The A93 is a major

road A road is a thoroughfare used primarily for movement of traffic. Roads differ from streets, whose primary use is local access. They also differ from stroads, which combine the features of streets and roads. Most modern roads are paved. Th ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

and the highest public road in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. It runs north from

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

through

Blairgowrie and Rattray Blairgowrie and Rattray () is a Twin cities (geographical proximity), twin burgh in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. Locals refer to the town as "Blair". Blairgowrie is the larger of the two former burghs which were united by an Act of Parliament in ...

, then through the

Grampian Mountains The Grampian Mountains () is one of the three major mountain ranges in Scotland, that together occupy about half of Scotland. The other two ranges are the Northwest Highlands and the Southern Uplands. The Grampian range extends northeast to so ...

by way of

Glenshee Glen Shee () is a glen in eastern Perthshire, Scotland. Shee Water flows through the glen. The head of the glen, where Gleann Taitneach and Glen Lochsie meet, is approximately 2 km north-west of the Spittal of Glenshee; it then run ...

, the Cairnwell Pass and Glen Clunie to

Braemar Braemar is a village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, around west of Aberdeen in the Highlands. It is the closest significantly-sized settlement to the upper course of the River Dee, sitting at an elevation of . The Gaelic ''Bràigh Mhàrr'' p ...

Aberdeenshire Aberdeenshire (; ) is one of the 32 Subdivisions of Scotland#council areas of Scotland, council areas of Scotland. It takes its name from the Shires of Scotland, historic county of Aberdeenshire (historic), Aberdeenshire, which had substantial ...

. At Braemar, the road then switches east down the

strath A strath is a large valley, typically a river valley that is wide and shallow (as opposed to a glen, which is typically narrower and deep). Word and etymology An anglicisation of the Gaelic word , it is one of many that have been absorbed i ...

of the River Dee before crossing the A90 and terminating in

Aberdeen Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...

Route

Leaving Perth, the A93 continues through the planned 19th-century village of Guildtown before crossing the River Isla and passing the

Meikleour Beech Hedges The Meikleour Beech Hedge(s) (European Beech = ''Fagus sylvatica''), located near Meikleour, Perth and Kinross, Scotland, was planted in the autumn of 1745 by Jean Mercer and her husband Robert Murray Nairne on the Marquess of Lansdowne's Meik ...

. north lies

, the largest town in

Perth and Kinross Perth and Kinross (; ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area. It is bordered by Highland (council area), Highland and Aberdeenshire to the north, Angus, Scotland, Angus, Dundee, and F ...

, where the road crosses the River Ericht. up Glenericht it reaches the little village of

Bridge of Cally A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somet ...

and begins the long climb up into Glenshee. At this point, it climbs from Glenshee onto the moors of Glenbeg and the snow gates at

Spittal of Glenshee The Spittal of Glenshee (, ) lies at the head of Glenshee in the highlands of eastern Perth and Kinross, Scotland, where the confluence of many small streams flowing south out of the Grampians form the Shee Water. For centuries, there has bee ...

, which are regularly closed in winter (which here can be from October to April) to prevent motorists becoming stranded overnight. At the Cairnwell Pass, the road reaches its maximum elevation of 670 metres (2,199 ft) above sea level, which makes it, at this point, the highest public road in the United Kingdom. The southern approach to the Cairnwell Pass used to include a notorious double

hairpin bend A hairpin or hair pin is a long device used to hold a person's hair in place. It may be used simply to secure long hair out of the way for convenience or as part of an elaborate hairstyle or coiffure. The earliest evidence for dressing the h ...

with steep gradients known as the Devil's Elbow. This was bypassed by a new stretch of road in the early 1970s but the old hairpin bends and

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

anti-tank traps can be accessed on foot from a lay-by part way up the hill. Over the summit of the Cairnwell Pass, the road enters

and the standard of the carriageway improves considerably, wider and better surfaced than the in Perth and Kinross. Descending now, it runs along deserted Glen Clunie alongside the

Clunie Water Clunie Water is a river of Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is a tributary of the River Dee, joining the river at Braemar, among grey stone buildings. Callater Burn is a tributary of the Clunie; the confluence is at Auchallater. The river flows al ...

for to

. So far the road has been running roughly north, but here it turns east for the descent to the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...

. from Braemar, it passes

Balmoral Castle Balmoral Castle () is a large estate house in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, and a residence of the British royal family. It is near the village of Crathie, west of Ballater and west of Aberdeen. The estate and its original castle were bought ...

, then continues through

Ballater Ballater (, ) is a village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, on the River Dee, immediately east of the Cairngorm Mountains. Situated at an elevation of , Ballater is a centre for hikers and known for its spring water, once said to cure scrofula. ...

Dinnet Dinnet (Scottish Gaelic, ''Dùnaidh'') is a village in the Marr area of Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Approximately equidistant from Deeside towns Aboyne and Ballater and situated on the main A93 road in the valley of the River Dee, it is said to ...

Aboyne Aboyne (, ) is a village on the edge of the Scottish Highlands, Highlands in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, on the River Dee, Aberdeenshire, River Dee, approximately west of Aberdeen. It has a swimming pool at Aboyne Academy, all-weather tennis cou ...

Kincardine O'Neil Kincardine O'Neil (, ) is a village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is situated between the towns of Banchory and Aboyne approximately 25 miles (40 km) west of Aberdeen on the north bank of the River Dee. Etymology The village was for ...

Banchory Banchory (, , ) is a burgh or town in Aberdeenshire, historically in Kincardineshire, Scotland. It is about west of Aberdeen, near where the Feugh River meets the River Dee. Prehistory and archaeology In 2009, a farmer discovered a short ...

and

Peterculter Peterculter , also known as Culter, is an outer suburb of Aberdeen, Scotland, about from the city centre. It lies on the north bank of the River Dee, Aberdeenshire, River Dee, at its confluence with the Culter Burn. Following the Local Governm ...

before entering Aberdeen.

Storms of 2015

A section of the A93 near Crathie collapsed on 29–30 December 2015 due to pressure from the overflowing River Dee. The Dee had burst its banks due to the effects of Storm Frank, which caused very severe flooding across Deeside.'Storm Frank: A Day of Total Chaos in the North-East of Scotland', ''The Press and Journal'', 30 December 2015; https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/aberdeen/792460/storm-frank-wreaks-havoc-with-flooding-nightmare/. Retrieved 2015-12-31.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:9-0093 Roads in Scotland Transport in Perth and Kinross Transport in Aberdeenshire Transport in Aberdeen Transport in Perth, Scotland Blairgowrie and Rattray Ballater Banchory