Electric Brae - South Ayrshire, Scotland
Posted by: 
creg-ny-baa
N 55° 22.872 W 004° 45.438
30U E 388662 N 6138617
The phenomenon that is the Electric Brae on the A719 road above the Ayrshire coast in Scotland.
Waymark Code: WM18MV4
Location: Southern Scotland, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 08/26/2023
Views: 1
The A719 road runs along the west coast of the Scottish mainland in Ayrshire from Turnberry to the seaside town of Ayr, mostly on a hillside above the coast. At Croy Brae, some eight miles south-west of Ayr, and just over a mile south of the coastal village of Dunure, the road heads eastwards inland and seemingly downhill. However for that quarter of a mile from a bend overlooking the disused Croy Viaduct at 286 feet, to the wooded Craigencroy Glen to the east at 303 feet, there is a slope upwards of 1 in 86.
The configuration of the land on either side of the road provides an optical illusion making it look as though the slope is coming the other way.
The term 'Electric' dates from a time when it was incorrectly thought to be a phenomenon caused by electrical or magnetic attraction on the road.
A lay-by with a marker has been built on the north side of the road marking the spot, after many have tried out the phenomenon on what can be a busy road.