The approximately nine miles of this road in Argyll and Bute is a joy to experience. It starts at a T-junction with the A82 and heads west to a roundabout on the A814 Garelochhead bypass. It is wide, with sweeping bends and inclines that somewhat resemble a roller-coaster. It tops out somewhere around the 200 metre contour and has ‘snow’ gates at either end – not that snow is any more of an issue on this road than any other in the region. The route is entirely devoid of junctions with other roads. It does not serve any villages, hamlets, farms, houses, anything. It parallels an unclassified road that performs this function. It is simply a strip of beautifully engineered tarmac that appears to have no purpose and so is gloriously free of traffic. Indeed, I have even read about naughty motorcyclists closing the gates at each end so that they can burn up and down it at will, presumably, at highly illegal speeds!
So why does it exist? The answer is Trident. It was built in the 1980’s by the military at a time when the Port of Faslane was being redeveloped: the biggest construction sight in Europe. Nuclear submarines, the Cold War – all that stuff and nonsense. Once its purpose had been realised it was to be dug up for the land to be restored to its previous usage, but in the mid-nineties it was adopted by the local authority and designated A817.
The curiosity persists. The tiny and remote village of Garelochhead has an impressive bypass and then at a roundabout this magnificent road continues west and south, now unclassified, barely noticeable on a road map, and with signs to warn you that it is owned and policed by the MoD. Allegedly it is closed every year on New Year’s Day for 24 hours to prevent it from becoming a public right-of-way. At the far end of this section is RNAD Coulport, where there be nuclear warheads – lots of them. Each of the four subs is armed with sixteen missiles, each capable of delivering twelve warheads. Would that wipe out all life on Earth many times over? A pleasant idea to ponder, as you enjoy this no-expense-spared road to oblivion.