A495

The A495 is a cross-country road straddling the border between England and Wales.

Route: Llanfair Caereinion – Whitchurch

Near Meifod

The A495 starts at Neuadd Bridge on the A458, just east of its bridge over the River Banwy, the A495 strikes out northeastwards as a single-carriageway non-primary route. Like most of the roads in this area, it has to thread its way through the hills making use of valleys, and following contours where possible. From time to time the fields give way to patches of woodland. After passing the B4382 and B4389 junctions, the steep valley sides give way to the broader Vyrnwy valley. The Vyrnwy is crossed by a metal S1 bridge controlled by signals along with an unclassified side road. The signals are in fact a very simple method of traffic calming, as the signals for the bridge default to red until activated by oncoming traffic. We pass through Meifod on the north side of the valley, thus avoiding the lowest land in the valley which presumably floods from time to time. We nestle at the bottom of the hills on the north-west side of the valley and are crossed by the A490 in a short multiplex. We continue on to the village of Llansantffraid-ym-Mechain, where we cross the River Cain before running in a multiplex with the B4393 for half a mile.

We remain in the river flood plain, crossing the English border soon after. The route then TOTSOs right at a T-junction with the B4396, with the A495/B4396 route having the straight through movement. Across the river to our right we get a good view of Llanymynech Hill, complete with earthworks associated with Offa's Dyke. We now converge with the A483, which is two miles to the east at Llanymynech Hill, but this distance gradually reduces as we bear to the east, eventually meeting the A483 at Llynclys Crossroads. The B4396 we picked up earlier goes straight across the crossroads here and continues to meet the A5 via Knockin.

We turn left onto the A483 and multiplex with it for about four miles along the Oswestry eastern bypass (which becomes the A5 half way around), before we turn right at a roundabout in order to continue on the A495 past Park Hall, now with primary status in place. Until 1935, the A495 started in Oswestry, so it is only here we join its original route. We pass through Whittington where the road TOTSOs twice to cross the B5009 (former A5), which is non-primary. Presently we reach Ellesmere and another multiplex with the A528. After passing through Ellesmere, and past The Mere, we take a left to regain our number with the A528 continuing towards Shrewsbury. We now pass through a wooded section, then past Newton Mere on the right. We continue through farm land, through Welshampton, then back across the border into Wales (you head east to get from England into Wales around here). The landscape is low lying and flat around here - quite different from the start of the route.

The road terminates on the A525 at Redbrook at a T-junction, about three miles west of Whitchurch although still in Wales. The A525 also gains primary status here.