Bridge of Awe

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Bridge of Awe, near Taynuilt in Argyll, Scotland, is also known as Drochaid Abha.

The original Bridge of Awe was a three arch bridge. When the bridge was originally constructed, the work began in a very dry season and all was going well until a sudden flood swept the supporting timbers and stone away. The bridge was then successfully completed on the second attempt, and the date is believed to be 1756.

A new road bridge was built in 1938, being a single arch bridge of reinforced concrete stone construction is still used today as the main road to Oban from Dalmally.

The old Bridge of Awe was washed away in the January of 1992, when a storm had blown the roof off Inverawe Power station the evening before,and with the Hydro Board unable to locate an engineer to take control the excess water could not be used by Inverawe as normal. With the gates at Awe Barrage left shut for to long due to poor management, Loch Awe was in danger of flowing over the Awe Barrage so the gates where opened full. The bridge lasted most of the day and at approx 3-4pm the arch on the Awe side started to falter, luckily some five minutes after a visitor to the area had moved his car of the bridge. One piece was washed away and the two arches soon went. One arch still remains on the Taynuilt side as it is slower flowing due to the island in the middle of the river. Disaster was averted due do luck rather than skill on the part of the Hydro Board who control the river.