B6360

The B6360 is a semi-rural B-road in southeast Scotland.

The route starts at a T junction on the A7 near Lindean, in the valley of the Ettrick Water; a short distance south of the new bridge over the Tweed just below the confluence of the two rivers. The B6360 quickly bends round below a block of woodland to head north and so rejoin its original alignment, which continued south before the new A7 line was built. It follows the valley of the River Tweed downstream, with the A7 on the other side of the river. The road runs between thick hedges and patches of woodland, so despite its proximity to the river, only the occasional glimpse is possible. After a long series of snaking bends the route straightens up a little as it passes Abbotsford House (home of Sir Walter Scott). I then emerges from the trees and suddenly widens out as it dips down to the Tweedbank Roundabout on the A6091 Tweedbank bypass. The two routes then multiplex eastwards along the bypass to the next roundabout, where the B6360 briefly resumes.

Gattonside

The route resumes at the Melrose Roundabout, from where it heads north east towards Darnick. It very quickly widens out to a dual carriageway and meets the B6374 (pre-bypass A6091) head-on at a wide junction. Here it turns left in a multiplex along that route; this junction is therefore a TOTSO for the B6374. The route winds down to the river bank and then turns sharp right onto the narrow, signalised Melrose Bridge which crosses the Tweed. On the north bank, the road curves round to the left to follow the river upstream, but the B6360 turns off to the right and so regains its number once more. The route now heads east, still following the Tweed downstream but on the other bank. After a few easy bends it enters Gattonside, which is almost a suburb of Melrose on the other side of the river, although there is no direct road link (there is a footbridge) between the two. The route follows the tree lined main street, with houses poking out between trees and hedges here and there.

Just as it feels as if the road is reaching the village centre, with more buildings than greenery, it kinks left and winds gently up another tree lined section, with fine views of the Eildon Hills across the fields to the south. As the Tweed meanders across its wide flood plain, it cuts into the hills to the north, forcing the road to climb up on a narrow wooded ledge. A long straighter section follows, high on the hillside, with some stunning views. The route is again squeezed by another meander of the Tweed before it passes under the spectacular disused Leaderfoot railway viaduct and shortly afterwards goes under the A68, whose viaduct is far more functional. Just before the A68 passes overhead, Drygrange Bridge can be seen on the right, showing the older crossing of the A68. The B6360 then TOTSOs left and heads north, climbing up the old main road to the level of the new A68. It then turns sharp left to end at a T-junction.

History

The B6360 as first classified in 1922

The original route of the B6360 was much shorter. Despite this, it started further south at the old junction with the A7 on the eastern side of the old Ettrick Bridge. The route then followed the riverbank downstream, and survives as a driveway for a couple of houses before disappearing into trees. The new A7 then crosses the old road, which can briefly be traced as a field boundary beyond, but the following field has been enlarged across the old road. A faint crop line is the only hint that the road crossed this field to reach its current alignment to the north. This section of the B6360 was largely destroyed when the A7 was given its current route (on an old railway alignment) in 1974.

The northern end of the original B6360 continued past Abbotsford, taking a slightly different line down the hill and across Tweedbank Roundabout and the A6091 which was built in the 1990s. The route then followed what is now Tweedbank Drive before curving through the houses of Weavers Linn to follow the northern edge of the playing fields. This line continued ahead through what is now the Tweedbank Industrial Estate; its line here can no longer be followed in its entirety, but parts are still open to traffic. After re-crossing Tweedbank Drive, the old road survies as a cycle track dropping down from Tweedside Park to a car park on the B6374 near Melrose Bridge. This was the original end of the route. It was, however, extended along its current route through Gattonside early on, and is shown on the 1927 revision of the MOT map. This section then ended at the northern end of Drygrange Bridge, which carried the A68 at the time. The higher Leaderfoot Bridge opened in 1974, leading to the slight extension of the B6360, although it takes a slightly different line, passing on the far side of the houses at the junction.

The 1922 MOT Road List defines this route as: Lindean Station - Darnick