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Corrieyairack Pass military road is a Highland route constructed in the early eighteenth century to facilitate military movement through challenging terrain in Inverness-shire. The road extends from Allt Lagan a'Bhainne to Black Burn, traversing one of Scotland's most demanding mountain passes at over 700 metres elevation. Its construction represented a significant engineering achievement, requiring careful routing through steep slopes and exposed moorland to maintain a practicable gradient for troops and supply transport.
The pass lies upon bedrock formed from Grampian Group psammites and semipelites, ancient metamorphic rocks of Neoproterozoic age that underlie much of the Scottish Highlands. These quartzose rocks would have presented considerable challenges to road builders, requiring the workforce to exploit natural routes and use hand tools to cut the surface. The landscape remains largely open moorland, with the military road's metalled surface still visible as a distinctive feature across the Pass.
This section of the road is protected as a scheduled monument under Historic Environment Scotland reference SM6141, recognising its significance as an example of eighteenth-century military infrastructure. The route reflects the strategic importance placed upon establishing communication and control networks throughout the Highlands following the 1707 Union of Parliaments, and its survival as an earthwork demonstrates the durability of such engineered routes in this demanding upland environment.
Corrieyairack Pass,military road,Allt Lagan a'Bhainne to Black Burn is a scheduled monument protected by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM6141. View the official record →
Corrieyairack Pass military road is a Highland route constructed in the early eighteenth century to facilitate military movement through challenging terrain in Inverness-shire. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic Environment Scotland under reference SM6141.
Corrieyairack Pass,military road,Allt Lagan a'Bhainne to Black Burn is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic Environment Scotland — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Scotland. The official designation reference is SM6141.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Corrieyairack Pass,military road,watershed to Allt Lagan a'Bhainne (2.4 km), Corrieyairack Pass,military road,Black Burn to Connachie Burn (3 km), Corrieyairack Pass,military road,Connachie Burn to Culachy (4.4 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Corrieyairack Pass,military road,Allt Lagan a'Bhainne to Black Burn's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Corrieyairack Pass,military road,Allt Lagan a'Bhainne to Black Burn stands on Grampian Group, bedrock that formed in the Neoproterozoic. The rock here is psammite and semipelite.