B2163
| B2163 | |||||||||||||
| Location Map ( geo) | |||||||||||||
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| From: | Teston (TQ706534) | ||||||||||||
| To: | Leeds (TQ830542) | ||||||||||||
| Via: | Coxheath | ||||||||||||
| Distance: | 9.9 miles (15.9 km) | ||||||||||||
| Meets: | A26, B2010, A229, A274, A20 | ||||||||||||
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| Route outline (key) | |||||||||||||
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The B2163 runs from the A26 at Teston to the A20 at Leeds, in Kent. The road is fairly long and quite narrow in places. Originally unclassified, the route gained its number in the mid-1920s but only east of the B2078 (present A274); the current western end is a few years younger.
Leaving the A26 at Teston the road starts by descending a steep hill and then crossing the Maidstone – Paddock Wood railway line at a level crossing. We then head over a very old single-track bridge, which traffic heading south has priority on. Next we climb a steep hill (which has permanent signs warning of ice) up to meet the B2010 on a sharp bend. We briefly multiplex with it to the right before TOTSOing to the left just after the Tickled Trout. This section of the road is very narrow for an S2, and quite twisty with a couple of blind bends; the road bends sharply right before we TOTSO sharply to the left.
The next section of road is dead-straight for a couple of miles, though visibility isn't that brilliant. We pass turnings for East Farleigh and Hunton before entering Coxheath (also signed as Cox Heath and Cox's Heath). We make slow progress through the village and barely have time to get back up to speed as we meet the A229 at Linton Crossroads. You can turn off here for Maidstone or Hastings but the B2163 carries straight ahead for Leeds and the M20.
The road is once again straight as we pass to the south of Boughton Monchelsea. As we pass the Cock Inn, the road gets a bit narrower and twistier. (My driving instructor told me off for only doing about 45 mph along this NSL stretch, but as soon as he said that, we rounded a corner to find a car on its roof! Take care!). The road passes Chart Corner before it meanders its way to Five Wents.
At Five Wents we wait an age to try and cross the A274 before carrying on our way. We now pass to the south of Langley, which is a small rural village. From here the road heads northwards towards Leeds, where it bends sharply to the right. After passing through the village (much prettier than its northern namesake, and it has a castle!), the road bends sharply to the left for a final time. The last section of the road is a straight blast up to the A20, with Leeds Castle on our right. Head left for all routes (via junction 8 of the M20), or head right for Ashford (if you really fancy 13 miles of S2 A20!)
The B2163 used to carry on through Hollingbourne, up the hill, then through Bredgar and Tunstall to reach the A2 in Sittingbourne. Quite a bit of this road has been turned from S2 to S1 by removing the middle white lines, and a northern section near Tunstall has a 20 limit and humps. HGV traffic is now encouraged to divert via the A249 instead. It was declassified in the 1990s after the M20 had been completed between junctions 8 and 9.
