B6306

Berry Bank

The B6306 is a cross-country B-road in Northeast England. Parts of the road are remarkably narrow for a Class II road - but there are some good driving sections.

The road starts at an easy-to-miss turn on the B6305 in the centre of Hexham and heads south along the narrow Eastgate, climbing out of town. On reaching a summit, the road bends to the right (with excellent views behind) to skirt Halfmile Wood before descending once again into a valley. The road zigzags to cross a very narrow bridge across the ominously named Devil's Water. The road then climbs steeply out of the valley before widening and meeting the B6307.

Continuing south, the road skirts, then enters, Dipton Wood. It then heads across the fields with excellent views to the right, before bearing left and skirting the edge of the village of Slaley. It then climbs into Slaley Forest, where it reaches a summit. On leaving the trees behind, there are views ahead over the moors to Derwent Reservoir. The road bends to the right and crosses Blanchland Moor, which becomes less bleak the further it goes. Presently the road descends steeply into Derwentdale and heads westwards into the village of Blanchland itself.

Blanchland is a strange village and its name is just the beginning of its idiosyncrasy. It is not a mediaeval village (although it looks like one) but was in fact built out of the ruins of Blanchland Abbey at the start of the 18th century. After passing the church (what remains of the abbey church) the road bends to the left and passes the old abbey gateway to reach the village square (an abbey courtyard). The road then leaves the village to cross the River Derwent and bend to the left, retracing our steps for about a mile as the road heads downstream.

The road runs above Derwent Reservoir (there was no need to divert the road when the reservoir was built), bending to the right halfway along as the reservoir does. It continues southeast across the fields to reach the village of Edmundbyers and ends on the far side of the village at a T-junction on the B6278.