TRAVEL TO AND FROM ARDFERN
AS
many of you will already be aware, Argyll like many other areas of Scotland has
been hit by some torrential rainfall in recent weeks.
The
result of this has unfortunately caused some major road closures in the Ardfern
area and as such is causing a great deal of disruption to the business and
local community.
The diversion route via Loch Avich and Taynuilt.
At
this current time the A816 is closed south of Ardfern due to a large landslide
and north of Ardfern at Kilmelford, due to the failure of the main road bridge
in the village, which has now had to be demolished.
Argyll
and Bute Council state that ‘work on the bridge in Kilmelford is progressing
well and a temporary structure should be in place within a matter of days.’
In
the meantime, the recommended diversion route is via the C29 Loch Avich road
and B845 Taynuilt road, however it should be noted that this route is very
narrow in places, unsuitable for heavy goods vehicles and can easily get
congested.
Once
the Kilmelford Bridge is passable, the recommended diversion route to and from
Ardfern will be via the A816 from Oban.
Surveying
work has begun on the Bealach landslip on the A816 between Ardfern and
Lochgilphead, with the Council planning to make a temporary alternative road
via an existing forestry track, in order to effectively bypass the section of
road affected by the landslip, which they estimate will take approximately 4
weeks to put in place. However, works can only start, once land agreements and
various other technical matters have been completed. Ideally the council are
then looking to start this work in parallel with stabilising the hillside and
removing the material that has been washed down the Bealach, with the aim being
to repair and reopen the original road once this is completed.
Landslide at the Bealach.
We
would suggest that any customers visiting their boats in the coming weeks are
aware of the road conditions at the time of travelling and plan and re-route
journeys accordingly by checking for updates with Traffic Scotland at www.traffic.gov.scot and on the Argyll and Bute Council website at www.argyll-bute.gov.uk/service-status
CHANDLERY AND OFFICE OPENING
During this period of disruption, due to the difficulties for staff travelling in and out of Ardfern, we may have to close the chandlery on some Sundays, the first one being this Sunday 22nd October. However, rest assured that boats and the yard will be checked during the day.
In between the challenging weather conditions, James and the workshop team are progressing well in getting boats ashore for the winter, along with getting winter maintenance jobs well under way.
As
always we thank you for your patience with these trying matters and hope you
have had an enjoyable 2023 boating season with us at Ardfern.
Andrew
and Joanna Ashton and all the team at Ardfern.
