A43

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A43

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From:

M40 jct 10, Cherwell Valley

To:

Stamford PE9

Via:

Northampton

Length:

65.2 miles (104.9 km)

Meets:

M40, B430, A421, B4031, A422, B4525, A413, A5, M1, A5123, A45, A4500, A5076, A14, A6013, A4300, A6003, A6900, A6116, A6086, A427, A47, A1, B1081, B1443, A16

Primary Destinations

Corby • Kettering • Northampton • Stamford •

Grid References

Start SP545278
End TF030069

Highways Authorities

Highways Agency

Traditional Counties

Northamptonshire • Oxfordshire

Route outline (key)

A43	Oxford - Cherwell Valley
A43	Cherwell Valley - Stamford

Route

The A43 has always been primary in its entirety, though a bit near its original starting point of Oxford is now missing.

Section 1: Cherwell Valley - Northampton

With the opening of the M40 in the early nineties, the A43 became a popular way for traffic from the south coast cutting across to the M1. This section has recently been dualled due to its increased use as a major north / south arterial route. We start off by heading north from the rather confusing M40 junction 10, with a total of three roundabouts and Cherwell Valley services. The A43 crosses the B4100 (ex A41) about half a mile north. It then winds its way up along the new dual carriageway towards Brackley, which it bypasses.

Silverstone Bypass Completion Stone

The section from Brackley to Towcester was the most recent to get bypassed. It winds itself through rural Northamptonshire in and out of woodlands. The most noticeable feature on this stretch is the dumbbell junction with the A413 towards Silverstone, home of the British Grand Prix. Whilst the dualling of this road may have improved things, it is advisable to avoid this area when there is a Grand Prix on, and the Highways Agency have closed the road to through traffic in the past.

Beyond Silverstone, the A43 heads towards Towcester, which it bypasses to the north, meeting the A5 at a roundabout. It then heads towards the M1 at Northampton services. Originally, there was no access to the M1 here so traffic had to double back on itself to the A508. Nowadays, access is allowed by going around the service area, which now effectively sits in the middle of the junction! Apparently, the junction with the M1 was built due to traffic taking shortcuts through the services.

After this, the A43 carries on towards Northampton, where after only a mile or so it meets the A45 ring road, which it concedes to.

Original Author(s): Ritchie Swann

Section 2: Northampton - Stamford

Apart from one detached "branch" section still following the road's original route for about a mile and a quarter (from GR 474345,258155 to the city centre), today's A43 sweeps round the south side of Northampton in multiplex with the A45, which here shares many of the characteristics of an urban motorway.

Our road diverges from the A45 at Weston Favell, continuing as dual carriageway for another two miles (the curiously named Lumbertubs Way). First, we dive under the old A45 (now the A4500) just before another curiosity: a long footbridge in a tube crossing to the Tesco superstore on the right. The speed cameras along here are unusual, too: mounted in each-way facing pairs in the central reservation on fancy Victorian-looking poles with decorative elements looking a bit like the Batman logo!

Two roundabouts later, at Round Spinney, we cross the northern outer ring road, the A5076, and rejoin the "traditional" route of the A43. Passing Moulton we are now in open country. Although a lot more obvious on the map than on the ground (we are not talking Alpine elevations here!) our route now for the next 10 miles or so is along a ridge: there are no villages on the watershed itself, all the settlements being lower down on the streams flowing towards the upper River Nene (left) and the Ise (right).

At the Broughton bypass the A43 cuts through the ridge, swings from north to north-east, and we find ourselves heading directly towards the very prominent steeple of Kettering church. We shall not pass through the town, however, as our course is intercepted by one of my least favourite roads—the A14 -- which we now have to join for a mile or so northwards before the new A43, in its Kettering bypass role, strikes off in an almost dead straight north-easterly direction (dipping under the London—Leicester railway) to cross the A6003 Corby road a mile and a half later.

Another mile and a quarter on an easterly heading brings us back to the old route (which, through the town, has been the A6013/A6003/A4300). Immediately after the roundabout, at which we turn left, there is a fine vista to the right of a stately pile. Northamptonshire seems to abound in such houses (think Althorp): this one is Boughton House. With Boughton on the north side of Kettering and Broughton to the south (and another Boughton just outside Northampton), I wonder if anyone ever gets confused?

We now do pass through a village: Geddington, with its fine old stone buildings and its fiercely enforced speed limit. The A43 skirts the eastern fringes of Corby but we see little of it. At Stanion the A6116 from Thrapston comes in on the right; the road left from the roundabout leads to the "Euro Hub" road/rail distribution center (chiefly used in the import/export of road vehicles, as evidenced by the huge parking lots we soon pass. Here we also pass the Corby Hilton, which always sounds a strange juxtaposition of terms (sorry, Corby!). (Excellent fish-and-chips in Corby, by the way: it's the Scottish heritage.)

After crossing the A427 Market Harborough—Oundle road we are in the country again. The whole of this northern end of Northamptonshire is known as Rockingham Forest. Today it is more a patchwork of wooded areas but the 9 miles to the junction with the A47 at Duddington are more sinuous than the road further south and the road does have a "forest" feel. The only settlement on the route itself (Bulwick) has been bypassed.

From Duddington (also bypassed) we follow the right bank of the Welland, keeping to high ground through the villages of Collyweston and Easton on the Hill before the final descent into Stamford.

Red Lion Square,Stamford

A mile before Stamford we pass under the A1 (limited interchange), then cross the line of the Roman Ermine Street before reaching the old Great North Road at a stop sign. This would originally have been the end of the A43, but now the route turns left and continues down to the bridge over the Welland where it makes an end-to-end connection with the A16.

Original Author(s): Viator

History

It used to start at the Oxford Ring Road with the A40, cannoning off the A34 at the Peartree Roundabout half a mile northwards, heading towards Bicester, before branching off at the picturesquely named Weston On The Green towards Brackley. This section is now an upgraded A34 to Weston, and the uninspiringly titled B430 up to Cherwell Valley services (where it meets the M40), and is a good way to "cut the corner" from the A34 to the M40 for those in the know! It is mainly NSL, but there are lower limit sections.