ICE Bridge Month: Bridge #7 – Clachan Bridge

In 2016 I visited Scotland for the first time. There are a number of bridges in Scotland that I have been eyeing off for some time. The Firth of Fort Bridge and the new Queensferry Crossing to name but a few. The bridge in this post was not even on my radar. It was my wife that told me about a bridge on the west coast of Scotland that crossed the Atlantic Ocean. An absolute must see for me.

The Clachan Bridge is a single-arch humpbacked bridge constructed from stone and spans the tidal waters of the Atlantic at Clachan Sound to connect the Scottish mainland to the Isle of Seil. The bridge site is located approximately 13 km from Oban in Argyll. The crossing is 22 m wide and was designed for the passage of vessels of up to 40 tonnes at high tide. The bridge is still in use today, forming part of the B844 road, and is in the care of Historic Scotland.

The bridge is very striking due to what I call its “humpiness”. It also has two round features that look like two eyes on each side of the arch. I have heard some people calling this bridge “suil na clachan” meaning the “eyes of stone” in Gaelic. The arch rises 12 m above the channel bed which gives it its shape. When I drove across the bridge it felt as though the bottom of the car would drag along the crown of the arch! And of course, it was raining.

The original bridge design was for two arches. Seeing the single arch, it is difficult to imagine anything else in this location. There is conflicting information about the designer of the bridge. Through my research, it appears the original design was by John Stevenson of Oban but the final design by engineer Robert MyIne between 1792 and 1793.

Again, another example of a beautiful bridge that is functioning well into its life of over 220 years. If anyone has any other information about this bridge, I would love to hear it.