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B1347

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B1347
Location Map ( geo)
Cameraicon.png View gallery (5)
From:  Haddington(E) (NT542755)
To:  North Berwick (NT553853)
Via:  East Fortune
Distance:  7.1 miles (11.4 km)
Meets:  A199, B1377, B1343, A198, B1346
Old route now:  B1343
Highway Authorities

East Lothian

Traditional Counties

East Lothian

Route outline (key)
B1347 Haddington - North Berwick

The B1347 is wholly in East Lothian and runs on a generally north-south alignment. The only built-up area is the last half-mile or so at the northern end within the seaside town of North Berwick. With regular climbs and falls there are often extensive views, and the only thing detracting from the road's driving quality is the number of right-angled bends. There are eight of these, at six of which a side road joins, so that some manoeuvres must be carried out almost blind and thus with great caution.

Route

Athelstaneford Mains

The B1347 starts on the A199 (former A1) a mile or so east of Haddington. A gentle climb on to the ridge of the Garleton Hills brings the first sight of (North) Berwick Law, the volcanic plug to the south of the town which is a conspicuous landmark from far afield. After falling again the route passes close to the village of Athelstaneford, accessed via two unclassified roads to the left, the second of which was the original line of the B1347. The route now continues ahead, winding slightly past some woodland which conceals the entrance to the Scottish National Museum of Flight at East Fortune. The airfield here played a part in World Wars I and II. As well as its site accommodating the museum, the surviving runways provide for a flying club and occasional motorbike racing amongst other events. A long straight leads across the airfield, with a rather incongruous mini roundabout giving access to the main runway, although the access now appears to be blocked off.

A kink to the left leads past a row of cottages and on to a T junction with the B1377, which has priority. To the right it heads for East Linton, but the B1347 TOTSOs left and becomes the dominant number in a [[multiplex] for the next half mile. After passing a garden centre, the route navigates the first 90-degree bend to the right, where the B1343 continues ahead and heads back to Athelstaneford. Then there is a straight stretch passing under the ECML, immediately after which the B1377 ends its multiplex and turns off to the left, running parallel to the railway to Drem. After several more right-angled bends reaches, the route starts to climb again across fields. A long straight leads to two more sharp bends, and then the final ascent to a local summit at the tiny village of Kingston. The old tower house of Fenton Tower is prominent on the skyline before Kingston is reached, most of which lies off to the left at one of the worst of the blind junctions.

North Berwick is now only two miles away, and after crossing a summit of 77m, the route begins to descend. After a sharp left turn at a crossroads, a long sweeping descent across fields drops down to the edge of the town. The eponymous Law is a dominant feature on this stretch of the route, and the road ultimately passes close to its western flank as it enters the town. A couple of sharp bends were removed in 2016 as part of the development of a new housing estate on the left, and then the route runs into town on Haddington Road. The towns schools stand on the left, while the housing on the right is set back behind hedges and a service road. Law Road then falls steeply the rest of the way. A few houses face onto the road on the right, but for the most part they face onto side roads. The A198 is then crossed at a light-controlled crossroads as it passes to the south of the town centre.

The route then crosses a large area of parkland before reaching the town centre. A final sharp right turn is met at the entrance to a small car park and the route then follows Kirk Ports around the back of the town centre, with the graveyard and old town church on the right. At the end it meets the B1346 at a mini roundabout at the southern end of Quality Street.

History

The original route of the B1347 at East Fortune

As noted above, when the B1347 was first classified in 1922, it took a rather lengthy route around the western end of East Fortune airfield. This saw it turn sharp left to cross slightly north of Athelstaneford and reach the current route of the B1343. This was originally unclassified, but had been created by 1932, at which point it terminated on the B1347 at the Needless junction. The B1347 then turned north, then east around the airfield, before finding its modern route at Betony, west of East Fortune itself. The road across the airfield is shown as being open to traffic on maps as early as the 1950s, but it was not until the 1980s that the B1347 was re-routed across the airfield, and the B1343 extended over its former line.

At the northern end, the B1347 originally continued straight on along Law Road to meet the B1346, High Street. The northern end of Law Road, at the junction, is very narrow, and the High Street is not much wider, which made the junction very tight for turning traffic. By the mid 2000s, the junction had been closed by bollards, forcing traffic to use the then unclassified Kirk Ports, and it seems likely that even before this the northern end of Law Road had been one-way, in line with the High Street itself. The B1347 does, however, appear to have been diverted onto Kirk Ports in recent years, reflecting the reality of traffic flows.

The 1922 MOT Road List defines this route as: Junction with A1 - Merryhatton - North Berwick





B1347
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Related Pictures
View gallery (5)
Athelstaneford Mains on B1347 - Geograph - 959621.jpgThe B1347 near Abbey Mains - Geograph - 958586.jpgAthelstaneford Mains, B1347 - Geograph - 959622.jpgFarm Cottages at East Fortune - Geograph - 836311.jpgRoad leading to East Fortune - Geograph - 836256.jpg
Other nearby roads
Haddington
B1300 – B1399
B1300 • B1301 • B1302 • B1303 • B1304 • B1305 • B1306 • B1307 • B1308 • B1309 • B1310 • B1311 • B1312 • B1313 • B1314 • B1315 • B1316 • B1317 • B1318 • B1319
B1320 • B1321 • B1322 • B1323 • B1324 • B1325 • B1326 • B1327 • B1328 • B1329 • B1330 • B1331 • B1332 • B1333 • B1334 • B1335 • B1336 • B1337 • B1338 • B1339
B1340 • B1341 • B1342 • B1343 • B1344 • B1345 • B1346 • B1347 • B1348 • B1349 • B1350 • B1351 • B1352 • B1353 • B1354 • B1355 • B1356 • B1357 • B1358 • B1359
B1360 • B1361 • B1362 • B1363 • B1364 • B1365 • B1366 • B1367 • B1368 • B1369 • B1370 • B1371 • B1372 • B1373 • B1374 • B1375 • B1376 • B1377 • B1378 • B1379
B1380 • B1381 • B1382 • B1383 • B1384 • B1385 • B1386 • B1387 • B1388 • B1389 • B1390 • B1391 • B1392 • B1393 • B1394 • B1395 • B1396 • B1397 • B1398 • B1399
Earlier Iterations: B1300 • B1304 • B1305 • B1306(W) • B1306(E) • B1308 • B1309 • B1312 • B1318 • B1320 • B1330 • B1332 • B1333 • B1335 • B1336
B1343 • B1344 • B1345 • B1353 • B1358 • B1360 • B1361(E) • B1361(W) • B1372 • B1373 • B1375 • B1378 • B1380 • B1383 • B1389 • B1392 • B1393 • B1397


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