B1345
B1345 | ||||
Location Map ( geo) | ||||
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From: | Drem (NT510794) | |||
To: | Dirleton (NT522843) | |||
Distance: | 3.6 miles (5.8 km) | |||
Meets: | B1377, A198 | |||
Former Number(s): | A198 | |||
Highway Authorities | ||||
Traditional Counties | ||||
Route outline (key) | ||||
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For the original B1345 through Dunbar in the same county, see B1345 (Dunbar).
The B1345 is a largely rural B-road in East Lothian.
The route starts at a TOTSO next to the station on the B1377 in the tiny village of Drem. It winds across the village green and soon leaves the village behind as it heads north across the fields. The landscape is flat and low lying, meaning that the distant North Berwick Law is a prominent landmark on the horizon. It climbs the hill a little, passing a large farm and industrial estate development on the left and Fenton Barns on the right, the latter meriting a short bypass, although this also removed a series of bends. The route then dips slightly across a burn before climbing gently past a cemetery and small copse to reach the A198 at a T-junction at the western end of Dirleton's bypass.
Originally the B1345 ended here but following construction of the A198 Dirleton bypass the B1345 was extended along the old main road through the village. The A198 is therefore crossed at a staggered crossroads and the route continues into the pretty village of Dirleton, where it runs along Main Road. It is soon passing older houses, before the view ahead suddenly opens up as the road reaches the large village green. The grounds of Dirleton Castle lie off to the right, and while an old stone wall and turret stands on the roadside, the castle itself is hidden in trees - hardly good for defence! The village green is triangular, and the road runs along its south side, ultimately finding buildings on both sides once more. The houses on the left soon give way to fields, while interwar housing continues on the right, with gables and pantiles fitting the local vernacular. Presently the route reenters open country, but not for long as it bends to the right to end at a T-junction back on the A198.
History
Except for the section through Dirleton, which was the original line of the A198, the route was originally unclassified. It was upgraded to become a B road at some point between 1927 and 1932. The Dirleton bypass opened in 1975, with the B1345 extended through the village, while the Fenton Barns section has been realigned much more recently.