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A963

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A963
Location Map ( geo)
Cameraicon.png View gallery (2)
From:  Kiln Corner Roundabout (HY442113)
To:  Holm Road (HY451096)
Via:  Junction Road
Distance:  1.7 miles (2.7 km)
Meets:  A965, A960, A962, A964, A961
Old route now:  B9148
Highway Authorities

Orkney Islands

Traditional Counties

Orkney

Route outline (key)
A963 Kirkwall Harbour - Holm Road
A963 (Spur) Pickaquoy Road
A963 Kirkwall - Scapa Pier
Looking down the A963 from the A961

The A963 has always served as a link road in Kirkwall, connecting up all of the other A roads. However, whilst it originally ran from central Kirkwall south towards the ferry pier at Scapa (without quite reaching it), it has now been rerouted around Orkney's capital to form a sort of bypass to the city centre.

It starts on the A965 at Ayre Mills Roundabout to the west of Kirkwall, and heads south along Pickaquoy Road, in a semi-industrial area also home to the local supermarkets, which curves around to the south of the Peedie Sea. The 'other' start is a little further east, at Kiln Corner Roundabout where the A965 and A960 both terminate. This spur (formerly the main line) heads south past the end of the A960 and A962 to meet the other arm of the A963 at a mini roundabout. Continuing south, the route follows the largely residential New Scapa Road past the hospital to a new roundabout with the B9148. This is the former route of the A963 down to Scapa, but the road now swings eastwards along the Holm Branch Road to terminate at a T-junction meeting with the A961 a little further along.

History

The original route of the A963 was therefore from the Kiln Corner Roundabout south along Junction Road and then New Scapa Road. However instead of then turning onto Holm Branch Road, it continued south to the coast at Scapa Bay along what is now the B9148 to terminate on the B9053. This continued to be the case into the 1970s. The southern arm of Pickaquoy Road around the Peerie Sea is shown on maps from the 1930s, but the western part seems to be somewhat later, probably dating from the wartime when there was a lot of military activity on Orkney. It did not, however, become part of the A963 until the 1980s.

The 1922 MOT Road List defines this route as: Kirkwall - Scapa Pier





A963
Junctions
Places
Related Pictures
View gallery (2)
Kirkwall- postbox &-8470; KW15 29, Lynn... (C) Chris Downer - Geograph - 2584883.jpgKiln-corner.jpg
Other nearby roads
Kirkwall
NCN1 • A960 • A961 • A962 • A964 • A965 • B9053 • B9054 • B9148 • C1 (Orkney) • C40 (Orkney) • C41 (Orkney) • C42 (Orkney) • EuroVelo 12
A900-A999
A900 • A901 • A902 • A903 • A904 • A905 • A906 • A907 • A908 • A909 • A910 • A911 • A912 • A913 • A914 • A915 • A916 • A917 • A918 • A919

A920 • A921 • A922 • A923 • A924 • A925 • A926 • A927 • A928 • A929 • A930 • A931 • A932 • A933 • A934 • A935 • A936 • A937 • A938 • A939
A940 • A941 • A942 • A943 • A944 • A945 • A946 • A947 • A948 • A949 • A950 • A951 • A952 • A953 • A954 • A955 • A956 • A957 • A958 • A959
A960 • A961 • A962 • A963 • A964 • A965 • A966 • A967 • A968 • A969 • A970 • A971 • A972 • A973 • A974 • A975 • A976 • A977 • A978 • A979
A980 • A981 • A982 • A983 • A984 • A985 • A986 • A987 • A988 • A989 • A990 • A991 • A992 • A993 • A994 • A995 • A996 • A997 • A998 • A999

Defunct Itineries: A920 (Perth) • A920 (Banff) • A921 (Perth) • A921 (Fife) • A922 • A949 • A951 • A968 • A982


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