One-track mind? Not any more ... as isle gets its first ever road!
FOR decades, people living on one of Scotland’s smallest islands could only get to the mainland by struggling along a dirt track to reach the ferry.
But now, after years of campaigning, a milelong road links the north of Kerrera to the port in the centre of the island.
It means the two ends of the island in Oban Bay, Argyll, are finally connected – much to the relief of its population of just 70 people.
The road gives islanders in the north access to the CalMac ferry and one of its shortest routes – a 0.3 mile crossing to Oban.
It also means they can visit their neighbours without a cross-country trek or a quad bike ride.
At the census in 2011, only 30 people lived on Kerrera. Now, the 70 residents are split fairly equally on the two ends of the island.
The community had been trying for more than 20 years to build a road, with the track deemed essential to make the community less fragile. The road is owned by islanders – the only people allowed to bring vehicles to Kerrera.
Work on the first stage of the road project began in August last year and saw one mile of forestry-grade track connect the community in the North to the centre of the island. The £550,000 cost was funded by The Scottish Government’s Islands Programme.
The next stage – which finished on Thursday – involved the tar topping for the track, at a cost of around £250,000 funded by the Crown Estate Communities Fund and £50,000 from a private donor.
Resident Robert Wright said: ‘This road will change life for the better and be transformational for families and businesses.’