B1343

This article is about the current B1343 in East Lothian.
For the original B1343 in Berwickshire, see B1343 (Berwickshire).

The B1343 is a short rural B-road serving the small village of Athelstaneford in East Lothian.

Kilduff

The route starts on the A6137 a mile or so north of Haddington, and heads east, with the Garleton Hills to the right and a descent to the Firth of Forth to the left. Ahead is the wooded Byres Hill with the Hopetoun Monument on top; the road must detour to the left to pass under the hills. At the end of the first short straight, therefore, the route turns to the left, next to a small parking area for the climb to the monument, and then curves round the northern flank of the hills. The route soon reaches a junction with an unclassified road, which is crossed at a staggered crossroads, giving the B1343 two TOTSOs in quick succession. The ruins of Garleton Castle then stand in the farmyard off to the right, while the hills on the right become somewhat less spectacular, although there is still a steep escarpment stretching out across the fields. The B1343 drifts gently eastwards across fields, passing to the south of Kilduff Hill and soon enters the small village of Athelstaneford.

As it enters the village, the route regains a centre line and widens dramatically just before the parish church. A long row of old stone cottages stands on the left, with shorter rows opposite. The primary school stands back at a small village square, mostly given over to parking, and a short distance later the route turns sharp left in the village centre. Now heading north, there is a short sharp descent, with fields on the left, and more cottages stepping down the hill on the right. After a brief gap, the cottages at Needless are passed, marking the end of the village. A right turn here marks the original eastern end of the B1343; the road ahead and to the right was the original line of the B1347. However, when the B1347 was diverted across East Fortune Airfield, the B1343 was extended and now continues north before bending to the east once more, alowly dropping down hill as it goes. It comes to an end at a T-junction on the present route of the B1347, with the B1377 the lesser route in a short multiplex.

History

The original end of the B1343 in Athelstaneford

Most of the route was originally unclassified in 1922, but the B1343 number had been allocated here by 1932, when it is first shown on the OS Ten Mile Map. At that time, it terminated at a junction a short distance north of Athelstaneford, where it met the B1347. This route had to navigate its way around the perimeter of East Fortune Airfield, and part of this diversion appears to have been built when the Airfield was built. The post war OS maps generally don't show the airfield, as it was considered to be a defence secret, but by the 1950s the old road across the airfield is once more shown as open to traffic. However, the re-routing of the B1347, and subsequent extension of the B1344 is a relatively recent adjustment dating from the 1980s.