Spean Bridge

Spean Bridge (Scottish Gaelic: Drochaid an Aonachain) is a village in the parish of Kilmonivaig, in Lochaber in the Highland region of Scotland.

Spean Bridge
  • Scottish Gaelic: Drochaid an Aonachain
Spean Bridge
Location within the Highland council area
Population540 [1]
OS grid referenceNN 22541 82045
• Edinburgh93 mi (150 km)
• London419 mi (674 km)
Council area
CountryScotland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townSPEAN BRIDGE
Postcode districtPH34
Dialling code01397
UK Parliament
Scottish Parliament
  • Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch

The village takes its name from the Highbridge over the River Spean on General Wade's military road between Fort William and Fort Augustus, and not from Telford's bridge of 1819 which carries the A82 over the river at the heart of the village.

Lying in the Great Glen, Spean Bridge has transport links north towards Inverness and south to Fort William, provided by the A82, and the A86 heads east to join the A9 at Kingussie. The village is served by the Spean Bridge railway station providing links to Glasgow, London, and Mallaig and between 1903 and 1933 it offered a branch line service to Fort Augustus.

The Highbridge Skirmish on 16 August 1745 was the first engagement of the Jacobite Rising of 1745.

The Commando Memorial, dedicated to the men of the original British Commando Forces raised during Second World War, is located approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) north-west of Spean Bridge, at the junction of the A82 and the B8004. It overlooks the training areas of the Commando Training Depot established in 1942 at Achnacarry Castle.

Sport

Lochaber Camanachd is the shinty club based in the village of Spean Bridge.

Spean Bridge is the usual put in point for the classic grade 3/grade 4 Spean Gorge paddle, with the best section beginning just above High Bridge.[2]

Notes
  1. Census, 2011
  2. Jackson, Thomas et al., "Scottish White Water", (Bangor: Pesda Press,2001), 109–111.


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