B710
| B710 | ||||
| Location Map ( geo) | ||||
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| From: | Bowland (NT456402) | |||
| To: | Caddonfoot (NT448350) | |||
| Distance: | 3.6 miles (5.8 km) | |||
| Meets: | A7, A72, A707 | |||
| Highway Authorities | ||||
| Traditional Counties | ||||
| Route outline (key) | ||||
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The B710 is a short B-road passing to the west of Galashiels.
It starts at a steeply graded triangular junction (with a couple of buildings in the middle of the triangle) on the A7 at Bowland. The two arms drop down to a merge where the western arm has priority. The road then goes under the Borders Railway and over the Gala Water on Bowland Bridge before bending sharply left at the castellated gatehouse to Bowland House. So far the route has been a narrow S2, without a centre line, but as it climbs round some bends out of the valley it narrows a little, meaning traffic has to pass with care. After the first winding climb, the route continues south along an undulating dead-straight alignment for around a mile, passing between Dunlee Hill and Mains Hill and crossing a summit of just under 250m in the saddle between them. The climb and descent cross fields and are mostly wide enough for two cars to pass, although the descent, past a patch of woodland, is a little windier.
A long left hander then leads into the village of Clovenfords, where it drops down Bowland Road, between modern housing estates which back onto the road, to the Clovenfords Roundabout on the A72. Originally there was a simple crossroads here in the centre of the village where a few older buildings still stand, including shop and hotel. However, the A72 has been moved onto a relief road, so there is now a short multiplex ahead along Cliff Road before the B710 turns left onto Caddonfoot Road and continues south, parallel to the Caddon Water. After leaving the village, there is a long, sinuous descent through the trees, with a couple of tighter bends and a narrow bridge to negotiate. The route then ends less than a mile further on at a T-junction on the A707 next to Caddonfoot Bridge.
In 2021 the southern part of this route, between Clovenfords and Caddonfoot was closed to traffic as part of an 18month trial to provide a better pedestrian and cycling route, following the Covid Lockdown period. It is not clear what the outcome of this trial was.
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