A939 is one of Scotland's top roads
Scotland, europe
95.9 km
646 m
moderate
Year-round
Okay, picture this: The A939, aka Lecht Road or Old Military Road, snaking through the Scottish Highlands—seriously, one of the UK's best drives! We're talking super-steep sections here, with gradients hitting a wild 20%.
Nestled in Cairngorms National Park, this gem stretches for about 60 miles (96 km) from Nairn, right on the Moray Coast, down to Ballater in Aberdeenshire.
This baby's paved and boasts a killer layout – think graceful curves mixed with rollercoaster-like hills. For a good chunk of the way, it follows the old military road built after the Jacobite rising. Back in the day, this was an important route carved out by William Caulfield, a British Army officer who was responsible for hundreds of miles of roads.
Perched high in the Grampian Mountains, it peaks at Lecht Pass, a lofty 2,119 feet (646m) above sea level – one of the highest roads around! Usually, it's open year-round, but watch out for winter closures due to gnarly weather. It's often the first road in Britain to get snowed under between Cock Bridge and Tomintoul. You'll climb Dava Moor, Bridge of Brown, Lecht Pass, and Gairnshiel Summit.
Budget about 1.5 to 2 hours to drive it straight through. And trust me, it's worth it: it's bumpy, twisty, and often has zero cell service, but the scenery is epic. It's smack-dab in the middle of nowhere: bare landscapes, endless mountain views, sheep chilling in the fields, and you might even spot some deer! It's a must-drive. It's got that classic Scotland scenery and barely any traffic because most folks stick to the highway next to the park.
Where is it?
A939 is one of Scotland's top roads is located in Scotland (europe). Coordinates: 53.4774, -0.6604
Road Details
- Country
- Scotland
- Continent
- europe
- Length
- 95.9 km
- Max Elevation
- 646 m
- Difficulty
- moderate
- Coordinates
- 53.4774, -0.6604
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