Monument record MHG34911 - FORT AUGUSTUS - BERNERA MILITARY ROAD

Created automatically by NMRS Register Utility
User: Admin, Date: Wed 13 Oct 2004
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NH30NE 48.00 3818 0921 to 3514 0999. MR 12 (formerly Lin 510).

NH30NE 48.01 3781 0956 Bridge.
NH30NE 48.02 3741 0957 Bridge.
NH30NE 48.03 3610 0981 Bridge.
NH30NE 48.04 3546 0982 Bridge.

The military road is accessed from the A82 going N from Fort Augustus to Inverness, taking the second turning to the W, heading for Jenkins Park, past the church to the forestry houses. The first zigzags are visible on a right fork going N. Despite modern maintenance, the original traverses and bulwarks are worth noting. The route of the military road is through the gate bearing the sign ?Inchnacardoch forest?. It ascends through the trees.
W Taylor 1976.

The military road was investigated from its terminus at Fort Augustus, presumably at what is now St. Benedict?s Abbey (NH 381 091). The assumed course from the Abbey to NH 370 095 is along modern tarmac roads. From NH 370 095 heading W the road ascends the hill, the line mainly covered by a modern dirt road.
Visited by OS (JB) 30 April 1979.

NH 3818 0921 to NH 3810 0931 probable line of Wade?s road but no specific traces.
NH 3807 0937 Bridge of Oich (NH30NE 18). Probable military bridge now disused. One original arch survives.
NH 3804 0941 to NH 3709 0950 modern road on probable line of military road.
NH 3747 0940 to NH 3681 0958 alternate course indicated by aerial photographs. (RAF 541/A/483 F20, frame nos. 3285-7:. 23 April 1949).
NH 3781 0956 probable military bridge (NH30NE 48.01), 4.4m wide and 2.6m span. Modern addition on S side.
NH 3741 0957 probable military bridge (NH30NE 48.02), 4.3m wide and 2.6m span.
NH 3709 0950 to NH 3685 0980 modern dirt track on line of military road.
NH 3685 0980 to NH 3677 0983 additional traverse visible on aerial photographs (RAF. 541/A/483 F20, frame nos. 3285-6: 23 June 1949).
NH 3685 0980 to NH 3677 0983 military road a disused and disfigured trackway 7m wide. Stretches of drystone revettment on lower side in places.
NH 3677 0983 to NH 3514 0999 modern dirt track on line of military road.
NH 3610 0981 probable military bridge (NH30NE 48.03) destroyed, springings survive 1.4m apart surmounted by modern bridge.
NH 3546 0982 low military bridge (NH30NE 48.04) 4.2m wide. Single span of 1.8m.
Visited by OS February and March 1979.

This map sheet displays part of the longest surviving stretch of the military road. Although lack of time precluded a detailed assessment of each section, a considerable number of fairly well-preserved mid-eighteenth century military road characteristics and features can be discerned. These include culvert/bridge type constructions and cobbled/paved fords. The exact proportion of surviving early road fabric is hard to determine due to the fact that there is much growth of heather and bracken and that there is often poor drainage in areas to the W of the conifer plantation.
The military road is best accessed by following the A82 for Inverness, then the sign for Jenkins Park. By taking the second turning to the W, past the church and up to the forestry houses, a gate and then a quarry are reached, after which the road can be seen ascending the hill in a series of traverses.There appears to have been a change of alignment to the zig-zags, which head off to the N. also, vertical aerial photographs (RAF.541/A/483 F20, frame nos. 3285-6: 23 June 1949) picked up an additional traverse, although no traces of it can be found on the ground. Several military road characteristics are to be seen in the traverses which are still in use. The road is mainly 4m to 5m wide and, where it has been cut into the hillside, sections of revetting are visible within the down slope, despite being noticeably overgrown. Much of the road in this area is very overgrown, and in some stretches there has been a certain amount of water erosion. There are many culverts, but they are mainly modern.
The military road passes through part of Inchnacardoch Forest as a metalled track, approximately 4m wide, mainly retaining its form but with little of the original road fabric surviving. There are a number of bridges in this section, believed to be of military construction, although it is doubtful if they date to the time when the road was originally constructed.
M Logie (Highland Council) 1997; NMRS MS 1007/6.