B825

This article is about the current B825 from Caldercruix to Linlithgow.
For the former B825 (now A873) through Thornhill, see B825 (Thornhill).

The B825 is a medium-length B-road in the Central Belt. The road was originally unclassified but had gained its present number by 1932.

Route

Passing under the railway at Caldercruix

The road starts on the A89 on the eastern edge of Caldercruix and heads north, going under the Edinburgh to Airdrie railway line almost immediately. It then passes to the east of the village, with a couple of turnings leading into Caldercruix from the B825 before it plunges into a shallow tree lined cutting. At the far end, the road bears round to the right to head across country, past forestry plantations interspersed with moorland fields. A long straight follows across a shallow summit and down to a sharp left hand bend, followed by an easier right to enter Limerigg. Most of the village lies to the north along the B8022, which is met at a T junction.

Snaking round the Black Loch

Beyond Limerigg, the road briefly skirts the Black Loch before crossing the undulating landscape between fields. The next junction is a crossroads with the other end of the L-shaped B8022 is then met, taking two miles on the B825 instead of double that on the B8022. The road then enjoys a long, gentle descent across a small stream and so enters Avonbridge. The landscape crossed so far was, a century or more ago, dotted with coal mines and their villages. Some have faired better than others, and while Avonbridge seems to be emerging from a long period of decline, other villages have dwindled away to just one or two houses. In the middle of the village, the B825 meets the B8028 at a T-junction and that road is then the dominant partner in a multiplex north through the village centre and across the River Avon. The B825 regains its number by turning right in front of the church, and soon leaves town as it climbs over the hills once more.

Although generally heading north east, the road is rarely straight as it passes through the roadside village of Standburn to reach the Bowhouse Roundabout on the A801 and B805. The B825 continues ahead, continuing to lose height as it drops into the valley of the River Avon. A right turn leads into the pleasant Muiravonside Country Park, and soon after the road crosses a narrow bridge over the Union Canal, with a sharp left turn on the opposite side. The road then curves round a low hill to pass south of Whitecross, a relatively modern village comprising almost entirely of (former) council housing. After a few more bends, the road passes under a viaduct carrying the Edinburgh to Falkirk railway line; zigzaging through one of the arches. A short distance further on, the road finally drops to the banks of the River Avon and runs alongside to end at a T-junction on the A803 (former A9) at Linlithgow Bridge.

History

The original starting point in Caldercruix was on Airdre Road, just east of the Craigsmill Wynd Roundabout. From here, the B825 headed north over North Calder Water, then swung eastwards along Main Street. It continued across the railway and so picked up the current route on the eastern edge of the village.

This section was relieved by the Caldercruix Bypass which was opened on 10 July 1981 by Dick Stewart, Strathclyde Regional Councillor for Airdrie East. Contractor was R.J. McLeod, cost £0.5 million. It opened in the nick of time since a culvert on the old road collapsed and closed the old road 5 days afterwards. The council said that the old road would be re-opened in a few months, but forty years later the road remains blocked off.