A836 road

A836 road
Route information
Length:	129 mi (208 km)
Major junctions
South end:	Tain
	A9 road A949 road A837 road A839 road A838 road A897 road A9 road A99 road
North end:	John o' Groats
Location
Primary destinations:	Thurso, John o' Groats, Bonar Bridge, Lairg, Altnaharra, Bettyhill, Tongue, Highland
Road network
Roads in the United Kingdom Motorways A and B road zones

The A836 road is entirely within the Highland area of Scotland, and 129 miles (208 km) long.

It branches from the A9 near Tain and runs generally north through Bonar Bridge and Lairg, until Tongue. Between Lairg and Tongue the road is single track for 38 miles (61 km). At Tongue the road turns east, following the north coast, passing through Thurso, and eventually ending at John o' Groats, where it meets the A99.

Although the road starts in Ross and Cromarty and ends in Caithness, the majority of its length is in Sutherland.

Towns, villages and junctions

The A836 runs through or near towns and villages listed below. Junctions listed are with other classified roads.

• Tain, A9, Ordnance Survey grid reference NH750843
  • From near Tain, south of the Dornoch Firth Bridge, the A9 runs
    • generally north/northeast to Thurso and
    • generally south to Tain, Inverness, Perth and Falkirk.
• Struie Wood, B9176, grid reference NH633872
  • The A836 here is east-west aligned, and Struie Wood is in fact woodland south of the road. From Struie Wood the B9176 runs generally south to the A9 near Alness and Evanton.
• Ardgay, NH599904
• Bonar Bridge, A949, NH610915
  • From Bonar Bridge the A949 runs generally east to Dornoch, via staggered junctions with the A9 north of the Dornoch Firth Bridge.
• Invershin, A837, NH577965
  • From Invershin the A837 runs generally east/northeast to Lochinver.
• Lairg, A839, NC581059 and NC582064
  • From staggered junctions in the Lairg area the A839 road runs:
    • generally west/southwest to the A837 at Rosehall near Invercassley and
    • generally east/southeast to the A9 at The Mound, near Golspie.
• Near Lairg, A838, NC573099
  • This A838 junction is about one mile (2 km) north of Lairg. The A838 runs generally northwest, then generally north to Durness and then generally east to rejoin the A836 at Tongue.
• Altnaharra, B873, NC569359
  • From Altnaharra the B873 runs generally east to the B871 at Dalvina Lodge .
• Tongue, A838, NC594579
  • From Tongue the A838 runs generally west/northwest to Durness and then southwest and southeast back to the A836 near Lairg. At Tongue the A836 turns to run generally east.
• Near Bettyhill, B871, NC711576
  • The B871 junction is in Strathnaver, about 3 miles (5 km) short of Bettyhill, the B871 runs generally south to Davina Lodge and then generally east/southeast to the A897 at Kinbrace.
• Bettyhill, NC706618
• Melvich, NC885642
• Near Melvich, A897, NC898632
  • The A897 junction is in Strath Halladale, about one mile (2 km) beyond Melvich. The A897 runs generally south to Kinbrace and to the A9 at Helmsdale.
• Reay, NC964647
• Dounreay, NC991663
• Thurso, A9, ND108689
  • In Thurso, west of the River Thurso, the A836 merges into the A9 and is there linked north by the A9 to Scrabster Harbour.
• Thurso, B874, ND116683
  • From the A836/A9 in central Thurso the B874 leads generally south towards Halkirk.
• Thurso, A9, ND119681
  • East of the River Thurso the road regains its own identity and is there linked south by the A9 to the A836 itself near Tain, and to Inverness, Perth and Falkirk.
• Castletown, B876, ND196678
  • From Castletown the B876 runs generally southeast to the A99 near Wick.
• Dunnet, B855, ND221713
  • From Dunnet the B855 runs generally north to Easter Head.
• John o' Groats, A99, ND380728
  • The road's length terminates in John o' Groats, where it is linked south/southeast by the A99 to Wick and to the A9 at Latheron.

Routes

The North Coast 500 scenic route runs along part of the A836.

Coordinates: 58°19′36″N 4°25′51″W / 58.32662°N 4.43075°W