B6359

The B6359 is a cross-country B-road in west Roxburghshire.

The route starts at a T junction on the A7 on the northern edge of Hawick and heads northeastwards, briefly skirting a modern housing estate before leaving the town behind. It continues across fields, crossing the undulating terrain of this part of the country, to Appletreehall, a tiny settlement lying to the north of the road. It then meander gently through the shallow dip behind Clairlaw Hill, before a sharp double bend is encountered at Clairlaw itself. A couple more sharp bends lead into the scattered settlement of Horsleyhill, from where the route drifts downstream with the Hassendean Burn into the slightly larger hamlet of Hassendean. Here it meets the B6405 at a T junction, the B6359 bending sharply to the left, while the B6405 continues ahead on its short journey to Denholm. A short, straight climb leads towards the summit of Marlside Hill, but gives up below the summit, and the route dips down to negotiate some right angle bends.

After another long undulating stretch, crossing fields with patches of woodland and a scattering of properties, the route reaches the village of Lilliesleaf, the largest settlement en route. Here the route sweeps round to the right as it enters the village, with the B6400 coming in from the left. The B6359 is then the dominant partner in a multiplex along the villages sinuous main street. The route is narrow, with houses often rising straight from the tarmac, and numerous parked cars on either side. Despite this, it is a pretty village set on the side of a hill, so the houses on the right step up above the road, while those to the left dip down below it, often protected by metal railings. Mature trees and thick hedges give a very green feel to the village. The old village kirk lies in the fields a little beyond the last house, and soon after the route sweeps round to the left, while the B6400 turns right at the end of the multiplex.

The routs is now heading a little west of north, and is soon dropping down hill through trees. It crosses a narrow bridge over the Ale Water and bears sharply right immediately afterwards at a crossroads with unusual priorities; the road straight ahead is the short B6453, which leads towards Selkirk. The route then resumes its northeasterly course, winding gently across fields as it slowly leaves the valley of the Ale Water behind. A couple of sharper bends take it round the edge of the grounds of Kippilaw House, and up to a crossroads with the A699. The B6398 for Newtown St Boswells turns right shortly afterwards, after which the route begins to climb again. It meanders westwards a little before settling on a more northerly course as it detours around the western side of the Eildon Hills. The 250m contour is crossed twice below Eildon Mid Hill before the route starts to descend.

Dingleton Road, Melrose

The road soon reaches Dingleton, which is essentially a suburb of Melrose. Modern housing lies off to the left, some screened by woodland, while Melrose Golf Course is to the right. Further down the hill, a few houses appear on the right, and those on the left are facing onto the main road. There are a couple of steeper sections, where the houses are set up above the road, and parked cars can partially obscure the bends. Dingleton Road then dives under the A6091 Melrose bypass to the south of the town centre, and the gradient eases a little before the route reaches a roundabout on the B6374 (pre-bypass A6091). The B6359 ends here, although originally it continued ahead along Abbey Street to end on the B6361; this road is now one-way towards the roundabout and part of the B6361 one-way system.

The 1922 MOT Road List defines this route as: Hawick - Melrose