B6309

Route

Bywell Bridge

The B6309 is a cross-country B-road in northeast England.

The road starts on the A696 to the west of Belsay and goes round the edge of the grounds of Belsay Castle, heading west initially before having to TOTSO left. The road continues south across the undulating terrain of this part of Northumberland. There are two sharp left-hand bends on this section before the road goes through Heugh and reaches the village of Stamfordham. Here it crosses the River Pont and then TOTSOs right at a T-junction.

The next mile or so of the road is very winding. The road goes through Ouston before passing a couple of small reservoirs and crossing the B6318. On the far side is a causeway across one of the reservoirs. There is then another winding section, including a T-junction where the road TOTSOs left, before the A69 is reached. However, in both directions, B6309 traffic may only turn left (all movements from the A-road are possible) so going this way is not an option for through traffic.

More zigzags follow as we head south from the A69. On the edge of Bywell the road bends sharply to the left to cross a long, narrow bridge across the River Tyne. The road then reaches the back entrance of Stocksfield station and follows the railway line to a T-junction on the A695. There is a short multiplex west before the road turns left to regain its number by crossing a narrow bridge over the railway line.

The B6309 continues south, narrower than it was before. After going through Hindley it bends sharply to the left and starts to follow the Roman Dere Street. The road widens and continues across the fields before climbing steeply and going through the village of Whittonstall. The village is on the top of a hill so the road soon starts to descend again - but the views are good.

At the bottom of the hill the road zigzags to cross the River Derwent and enter Ebchester, where it reaches the A694. This is crossed via a long staggered crossroads. The road then climbs out of the valley, crossing a bridge over a disused railway cutting en route. After being crossed by the B6310 and B6308 the road enters the village of Leadgate. Near the top of the hill is a set of traffic lights on the original line of the A692, now unclassified. The B6309 continues a short distance further to end at a roundabout on the current A692 bypass. Ahead is the A691.

History

Originally the B6309 only ran between the A69 to the north of Bywell and the A694 in Ebchester. The road from Belsay to the B6318 was numbered B6322 and the rest was unclassified, except for the section south of the pre-bypass A692 in Leadgate which was the mainline of the A691.

The B6309 was extended in both directions early on (before 1932), taking over the full length of the B6322 and so running from Belsay to Leadgate. The construction of the A692 Leadgate bypass extended the B6309 to its full length, by taking over a short section of A691 as far as the new bypass.