Connel Bridge — Attraction in Scotland

Former railway bridge built in 1903 to carry a branch of the Oban and Callender Railway to Ballachulishwhere it would carry slate from the quarry thereto the central belt. It was coverted to allow road vehicles in 1916, but as they had to share with the railway traffic lights and barriers were in use effectively making the bridge a long level cossing. After the line was closed in 1966 it became a road bridge. It is however too narrow for 2 lanes of traffic, so traffic lights are still used. It spans the Falls of Lora, the narrow entrance to Loch Etive where a rock shelf under the water forces the incoming and outgoing tide to swell into a white water rapid, popular with kayakers and canoeists. A recently added walkway gives an excellent view of the falls without walking on the...

The Connel Bridge was built by Glasgow based Arrols as part of the Ballachulish railway line, which opened to the public on 24th August 1903 (closed 1966). Unlike the railway line's sister bridge at Creagan, two factors meant that a central pier could not be sunk into the water. The four foot drop of an underwater shelf which creates the Falls of Lora, and the extremely strong rip tides therefore required the long span. Considering how remote the area was at the time of its construction, the bridge is a stunning achievement. For a time, it was the second longest cantilever bridge in Europe behind the Forth...

Good place for a stop. Nice pubs and food just opposite the falls of Lora car park. The falls are hidden under the water I believe. When we were there it rained several days before and the rocks underneath the bridge were churning up strong currents. The water looks as if it's boiling and at one point it looked as if a Kraken would emerge right in front of where we were standing at...