A well-preserved section of General Wade's Military Road near Melgarve, looking west up towards the Corrieyairack PassGarva Bridge overRiver Spey onGeneral Wade'smilitary road to Corrieyairack Pass andFort Augustus, looking northeast. The Pass is to the west.Corrieyairack Pass lies between Fort Augustus and Laggan in the Scottish highlands.
This pass would be relatively obscure were it not forGeneral Wade'smilitary road built over it in 1731, betweenFort Augustus in theGreat Glen to the north andMelgarve inStrath Spey in the south. This path almost became the site of a major battle in theJacobite rising of 1745, whenPrince Charles Edward Stuart encamped at the height of the pass, and the Government commander approached from the south to quell the rebellion. The Government forces retreated due to the strongly entrenched position of the Jacobite Forces.
The Highland Council states that the Corrieyairack Pass is not maintained as a public road, and is not suitable for use as one, so it advises against using motor vehicles on the pass.[1] The road surface is made of stone, though it is now very eroded and damaged, and in many places the original paving has been lost. It is now used primarily byhikers andmountain bikers, as well as access for workers maintaining the adjacent electricity pylon line.
The military road is designated aScheduled Ancient Monument[2] with separate listings for each section, these being from south-east to north-west:
