A motorcyclist has died after crashing off his bike in a remote part of the west Highlands.
The smash led to huge tailbacks, with some motorists forced to make the only detour possible – a 150 mile route via Loch Ness.
It happened on a stretch of the A890 Auchtertyre to Lochcarron road more commonly closed by rockfalls.
The lone rider was travelling south between Strathcarron and Attadale when the accident happened at Ardnarff just after 1pm.
Police and paramedics attended, but the biker was pronounced dead at the scene.
No details of the victim have been released, although he is not thought to be local to the area.
Debris could be seen scattered across the road, about two miles from the Strathcarron Hotel, yesterday.
Police chief Superintendent Julian Innes said: “It was a single vehicle accident, involving the rider of a motorbike who has lost their life and I understand that it’s not a local person.
“At this stage we don’t really know what is behind the collision so the road has been closed and we are investigating it.”
He added: “We have done our best to get in about the biker community.
“It’s a sad day for us but of course it’s a sadder one for the people left behind.”
The picturesque A890 follows the shores of Loch Carron, passing an avalanche shelter erected to stop rocks and boulders falling onto the road.
Talks have been taking place within Highland Council to find a long-term solution to the risks.
The 150-mile diversion put in place yesterday took motorists via Garve, Muir of Ord, Drumnadrochit and Invermoriston, but there were lengthy tailbacks as some motorists chose to wait at the “Road Closed” signs.
The blockage forced Stagecoach to terminate some of its services at Stromeferry.
School pupils from Lochcarron, who only returned to classes yesterday, had to get the train to Strathcarron, where they were collected.
A local football match between Kyle and GA United was also cancelled, before the road reopened just before 7pm.
The victim was the latest in a number of bikers killed on north roads this year.
A man died after his machine and a campervan collided on the A832 Aultbea to Gairloch road in May.
Another died after a crash on the A85 Oban-Perth road at Loch Awe in April.
And a couple died when their motorcycle was involved in a collision with a car only hours later on the same road, 30 miles to the east.