The A87 is a major

road A road is a thoroughfare used primarily for movement of traffic. Roads differ from streets, whose primary use is local access. They also differ from stroads, which combine the features of streets and roads. Most modern roads are paved. Th ...

in the

Highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally, ''upland'' refers to a range of hills, typically from up to , while ''highland'' is usually reserved for range ...

region of

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

. It runs west from its junction with the

A82 road The A82 is a major road in Scotland that runs from Glasgow to Inverness via Fort William, Highland, Fort William. It is one of the principal north-south routes in Scotland and is mostly a trunk road managed by Transport Scotland, who view it a ...

Invergarry Invergarry () is a village in the Highlands of Scotland, located about north-east of Fort William. It is in the Great Glen, near where the River Garry flows into Loch Oich. Geography Near the centre of the village is the junction between th ...

(), along the north shores of

Loch Garry Loch Garry (Scottish Gaelic: Loch Garraidh) is a freshwater loch 25 km north of Fort William, Lochaber, Scotland. Loch Garry is 11 km long and 50 m deep. It is fed by waters from Loch Quoich 10 km upstream on the River Garry, ...

and

Loch Cluanie Loch Cluanie (Scottish Gaelic: ''Loch Cluanaidh'') is a loch in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland at the south-east end of Glen Shiel. It is a reservoir, contained behind the Cluanie Dam, constructed by Mitchell Construction and completed in 195 ...

, then down through

Glen Shiel Glen Shiel (; also known as Glenshiel) is a glen in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland. The glen runs approximately from southeast to northwest, from the Cluanie Inn () at the western end of Loch Cluanie and the start of Glenmoriston to se ...

and along

Loch Duich Loch Duich (Scottish Gaelic: "Loch Dubhthaich") is a sea loch situated on the western coast of Scotland, in the Scottish highlands, Highlands. History In 1719, British forces burned many homesteads along the loch's shores in the month preceding ...

Kyle of Lochalsh Kyle of Lochalsh ( , "strait of the foaming loch") is a village in the historic county of Ross & Cromarty on the northwest coast of Scotland, located around west-southwest of Inverness. It is located on the Lochalsh peninsula, at the entranc ...

before crossing the

Skye Bridge The Skye Bridge () is a road bridge over Loch Alsh, Scotland, connecting the Isle of Skye to the island of Eilean Bàn. The name is also used for the whole Skye Crossing, which further connects Eilean Bàn to the mainland across the Carrich V ...

Kyleakin Kyleakin (; Scottish Gaelic: ''Caol Àcain'') is a village situated on the east coast of the Isle of Skye in the Inner Hebrides, Scotland. The village is along the strait of Kyle Akin, opposite the northwest Scottish mainland town of Kyle of L ...

, Broadford, and

Portree Portree (; , ) is the capital and largest town of the Isle of Skye in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland.W.H. Murray, Murray, W.H. (1966) ''The Hebrides''. London. Heinemann. Pages 154-155. It is a civil parishes in Scotland, civil parish and lies ...

, before terminating at

Uig Uig is a placename meaning "bay" (from Norse) and may refer to: Places * Uig, Coll, a hamlet on the island of Coll, Argyll and Bute, Scotland * Uig, Duirinish, a hamlet near Totaig, on the Isle of Skye, Highland Scotland * Uig, Lewis, a civil par ...

in the north of the

Isle of Skye The Isle of Skye, or simply Skye, is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous hub dominated by the Cuillin, the rocky slopes of which provide some of ...

. Its total length is ; it is a primary route for all of its length.

Settlement and junctions of the A87

''Northwest – Southeast'' *

– junction with the

A855 road The Motorola Droid (GSM/UMTS version branded as Motorola Milestone) is a smartphone designed by Motorola, which runs on Google's Android operating system. It was released in late 2009 and was an important "comeback" product for Motorola. Features ...

* Earlish * Romesdal * Eyre *

Kensaleyre Kensaleyre () is a scattered crofting township, part of a group of settlements clustered around the A87 road on the shore of Loch Snizort Beag on the Trotternish peninsula of the island of Skye in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. It is i ...

* Borve – junction with the

A850 road The A850 road is a road on the Isle of Skye in the Scottish Isles, off the west coast of mainland Scotland. Route The road connects Dunvegan Castle and the town of Dunvegan and the north of the island with the A87 road for Portree that then c ...

– second junction with the A855 road * Glenvarragill *

Sligachan Sligachan () is a small settlement on Skye, Scotland. It is close to the Cuillin mountains and provides a good viewpoint for seeing the Cuillin, Black Cuillin mountains. Amenities Sligachan is situated at the junction of the roads from Portree, ...

– junction with the

A863 road The A863 road is one of the principal roads of the Isle of Skye in the Inner Hebrides off the west coast of mainland Scotland. It connects the town of Dunvegan and the north west of the island with the A87 that then crosses the Skye Bridge fo ...

Sconser Sconser () is a small croft (land), crofting township on the island of Skye, in Scotland, situated on the south shore of Loch Sligachan. The main A87 road, A87 road of Skye passes through Sconser and the ferry to Raasay departs from the pier. Le ...

* Luib * Dunan * Broadford *

Harrapool Harrapool () is a village on the on the southeast coast of the Isle of Skye, Scottish Highlands and is in the Scottish council area of Highland. It lies on the right-hand side of Broadford Bay, with the town of the bay to the east along the A87 ...

*junction with the

A851 road The A851 road is one of the principal roads of the Isle of Skye in the Inner Hebrides off the west coast of mainland Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly ...

* Skulamas * Upper Breakish *

* Balmacara * Kirkton *

Auchtertyre Auchtertyre (Scottish Gaelic: ''Uachdar Thìre'', "Upper Land") is a village, lying half a mile from the north shore of Loch Alsh near Kyle of Lochalsh, in the Scottish Highlands, Highlands and in the Scotland, Scottish council area of the Highla ...

– junction with the

A890 road A89 or A-89 may refer to: * A89 motorway (France) * A89 road (Scotland) * Dutch Defence The Dutch Defence is a chess opening characterised by the moves: : 1. d4 f5 Black's 1...f5 stakes a claim to the e4-square and envisions an attack in th ...

Nostie Nostie () is a small remote hamlet, lying on Nostie Bay, an inlet at the northeastern end of the sea loch, Loch Alsh in the Scottish Highlands and is in the council area of Highland. Nostie lies a short distance from one of Scotland's popular t ...

* Ardelve *

Dornie Dornie () is a small former fishing village in the Lochalsh district in western Ross-shire Highlands of Scotland (2006 census). It is near the meeting point of Loch Duich, Loch Alsh and Loch Long. The A87, the main road to Skye, passes just o ...

* Inverinate * Ault a' chruinn * Invershiel *

Shiel Bridge Shiel Bridge is a hamlet on the south east shore of Loch Duich at the foot of Glen Shiel, in the Lochalsh area of the Scottish Highlands. It is in the council area of Highland. Geography To the east of the hamlet, the River Shiel empties into ...

*junction with the A887 road *

– junction with the A82

Historic route

The route of the A87 has changed significantly over the years. Until the 1960s, the road ran along

Glen Garry A glen is a valley, typically one that is long and bounded by gently sloped concave sides, unlike a ravine, which is deep and bounded by steep slopes. The word is Goidelic in origin: ''gleann'' in Irish and Scottish Gaelic, ''glion'' in Manx. ...

as far as Tomdoun, before heading north over the hills to Glen Loyne, where it crossed Loch Loyne with two bridges. It then headed north west to the Cluanie Inn, where it joined the A887. Loch Loyne was dammed as part of a hydro-electric scheme, which put part of this road underwater. A new road was built further to the east, around Loch Loyne, joining with the A887 at Bun Loyne. The remains of the bridges on Loch Loyne are visible when the level of water in the loch is low. The A87 route used to involve a short ferry crossing over

Loch Long Loch Long is a body of water in the council area of Argyll and Bute, Scotland. The sea loch extends from the Firth of Clyde at its southwestern end, to the Arrochar Alps at the head of the loch. It measures approximately in length, with a wi ...

, but this has since been replaced with a bridge. Nearby, the A87 used to run through the village of

Morvich Morvich (April 23, 1919 – January 26, 1946) was an American Thoroughbred who was the first California, California-bred horse racing, racehorse to win the Kentucky Derby. Bred by sugar magnate Adolph B. Spreckels at his Napa, California, Napa ...

, around an inlet at the end

. This has now been bypassed with a causeway and bridge. In 1995 the Skye Bridge replaced the ferry between Kyle of Localsh on the mainland and Kyleakin on the Isle of Skye. Tolls were met with considerable opposition, until removed in December 2004.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:8-0087 Roads in Scotland Scenic routes in the United Kingdom Transport in Highland (council area) Isle of Skye Portree