Bonar Bridge


Bonar Bridge is a village on the north bank of the Kyle of Sutherland to the west and the Dornoch Firth to the east in the Parish of Creich in the Highland council area of Scotland.
The Kyle of Sutherland is a river estuary of the Rivers Oykel, Cassley, Shin and Carron that all enter the Kyle above the bridge at Bonar.
The estuary and the rivers separate Sutherland from Ross and Cromarty to the south, and the estuary opens into the Dornoch Firth to the east.

History

Pre-History

Evidence of pre-historic inhabitance abounds in the area with many ancient hut circles and cairns.
One excavation was performed in 2004 by the Time Team UK Television program. It excavated a small henge and a crannog in Loch Migdale.

Migdale Hoard

In May 1900, a priceless collection of early Bronze Age jewellery known as the Migdale Hoard was discovered by workmen blasting a granite knoll behind Bonar Bridge, near what is known as "Tulloch Hill".
Dating from about 2000BC, the artifacts are in the custody of the in Edinburgh. The Migdale Hoard includes a bronze axe head, sets of bronze bangles and anklets, and a series of beautifully carved jet and cannel coal buttons that may well have adorned a Bronze Age jacket, bronze hair ornaments and fragments of an elaborate bronze headdress.

Pictish Symbol Stones

There are a number of Pictish Symbol stones in the surrounding area, the closest being at Creich, Kincardine Church and Edderton.

Norse/Viking times

was named so by the Norse of Orkney as it formed the Southern part of the Norse province of "Cat". Modern Caithness was the "Ness" part, with the third part "Strathnavern" being the third part.
The Dornoch Firth was the boundary between "Cat" and Ross and was called "Ekkjal" by the Norse and it is mentioned in the Orkneyinga saga.
"In the 11th or 12th century a contest of the inhabitants with the Danes is recorded to have occurred at Drin-leah, near Bonar Bridge, whence the invaders were driven back with great loss to their ships at Portnacoulter, . The extraordinary number of tumuli or graves on the scene of action, while they attenst the truth of the tradition, and the greatness of the slaughter, cannot fail to excite the wonder of reflecting persons at the great numbers who must have been engaged and the consequent density of the population at that remote time".

Appearance on maps

The oldest records of local place names found on maps are Sordel which is now a part of Bonar Bridge and has Swordale Farm, Little Swordale which is now abandoned, Creich, Migdale then later Tulloch . A name "Eam" occurs several times towards Invershin, past Drumliach.
One such map is or the Bleu Atlas of 1654, both found in the National Library of Scotland.
On the South side of the Kyle, MidFearn is the oldest location shown, with Kincardine appearing next.

17th century

The Battles of Invercarron and Carbisdale took place in 1650 during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms close to the village of Culrain, which lies to the West of Bonar Bridge. The battles were fought between the forces of the Scottish Covenantor Government and royalist forces loyal to the King, led by James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose. The royalists were defeated.

18th century

In 1746 the Earl of Cromartie and his forces returning South were attacked by Clan Sutherland near Bonar Bridge, in what became known as the Battle of Bonar Bridge. Most of the Jacobite officers were captured, many of the men were killed and the rest were driven onto the shore where several were drowned trying to swim the Kyle of Sutherland. Thus Clan MacKenzie were prevented from joining the Jacobite army at the Battle of Culloden.

Nineteenth century

Until 1812 the only means of crossing the Dornoch Firth was by ferry. On the night of 16 August 1809 over 100 people boarded the ferry boat on the Dornoch side along with goods and stock for the market in Tain. The over-laden ferryboat set off and, though conditions were calm, the boat was dangerously low in the water. About halfway across the boat turned broadside to the tide and began to take in water. It sank almost immediately with the loss of some 99 lives, including the Sheriff of Dornoch, Hugh MacCulloch. Over £2,900 were raised for disaster relief, much of it coming from overseas. It resulted in the construction of Bonar Bridge in 1812.

Twentieth century

In 1927 a school of Pilot Whales ran aground in the Bay between Bonar Bridge and Ardgay.

Transport

The village is at the junction of the A836 road with the A949. The A836 leads north towards Lairg and Tongue and east over the Kyle for 4 miles to the B9176 junction to the A9 at Skiach, near Alness. Then runs along the south bank of the Dornoch Firth to the A9 near Tain. The A949 runs east along the north bank of the Firth to the A9 near Dornoch, at the other extreme of the Dornoch Firth bridge that takes the A9 over the Dornoch Firth from Tain here.
The village is a transport hub for pupils travelling to Dornoch Academy, Golspie High School and Tain Royal Academy. Stagecoach North Scotland provide numerous services via Bonar Bridge including the 25X-Inverness to Dornoch, 62-Tain to Lairg, 166-Bonar Bridge to Helmsdale, 167-Lairg to Dornoch and the X99 Wick to Inverness.
The village is 1 mile from Ardgay railway station, which lies south of the Kyle. Ardgay is on the Far North Line, the railway line linking Inverness with Wick and Thurso. For a long time, Ardgay Station was called Bonar Bridge Station.
Light airplanes can land at Dornoch aerodrome; otherwise the closest airport is Inverness.

River crossing

Original ferry points on the Kyle of Sutherland

Originally, the Kyle of Sutherland and the rivers feeding it were crossed where Bonar Bridge lies, and at other points downstream such as Creich and at what was called "Portnacoulter" and upstream at what was called Portinleck by small ferry boats and much further upstream by small bridges.

Fording the Kyle of Sutherland – at Bonar

The Bonar Bridge site provided the best point to ford the water without having to travel too far west to cross a bridge. Thus it was the preferred place to cross while droving cattle from the north and north-east to market further south. The fording point lies slightly downstream from the current bridge, more or less where the "Bonar shot" salmon fishing station was, below the old ice-house below Dornoch Road.

First bridge

Construction of the first bridge across the Kyle of Sutherland at Bonar Bridge started in September 1811 and completed in November 1812. The engineer was Thomas Telford and the builders were Simpson & Cargill. The components of the bridge were cast in Denbighshire and assembled there, before being taken apart and transported to its site for re-erection. The New Statistical Account for Scotland explains that consideration was given to sites at Meikle Ferry which was considered too wide, at Creich and at Portinleck which was further up the estuary and required a longer journey around and also a second bridge across the River Carron.
A plaque on the Ross-Shire side of the bridge was engraved with the following text:
"Traveller, Stop and Read with gratitude the Names of the Parliamentary Commissioners appointed in the Year 1803 to direct the Making of above Five Hundred Miles of Roads through the Highlands of Scotland and of numerouse Bridges, particularly those at Beauly, Scuddel, Bonar, Fleet, and Helmsdale, connecting those Roads!"
This cast iron arch bridge carried the Great North Road, and was the prototype for several other Telford bridges, including Craigellachie Bridge, Mythe Bridge and Holt Fleet Bridge. The bridges all employed diamond-shaped bracing in the arch spandrels. Spanning 45.7 m, Bonar Bridge cost £9,736 to build, and lasted for 80 years. Historian Roland Paxton stated that it "combined elegance with economy and strength to an unparalleled degree".
The bridge was swept away by a flood on 29 January 1892, a winter of many great floods in the North of Scotland. Apparently this event occurred as predicted by the Brahan Seer.

Second bridge

The replacement bridge of steel and granite was "built by The County Councils of Ross and Cromarty and Sutherland 1893 Opened 6th, July, 1893".

Third bridge

The third bridge built at Bonar is the currently standing bridge. It was built alongside the older bridge while it was still standing and after it was opened to traffic on 14 December 1973 the second bridge was dismantled.

Dornoch Firth Bridge

Traffic and commerce through Bonar Bridge has decreased since the construction of the Dornoch Firth Bridge, further down the estuary to the east, and other roads direct to the north-west from Dingwall.

Toponomy

The Scottish Gaelic word for ford is "Àth".
The Kyle of Sutherland had a ford here and it became called "Am Ban Àth", "Ban" meaning 'fair', which would be "Fairford" in English.
Over time "Ban Àth" became recorded as:
Thus the evolution of the name reflects the evolution of the water crossing at this point:
FairFord -> FairFord Ferry -> FairFord Bridge
Locals refer to the village as "Bonar", usually dropping "Bridge".

Flora and fauna

Atlantic Salmon, Sea Trout, Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Buzzards, Osprey, Grey Seal, Oyster Catcher, etc.

Economy

Most years, the village celebrates it Gala Week or the Salmon Queen Week, in August.
Nearby places of interest for tourists visiting the area include: