Drivers in 60-mile detour after 11 landslides along A83

Debris blocked the A83 in both directions near Butterbridge

Drivers face a 60-mile detour in Argyll after a series of landslides closed the A83 near the Rest and be Thankful.

Bear Scotland said five hours of heavy rain around Butterbridge and Glen Kinglas caused 11 landslides in the early hours of Monday.

The roads maintenance operator said a clean-up operation was ongoing, but further "intense rainfall" was forecast.

Traffic Scotland advised that diversions were in place via the A819, A85 and A82. The road is not expected to reopen until Tuesday.

Eleven landslides were recorded along the stretch, with two reaching the road

Bear Scotland's Euan Scott said crews were working to clear the material from the road and remove debris from ditches and culverts.

He added: "The scale of the operation is considerable, but our teams are working hard to reopen the road as soon as it is safe to do so.

"With further heavy rain expected, our priority is to continue inspections of the affected hillsides and to clear material."

The operator said 11 landslides were recorded on hillsides over a 3km stretch of the A83.

Two landslides reached the carriageway and blocked the road, while a third was contained by a roadside barrier.

Bear Scotland teams have been assessing damage on the A83

The A83 is an almost 100-mile (161km) trunk road connecting the Mull of Kintyre and southern Argyll to the shores of Loch Lomond.

More than a million vehicles travel the route every year and it acts as an important transport link for mainland Argyll as well as the Inner Hebrides.

The Rest and Be Thankful section - a steep climb out of Glen Croe near Arrochar - is vulnerable to landslides and was closed for a total of 200 days in 2020.

In 2023, the national transport agency Transport Scotland unveiled plans for a mile-long tunnel, costing up to £470m, to protect vehicles from landslides.

An artist impression of the mile-long tunnel which will be built to stop the road being closed because of landslides

When the A83 is closed, the nearby Old Military Road is typically opened to traffic.

However, this route has also been blocked by the landslides, requiring the 59-mile (95km) diversion via Crianlarich.

Western Ferries services between Gourock and Dunoon also offer an alternative route from the Kintyre peninsula.

The Rest and Be Thankful got its name because travellers and drivers would stop at the top of the 800ft climb to catch their breath.