On August 8th 1984 the Kylesku Bridge officially opened to traffic.
The Kyslesku Bridge in Sutherland on the north-west of Scotland carries the non-trunk A894 across Loch a' Chàirn Bhàin between Unapool and Kylestrome.
The bridge was designed for what was then Highland Regional Council by Ove Arup and Partners. It was, in part, financed by the European Community, and built by Morrison Construction Ltd. The cost was £4 million, rather more than the budgeted £2¾ million, in part due to difficult weather conditions during construction.
The structure replaced a succession of ferries which had crossed between Kyslesk and Kylestrome since the early 19th century. When this ferry was not running, the only alternative was a 100 mile (160 km) detour around the NW Highlands.
Over the years, various ferries came and went, and small car-carrying ferries first appeared between the wars. The Kylesku Ferry was unusual in being free for much of its life. The Maid of Kylesku, a two car ferry, was built for the Kylesku crossing in the early 1950s, where it was operated until replaced by the Queen of Kylesku in 1967.
Check out the video below for a clip of the Queen of Kylesku, and can you imagine bairns being allowed to help like that nowadays!
The Bridge is one of those seminal points of the NC500 and lovers of road trips will appreciate the impressive way of affording us such magnificent views and access. There is a large car park on the North side where you can stop and take in the views.
Pics are of the bridge, of course and two of the ferries that used to sail betwen the points.
