The bridge across Applecross River

The current road bridge across Applecross river is ‘temporary’, but there wasn’t always a bridge at all. In times gone by, people walking to Clachan Church often had to either wade across and sit through services cold and soaking wet, or they had to try and use a sequence of stepping- stones.

In the early 1800s, the MacKenzie landowners decided to embark on a series of ‘improvements’ on their estate. One of these was the building of a wooden bridge across Applecross river, but this bridge was smashed by ice. The enterprising people of the area gathered money to build a replacement bridge. This turned out to be a mistake. MacKenzie was furious that the people had acted themselves. He demanded that a notice be read out in church stating that only the landlord had the right to make such decisions, and that if he felt like it, he could order the bridge to be torn down. Whether he did or not is not recorded...

More information on visiting the area can be found here.