Scotland · United Kingdom
Appin Coast
A828South Ballachulish to North Connel
A scenic shore road past Castle Stalker between Ballachulish and Connel.
The A828 follows the Appin coast between Ballachulish and Connel, with views to Castle Stalker on its island and the hills of Morvern beyond. It is a flowing road; mind the bridges, the tourist traffic and the weather off the loch.
On the road
The road runs from South Ballachulish to North Connel. National Cycle Route 78, the Caledonia Way, shares this corridor. Much of the cycle path runs on the bed of the old Ballachulish railway. In places it joins or runs beside the road, so expect cyclists.
Two of the bridges began life on that railway. At Creagan, the road crosses Loch Creran on a bridge built on the old viaduct’s piers. It opened in 1999 and saves a drive of about 5.5 miles (9 km) round the head of the loch. At the southern end, Connel Bridge takes the road over Loch Etive. This steel cantilever bridge opened in 1903 and has room for only one lane. Traffic lights at each end let one direction across at a time. Below it, the Falls of Lora are a tidal race at the mouth of the loch.
Castle Stalker sits on a tidal islet in Loch Laich, an arm of Loch Linnhe. The Stewarts of Appin built the tower house around 1440, and it later appeared in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It is privately owned. The family runs a few guided boat tours inside in summer, for up to six people at a time, booked in advance.
Appin Coast on the map25.7 mi · point to point
Navigate to the start: Apple Maps · Google Maps
Character
Corners
busiest around mile 17Elevation
under 4%4 to 8%over 8%3 to 59 mPoints of interest3 stops
- Loch Linnhe ViewpointViewpoint6.6 mi in
- Castle Stalker viewpointViewpoint12 mi in
- Duror and Kentallen War MemorialLandmark4.5 mi in
Hazards
- Narrow bridges
- Tourist traffic
- Coastal weather
Sources
“Between North Connel and the Ballachulish Roundabout lies the A828 along the shores of Loch Linnhe offering spectacular views both inland and across the Loch to the Morven Hills.”
Route traced from OpenStreetMap, with its stats measured from that line. How the roads are mapped
Routes for iPhone carries Appin Coast offline, with live weather and a 7 day forecast.
Nearby roads
The closest great drives to Appin Coast.
