Skye Road Bridge, Highland, Scotland
Speed bonnie boat like a bird on the wing,
Onward the sailors cry.
Carry the lad that's born to be king,
Over the sea to Skye.
These day's, you can leave the 'bonnie boat' moored and take the Skye Road Bridge that links the Kyle of Lochalsh on the mainland with Kyleakin on Skye. It's quite a graceful structure, part of it pictured here with the lighthouse on Eilean Bàn.
Prior to the bridge, two 28-car ferries had been operating but, particularly during the Summer months, there were huge queues building up.
The bridge opened on 16 October 1995 and as part of an agreement, the builders, who had provided the finance, were allowed to charge a toll.
By 2004 a round trip was costing those who used the bridge £11.40, which was fourteen times the round trip price charged by the Forth Road Bridge! This led to many protests with claims that the toll made it the most expensive road in Europe.
I recall my first visit and baulking at the seemingly expensive cost compared with other bridge and tunnel tolls.
Eventually, the protesters won out and the crossing is now toll free.
However, if you like the idea of crossing via a 'bonnie boat', you still have the option of using the Caledonian Macbrayne ferry between Armadale and Mallaig, which can take up to 45 minutes to cross the wider distance.
Skye Road Bridge, Highland, Scotland
Speed bonnie boat like a bird on the wing,
Onward the sailors cry.
Carry the lad that's born to be king,
Over the sea to Skye.
These day's, you can leave the 'bonnie boat' moored and take the Skye Road Bridge that links the Kyle of Lochalsh on the mainland with Kyleakin on Skye. It's quite a graceful structure, part of it pictured here with the lighthouse on Eilean Bàn.
Prior to the bridge, two 28-car ferries had been operating but, particularly during the Summer months, there were huge queues building up.
The bridge opened on 16 October 1995 and as part of an agreement, the builders, who had provided the finance, were allowed to charge a toll.
By 2004 a round trip was costing those who used the bridge £11.40, which was fourteen times the round trip price charged by the Forth Road Bridge! This led to many protests with claims that the toll made it the most expensive road in Europe.
I recall my first visit and baulking at the seemingly expensive cost compared with other bridge and tunnel tolls.
Eventually, the protesters won out and the crossing is now toll free.
However, if you like the idea of crossing via a 'bonnie boat', you still have the option of using the Caledonian Macbrayne ferry between Armadale and Mallaig, which can take up to 45 minutes to cross the wider distance.