The A87 is a major

road A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation. There are many types of ...

in the

Highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally speaking, upland (or uplands) refers to ranges of hills, typically from up to while highland (or highlands) is ...

region of

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. It runs west from its junction with the

A82 road The A82 is a major road in Scotland that runs from Glasgow to Inverness via Fort William, Highland, Fort William. It is one of the principal north-south routes in Scotland and is mostly a trunk road managed by Transport Scotland, who view it a ...

Invergarry Invergarry ( gd, Inbhir Garadh) is a village in the Scottish Highlands, Highlands of Scotland. It is in the Great Glen, near where the River Garry, Inverness-shire, River Garry flows into Loch Oich. Geography Near the centre of the village is th ...

(), along the north shores of

Loch Garry Loch Garry (Scottish Gaelic: Loch Garraidh) is a freshwater loch 25 km north of Fort William, Lochaber, Scotland. Loch Garry is 11 km long and 50 m deep. It is fed by waters from Loch Quoich 10 km upstream on the River Garry, an ...

and

Loch Cluanie Loch Cluanie (Scottish Gaelic: ''Loch Cluanaidh'') is a loch in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland at the south-east end of Glen Shiel. It is a reservoir, contained behind the Cluanie Dam, constructed by Mitchell Construction and completed in 19 ...

, then down through

Glen Shiel Glen Shiel ( gd, Gleann Seile; also known as Glenshiel) is a glen in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland. The glen runs approximately 9 miles from south-east to north-west, from the Cluanie Inn (216 metres, 708 feet) at the western end of Loch ...

and along

Loch Duich Loch Duich (Scottish Gaelic: "Loch Dubhthaich") is a sea loch situated on the western coast of Scotland, in the Highlands. History In 1719, British forces burned many homesteads along the loch's shores in the month preceding the Battle of Glen S ...

Kyle of Lochalsh Kyle of Lochalsh (from the Scottish Gaelic, Gaelic ''Caol Loch Aillse'', "strait of the foaming loch") is a village in the historic county of Ross-shire on the northwest coast of Scotland, located around west-southwest of Inverness. It is loca ...

before crossing the

Skye Bridge The Skye Bridge ( gd, Drochaid an Eilein Sgitheanaich) is a road bridge over Loch Alsh, Scotland, connecting the Isle of Skye to the island of Eilean Bàn. The name is also used for the whole Skye Crossing, which further connects Eilean Bàn ...

Kyleakin Kyleakin (; Scottish Gaelic: ''Caol Àcain'') is a village situated on the east coast of the Isle of Skye in the Inner Hebrides, Scotland. The village is along the strait of Kyle Akin opposite the northwest Scottish mainland town of Kyle of Loch ...

, Broadford, and

Portree Portree (; gd, Port Rìgh, ) is the largest town on, and capital of, the Isle of Skye in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. Murray, W.H. (1966) ''The Hebrides''. London. Heinemann. Pages 154-155. It is the location for the only secondary school o ...

, before terminating at Uig in the north of the

Isle of Skye The Isle of Skye, or simply Skye (; gd, An t-Eilean Sgitheanach or ; sco, Isle o Skye), is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous hub dominated ...

. Its total length is ; it is a primary route for all of its length.

Settlement and junctions of the A87

''Northwest - Southeast'' * Uig – junction with the

A855 road List of A roads in zone 8 in Great Britain starting north of the A8 and west of the A9 (roads beginning with 8). Single- and double-digit roads Triple-digit roads Four-digit roads See also * B roads in Zone 8 of the Great Britain numbe ...

* Earlish * Romesdal * Eyre *

Kensaleyre Kensaleyre ( gd, Ceann Sàil Eighre) is a scattered crofting township, part of a group of settlements clustered around the A87 road on the shore of Loch Snizort Beag on the Trotternish peninsula of the island of Skye in the Highlands and Island ...

* Borve – junction with the

A850 road A85 or A-85 may refer to: * Dutch Defence, in the Encyclopaedia of Chess Openings * Gleaner A85, a combine harvester Roads * A85 road (Scotland) * Quebec Autoroute 85, a Canadian highway part of the Trans-Canada Highway * A85 motorway (France) Th ...

– second junction with the A855 road * Glenvarragill *

Sligachan Sligachan ( gd, Sligeachan) is a small settlement on Skye, Scotland. It is close to the Cuillin mountains and provides a good viewpoint for seeing the Black Cuillin mountains. Amenities Sligachan is situated at the junction of the roads from Po ...

– junction with the A863 road *

Sconser Sconser ( gd, Sgonnsair) is a small crofting township on the island of Skye, in Scotland, situated on the south shore of Loch Sligachan. The main A87 road of Skye passes through Sconser and the ferry to Raasay departs from the pier. Less than ...

* Luib * Dunan * Broadford * Harrapool *junction with the

A851 road The A851 road is one of the principal roads of the Isle of Skye in the Inner Hebrides off the west coast of mainland Scotland. It connects the ferry port of Armadale on the south of the island with the A87 road for Portree and the Scottish ma ...

* Skulamas * Upper Breakish *

* Balmacara * Kirkton * Auchtertyre– junction with the

A890 road List of A roads in List of A roads zones in Great Britain, zone 8 in Great Britain starting north of the A8 road (Great Britain), A8 and west of the A9 road (Great Britain), A9 (roads beginning with 8). Single- and double-digit roads Triple- ...

Nostie Nostie ( gd, Ceann na Mòna) is a small remote hamlet, lying on Nostie Bay, an inlet at the northeastern end of the sea loch, Loch Alsh in the Scottish Highlands and is in the council area of Highland. Nostie lies a short distance from one of Sco ...

Ardelve Ardelve ( gd, Àird Eilbh) is a village in Highland, Scotland, on Loch Alsh. It overlooks the Eilean Donan Castle, which is in Dornie, also on Loch Alsh, to the east of Skye. A caravan park, several guest houses, a bakery, and pizzeria are locat ...

Dornie Dornie ( gd, An Dòrnaidh) is a small former fishing village in the Lochalsh district in western Ross-shire Highlands of Scotland (2006 census). It is near the meeting point of Loch Duich, Loch Alsh and Loch Long. The A87, the main road to ...

* Inverinate * Ault a' chruinn * Invershiel *

Shiel Bridge Shiel Bridge is a village on the south east shore of Loch Duich at the foot of Glen Shiel, in the Lochalsh area of the Scottish Highlands. It is in the council area of Highland. The village of Ratagan is south east of the village. The A87 road ...

*junction with the A887 road *

– junction with the A82

Historic route

The route of the A87 has changed significantly over the years. Until the 1960s, the road ran along

Glen Garry A glen is a valley, typically one that is long and bounded by gently sloped concave sides, unlike a ravine, which is deep and bounded by steep slopes. Whittow defines it as a "Scottish term for a deep valley in the Highlands" that is "narrower ...

as far as Tomdoun, before heading north over the hills to Glen Loyne, where it crossed

Loch Loyne Loch Loyne is a loch in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland. Loch Loyne lies between Glen Garry and Glen Cluanie. The A87 road runs beside the eastern side of the loch. Road and Dam The first proper road across the Loyne was begun in 1821 by th ...

with two bridges. It then headed north west to the Cluanie Inn, where it joined the A887. Loch Loyne was dammed as part of a hydro-electric scheme, which put part of this road underwater. A new road was built further to the east, around Loch Loyne, joining with the A887 at Bun Loyne. The remains of the bridges on Loch Loyne are visible when the level of water in the loch is low. The A87 route used to involve a short ferry crossing over

Loch Long Loch Long is a body of water in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. The Sea Loch extends from the Firth of Clyde at its southwestern end. It measures approximately in length, with a width of between . The loch also has an arm, Loch Goil, on its weste ...

, but this has since been replaced with a bridge. Nearby, the A87 used to run through the village of

Morvich Morvich (April 23, 1919 – January 26, 1946) was an American Thoroughbred who was the first California-bred racehorse to win the Kentucky Derby. Bred by sugar magnate Adolph B. Spreckels at his Napa Stock Farm, Morvich was sired by James R. ...

, around an inlet at the end

. This has now been bypassed with a causeway and bridge. In 1995 the Skye Bridge replaced the ferry between Kyle of Localsh on the mainland and Kyleakin on the Isle of Skye. Tolls were met with considerable opposition, until removed in December 2004.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:8-0087 Roads in Scotland Scenic routes in the United Kingdom Transport in Highland (council area)