B1344

This article is about the current B1344 in County Durham.
For the original B1344 in Berwickshire, see B1344 (Berwickshire).

Bridge over the Metro

The B1344 runs around the north of South Shields, following River Tyne inland. The road was originally unclassified; owing to its short length it is not known when it gained its present number but the road certainly had Class II status by the 1950s.

The road starts at a roundabout on the A183 by the Marine Parks and heads northwest along Sea Road. The South Pier at the mouth of the River Tyne shortly heads off to the east and the river mouth is clearly visible. After passing a car park (built on the original line of the B1344) the road reaches the end of the peninsula and bears round to the left.

The road passes quays, both commercial and for pleasure craft, and then starts to climb, becoming residential. Tynemouth is now visible in the rear-view mirror. The road then bends left again and the B1303 comes in from the left at a roundabout. Logically the B1344 should end here - but it doesn't and so the remainder of the B1344 is a useless multiplex with the B1303.

The road crosses a bridge over what was once a railway line into the docks, now a siding for the Metro, and then descends to cross another roundabout. The road then bends to the left to pass the ferry terminus for North Shields and reach another roundabout by the Market Square. This isn't the B1344 any more, however; the road has changed into the B1303 but the exact point is not at all obvious.