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A396

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A396
Location Map ( geo)
Cameraicon.png View gallery (18)
From:  Marsh Street (SX909952)
To:  Cowley (SS994440)
Via:  Tiverton
Distance:  42 miles (67.6 km)
Meets:  A39, B3224, B3222, B3227, A361, B3137, B3391, A3072, A377
Former Number(s):  A3126, B3222
Old route now:  B3227
Primary Destinations
Highway Authorities

Devon  • Somerset

Traditional Counties

Devon • Somerset

Route outline (key)
A396 Marsh Street - Cowley
A396 Exebridge - Bampton (S)
A396 Cowleymoor - Tiverton

Route

The A396 begins in the shadow of Dunster Castle on the A39 at Marsh Street, not far from Minehead and on the northern fringe of the Exmoor National Park.

Marsh Street - Cowley

Dunster High Street at the start of the A396

The route starts within half a mile of the high water mark, and immediately turns its back on the sea, heading up the Avill Valley, a steep-sided but flat-bottomed valley, lined with trees. Initially, though, we pass through the pretty tourist-trap of Dunster. Progress is slow as we avoid the pedestrians marvelling at the Yarn Market, pretty houses and impressive village church - once part of Dunster Abbey. Sitting above, watching, is the bulk of Dunster Castle. There are a couple of narrow 'give way to oncoming traffic' sections, but soon the village is behind us and we are out into the foothills of Exmoor. Minor roads give access to cycle trails through the woods.

At Cowbridge the valley divides and we head south west past Timberscombe through a narrower valley than before. We cross the river then make a short detour through woodland up a side valley to cross a tributary stream as we climb up the hill towards Wheddon Cross, where we cross the B3224.

A couple of tight bends take us out of Wheddon Cross, and we descend into the Quarme Valley. Although this is Exmoor, the hill tops are covered in fields - it is the steeper valley sides that are uneconomic to farm that are covered in woodland.

At the tiny village of Coppleham we meet a minor road from Winsford. The main significance of this junction is that it also marks the confluence of the Rivers Quarme and Exe, and it is the Exe that we now follow southwards for the rest of the journey. The road remains very scenic as we head south. The surrounding hillsides remain steep and covered in forest and the road's course is very much defined by the river valley.

Just to the east of Dulverton we meet the B3222, then we pass the site of Bury Castle, an old Motte and Bailey castle. Soon the Rivers Hadden and Barle join the Exe, as we leave Exmoor National Park. For a short while, the valley widens out as we pass Exebridge, and the other end of the B3222, then the valley becomes more confined again. Though the sides are not as steep as before, we continue through woodland past Oakfordbridge and on to crossroads where we cross the B3227 (formerly the A361) next to its bridge over the Exe. The eastbound B3227 heads west from here, rising away from the A396 in a double hairpin, in order to escape the valley. But for us, we continue following the Exe, always heading in a southerly direction, but rarely heading due south.

To prove the point, we head briefly north to a roundabout with a spur of the B3227 where we have to turn right to resume the A396, and continue through the tree lined valley to a roundabout on the A361. Here, we used to turn left onto a dual carriageway multiplex with the A361, then turn right at the next junction off the A361 to head into Tiverton. However, it seems now that the multiplex has gone and the road just continues ahead along the former A3126.

The next section down the Exe Valley is on the west bank - until we reach Bickleigh Mill where we cross again near the junction with the A3072 to Crediton. The valley now broadens, and we gradually diverge from the river as the land becomes open floodplain rather than confined river valley. We pass through Stoke Canon then head south-west past Stoke Woods to a roundabout on the A377 near Cowley to the north of Exeter, where the road finally ends.

History

Bampton

Bampton in 1946, showing the A396 spur

On classification in 1922 the A396 detoured from its route along the Exe valley at Exebridge to pass through the centre of Bampton. Later in the 1920s the road was rerouted along the original route of the B3222 to gain its current route. The old A396 from Exebridge into Bampton became the B3222 (and was later declassified); the road south became the A3073 but then became a spur of the A396 in 1935, as shown in the map on the left.

The spur certainly lasted into the 1970s and it is possible that it existed until the A361 through Bampton was downgraded. The spur remains a spur, however, as it is now numbered B3227 rather than the more obvious B3190.


Tiverton

Tiverton has also provided a rerouting, although this time there seems less reason for doing so. In the 1990s the old road through Tiverton was renumbered A3126 and the A396 rerouted via a multiplex east along the A361 to the next junction, before returning southwestwards to rejoin its original route.

This has always seemed rather odd - this route through Tiverton is longer than the direct route, but doesn't look any quicker, particularly as we have to negotiate a number of roundabouts to continue the journey south.

Tiverton Southern Relief Road (Great Western Road) was opened on 18 May 1994 (per Western Evening Herald of 1 July 1994), initially as B3391 before becoming part of the A396 in 1997.




A396
Junctions
Crossings
Places
Related Pictures
View gallery (18)
Tiverton - Great Western Way - Geograph - 1665751.jpgExe Valley - Coppermine - 14652.jpgDunster in the sixties - Geograph - 864133.jpgBridge over The Exe near Bickleigh (C) John Jennings - Geograph - 2395824.jpgDunster Castle from inside the Yarn Market 51.1845477N 3.4442191W.jpg
Other nearby roads
Exeter
Tiverton
Minehead
Exmoor
A39 • A399 • B3188 • B3189 • B3190 • B3191 • B3222 • B3223 • B3224 • B3225 • B3227 • B3234 • B3358 • Porlock Toll Road • Worthy Toll Road
A300-A399
A300 • A301 • A302 • A303 • A304 • A305 • A306 • A307 • A308 • A309 • A310 • A311 • A312 • A313 • A314 • A315 • A316 • A317 • A318 • A319
A320 • A321 • A322 • A323 • A324 • A325 • A326 • A327 • A328 • A329 • A330 • A331 • A332 • A333 • A334 • A335 • A336 • A337 • A338 • A339
A340 • A341 • A342 • A343 • A344 • A345 • A346 • A347 • A348 • A349 • A350 • A351 • A352 • A353 • A354 • A355 • A356 • A357 • A358 • A359
A360 • A361 • A362 • A363 • A364 • A365 • A366 • A367 • A368 • A369 • A370 • A371 • A372 • A373 • A374 • A375 • A376 • A377 • A378 • A379
A380 • A381 • A382 • A383 • A384 • A385 • A386 • A387 • A388 • A389 • A390 • A391 • A392 • A393 • A394 • A395 • A396 • A397 • A398 • A399
St Peters Way  Motorways: A308(M) • A329(M)  Earlier Itineraries: A303 • A326 • A331 • A333 • A341 • A346 • A355 • A364 • A369 • A374 • A378 • A392 • A397


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