Argyll and Bute · United Kingdom
Pass of Brander
A85Lochawe to Taynuilt
A tight defile where the A85 squeezes between Ben Cruachan and the shore of Loch Awe, part of it built on stilts over the water, between Lochawe village and Taynuilt.
The Pass of Brander is the narrow gap the A85 threads between the steep scree flanks of Ben Cruachan, the 'Hollow Mountain', and the head of Loch Awe. Leaving Lochawe village the road tightens beside the loch, in places carried on a causeway out over the water, with the railway and the famous Anderson’s Piano stone-fall warning fences sharing the gorge. It crosses the River Awe at the Bridge of Awe and opens out as it runs down to Taynuilt and the coastal landscape of Loch Etive. It is a flowing two-lane A-road rather than a true mountain pass, scenic and quick but hemmed in. Mind loose rock and stone-fall debris below Cruachan, the constrained loch-edge sections with little verge, and fast traffic plus the level crossing near Taynuilt.
Scenery
Best seasons
In these collections
Where it runs8.8 mi · point to point
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Character
Corners
busiest around mile 8Elevation
under 4%4–8%over 8%19.3 – 72.6 mPoints of interest1 stop
- Pass of BranderViewpoint4.1 mi in
Hazards
- Rockfall and debris below Ben Cruachan
- Narrow loch-edge sections with little verge
- Fast traffic and railway crossing near Taynuilt
Sources
“That section up the Pass of Brander is truly awesome on a good day, i.e. without the traffic.”
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