Just north of Blairgowrie lies the Craighall Gorge. For years, the A93 ran along a narrow shelf on the western slopes of the gorge but this 3/4 of a mile section of road was prone to collapses as the steep and unpredictable nature of the gorge had a tendency to unpin the road's engineering.
During a particularly wet night in 1985, a large section of the road was washed into the gorge, leaving a massive gouge in the road between Blairgowrie and Braemar. Two weeks later, a Bailey Bridge had been erected across the gap and traffic lights installed to control traffic flow across the narrow structure. The bridge was only meant to exist as a temporary structure but it wasn't until 2008 that the new road bypassing the gorge was finally opened.
The new road climbs rather sharply as it leaves Blairgowrie and is separated from the old route by a large retaining wall during the ascent. Other than the climb, the new road is fairly unremarkable as it just passes through open farmland but if you decide to take a walk along the old road, you'll be treated to a unique walk along a well known section of road that holds memories for anyone who ever had the pleasure of driving it themselves.
If you watch this video from 9 minutes in, you'll get a rare glimpse of the former A93 alignment in it's final days ( • The Lecht and Glen She... .
13 сен 2014
