Not so long ago the 67-mile journey north from Ullapool to Durness on the A894 involved a short ferry trip across a narrow sea loch between Kylesku and Kylestrome. Although the ferry had lots of character and was an adventure for unhurried tourists, it was a frustrating bottleneck for locals and businesses going about their daily work as the only alternative was a 33-mile longer journey via Lairg. In July 1984, a bridge was opened, crossing the narrow waters just to the seaward side of the ferry crossing. This bridge, commonly referred to as the Kylesku Bridge, replaced the ferry crossing and the traffic delays and the journey time reduced considerably.
Last week, after many years of driving over the bridge, we decided to stop and have a much closer look. The 276-metre-long bridge has since become something of an icon. Its striking aesthetic appeal, its curved concrete box girder construction and its pleasing integration with the surrounding landscape resulted in it being classified as a Category A structure by Historic Environment Scotland, recognising it as being of special architectural interest. Its popularity is evident from the number of tourists who park their vehicles in the carpark just to the north of the bridge to get a good view and a photo. The bridge was also the first in Scotland to be officially renamed in Gaelic as Drochaid a’ Chaolais Chumhaing. I think I’ll stick with Kylesku for now!
