Scottish Roads

Highest road in Scotland: Bealach Na Ba (Pass of the Cattle), from Tornapress to Applecross.

Longest major road in Scotland: A9 (M9 Perth — Scrabster)

First motorway in Scotland: The M8. Construction began in 1964.

Motorways

M8 (Edinburgh—Glasgow),
M9 (Edinburgh—Bridge of Allan),
M73 (M74 Glasgow—A80 Moodiesburn)
M74 (Glasgow—Gretna)
M77 (M8 Glasgow—A77 East Renfrewshire)
M80 (M8 Glasgow—A80 Garnkirk)
M876 (M9-A80 Longcroft)
M898 (M8 Glasgow—A898 Erskine Bridge)
M90 (lnverkeithing—Perth)

Dangerous Roads

According to a survey carried out in 2002 by the European Road Assessment Program, supported by the AA (Britain) Foundation for Safety Research, the A889 near Dalwhinnie is the most dangerous stretch of road in the UK. According to calculations based on motor vehicle accident statistics, the seven most dangerous roads in Scotland were listed in the following order:

1 A889 near Dalwhinnie (A86—A9)
2 A99 (A9 Latheron—Wick)
3 A82 (Tyndrum—Tarbert)
4 A86 (Spean Bridge—A9 Kingussie)
5 A70 (Cumnock-Ayr)
6 A952 (A90 Birness—A90 Loomay)
7 A85 (A82—Oban)

Scottish Weather

The windiest places in Scotland are the north-west coastal regions, the Orkneys, Shetland and the Western Isles.

The highest air temperature recorded in Scotland was 32.8 degrees Celsius, recorded at Dumfries, Dunifries and Galloway, on 2nd July, 1908.

The lowest air temperature recorded in Scotland was also a record for the United Kingdom. A temperature of —27.2 degrees Celsius was recorded on three different ccasions — at Braemar, Grampian, on the 11th February 1895 and 10th January, 1982, and at Aitnaharra, Highland Region, on 30th December 1995.

The region with the highest mean annual temperature in Scotland is Dumfries and Galloway — approximately 9 degrees Celsius.

The summit of Ben Nevis has the lowest mean annual temperature approximately — 0.3 degrees Celsius.

The most rain to fall in a thirty-minute period in the United Kingdom was recorded at Eskdalemuir, in Dumfries and Galloway. On 26th June, 1953, a total of 80mm rain fell in half an hour.

The most rain to fall in a day was recorded at Sloy Main Adit, Loch Lomond. On 17th January, 1974, 238mm of rain fell in a period of twenty—four hours.

The highest gust at high level was recorded at the Cairngorm Automatic Weather Station, which stands at an altitude of 1245m. On 20th March, 1986, a gust was recorded that reached a speed of 150 knots — 173 miles
per hour.

The highest gust at low level was recorded at Fraserburgh, Aherdeenshire, on 13th February, 1989. The speed of the gust was measured at 123 knots — 142 miles per hour.

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