due to poor drainage and marshiness.

Three fords are to be found in the section described above, NN17NE 3.01 at NN 1502 7744, NN17NE 3.02 at NN 1607 7818 and NN17NE 3.03 at NN 1661 7867. None of these show evidence of military construction.

In the neighbourhood of NN 1685 7892 the military road is cut by the railway and then shares the line of the A82 as far as the turnoff to Auchindaul Farm. At this point it is believed that the military road cuts across a field under pasture. Although a section of raised track is visible in this field, it does not display any typical military features.

M Logie (Highland Council) 1997; NMRS MS 1007/3.