B9087
B9087 | ||||
Location Map ( geo) | ||||
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From: | Haroldswick (HP635119) | |||
To: | Kirkaton (HP650141) | |||
Distance: | 2.1 miles (3.4 km) | |||
Meets: | A968, B9086, unclassified | |||
Former Number(s): | B9084 | |||
Highway Authorities | ||||
Traditional Counties | ||||
Route outline (key) | ||||
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Route
The B9087 is Britain's northernmost classified road, although only by a whisker over its neighbour the B9086. Both roads start at the end of the A968 at Haroldswick, with the B9087 turning off to head north east. After curving along the shore at the head of Harold's Wick, the B9087 splits. The mainline TOTSOs left, while a spur continues ahead along the shore, past the houses to the next junction. The mainline heads inland, along a series of short straights punctuated by sharp bends, including a second TOTSO when it turns right at a crossroads. This leads to a slightly straighter section across moorland fields to Saxa Vord / Valsgarth. The development at Saxa Vord was originally built for the staff of RAF Saxa Vord Radar station, towards the northern end of Unst, but since the station became unmanned, the houses have been redeveloped into a holiday resort and bunkhouse, with some local residents. A distillery and other local businesses have also opened and the plans for a Spaceport here are also expected to benefit the area.
The road climbs past Saxa Vord, crossing the 40m contour, before dipping back down to Kirkaton / Norwick, the most northerly 'village' on Unst, and therefore in the British Isles. The B9087 ends at the road junction at the far side of the settlement, by the no-through-road sign, with the road ahead leading to the coast. This is not the very end of the road network, however, as turning left at the previous junction allows traffic to continue for another couple of miles to Skaw, which really is the end of the world.
History
The original route of the B9087, as classified in 1922, was a very short spur along Beach Road in Haroldswick, starting at the current TOTSO on the shoreline and running only as far as the now-ruined pier. The rest of what is now the B9087 was originally the B9084, which then crossed the island. It is only when most of the B9084 was renumbered as the A968 in the 1950s that the northern end became part of the B9087. However, to further muddy the waters, some maps currently show Beach Road as a disconnected spur of the B9086.