B9043

Route

The B9043 is a short B-road on the island of South Ronaldsay in the Orkneys.

The route leaves the A961 at St Margaret's Hope and runs along the southern bypass (St Margaret's Road), aiding access to the harbour, where the Pentland Ferry service arrives from Gills Bay in Caithness. The B9043 picks up its original route at the southern end of Cromarty Square, TOTSOing sharp left into School Road to cross to the opposite shore of the headland at Quindry. From here, it turns north west, climbing over the nose of Hoza Hill at Roeberry, before terminating at Hoxa, ending at the first road junction. Hoxa is one of the many places in the Orkney Islands where buildings and emplacements from World War 2 litter the coast. Most are now ruinous, and even the fencing (warning: dangerous structures) is falling down.

History

Cromarty Square, the B9043 until 2009

Until 2009, the B9043 ran through the middle of the village of St Margaret's Hope, running down Church Road and then along Back Road and through Cromarty Square, before picking up the current route along School Road. The bypass was built to relieve the narrow streets of the village, particularly given the increased volume of lorries heading to and from the ferry. The route leading out to the ferry terminal, via Cromarty Square and Pier Road remains unclassified. The contractor was local company, Andrew Sinclair, and in June 2009 most of the route was complete and open to traffic. The final section, connecting to Cromarty Square was, however, still being worked on. This was a narrow, pre-existing road giving access to the village car park and a handful of properties, but was widened to two-way after the rest of the new road had opened, so maintaining access.

The 1922 MOT Road List defines this route as: St Margaret's Hope - Hoxa