A9 road - Definition and Overview

The A9 is a major road in Scotland, which runs from Edinburgh to Thurso. It is also the longest road in Scotland.

Between Edinburgh and Stirling, the A9 is a motorway (the M9), while sections of the original A9 pass through the towns of Linlithgow and Falkirk, running alongside the motorway.

Just north of Stirling, the A9 from Bridge of Allan merges with the M9 at Dunblane and becomes a proper trunk road, travelling north east, bypassing Auchterarder, Perth and Pitlochry, then through the Grampian Mountains on a northerly route, taking in Dalwhinnie, Kingussie and Aviemore, before reaching Inverness. This 113-mile long section was substantially rebuilt in the 1970s to bypass these various towns.

Crossing the Kessock bridge, the A9 becomes the main route in the far north of Scotland, passing near Invergordon, Tain, Dornoch and Helmsdale before finally heading north to the port of Thurso.

The A9 is often nicknamed as the "Spine of Scotland", as it runs straight up through the centre of the mainland. However the Perth-Inverness section in recent years has gained a somewhat notorious reputation for speeding-related accidents and fatalities, which has seen it being dubbed "The Killer".