B6350

This article is about the current B6350 along the Tweed.
For the original B6350 north of Wooler, see B6350 (Northumberland).

The B6350 runs along the southern bank of the River Tweed between Kelso and Coldstream, paralleling the A698, which follows the same route on the northern bank.

Carham

The route starts in Maxwellheugh, a suburb of Kelso on the opposite bank of the Tweed, at a T junction on the B6352 just a few yards away from the roundabout on the A698. It sets off northeast on Sprouston Road which initially runs through an industrial estate, before passing into a residential area. The houses on the right are mostly set back behind green spaces, while those to the left back onto the main road as it heads out of town. A couple of tighter bends lead the route downhill into woodland, and then under the A698 with no junction to enter open country. For the next mile the route curves gently through fields in the bottom of the Tweed Valley, although the river is hardly visible off to the left. It then passes through the small village of Sprouston, although there are few houses on the road itself, while the river meanders away to the north. The route then climbs a little over a low hill, reaching a summit of 54m, but remains reasonably straight.

There is a noticeable descent into a dip over a burn, which marks the Scottish / English border, and so the B6350 enters England and soon the meandering Tweed, which now marks the border can be seen to the left. The route runs alongside the river for a short stretch before it bears off north again, while the route continues ahead through the tiny village of Carham and onto the slightly larger one of Wark. Both villages lie close to the river, but high hedges on the roadside mean that it is almost invisible from the road. A mile of so further east, the road does come back onto the riverbank, and curves with it as it makes a sizeable meander opposite Coldstream. As the river starts to double back on itself, however, the road continues ahead to enter Cornhill on Tweed. The route ends head at a T-junction opposite the hotel on the A698, which is the dominant partner in a multiplex with the A697.

History

The route was originally unclassified but gained its number in the late 1920s, making it an early example of a recycled number. The 1927 revision of the MOT map still shows the original B6350, while the 1932 OS Ten Mile shows the current route. As originally clasified, the route took a slightly different line through Maxwellheugh. The south western end of the current road has been built over the old goods yard, quite possibly at the same time as the town's bypass was built. Prior to this, the B6350 followed all of Sprouston Road, starting further north on Station Road (The B6352).