B9131

The B9131 is a secondary 'short cut' across east Fife, connecting the A917 in Brownhills (just east of St Andrews) to the same route in Anstruther Easter via Stravithie and Drumrack.

Route

Heading south

The route starts at a simple T junction on the A917 at Brownhills and heads south, climbing a long straight up on to Prior Muir. A couple of sinuous bends cross the 100m contour and lead onto another long straight which crosses the summit and then dips down to Stravithie. Here the road becomes windier as it crosses a couple of burns and then climbs again through the tiny settlement of Beleybridge. Another long straight crosses the summit at 116m before dipping slightly to meet the B940 at a staggered crossroads. Another long straight then drops gently down the hill, crossing the B9171 at another staggered junction at Spalefield Crossroads, beyond which the route once more becomes windier as it passes through Pitkierie. The route then meanders gently across fields to reach the edge of the beautiful coastal village of Anstruther as St Andrews Road.

On reaching Anstruther, the B9131 first crosses the A917 at a crossroads then makes a short loop through the conjoined village of Cellardyke before returning northwestwards to end on the same A-road. The short Rodger Street leads down to the shore, where Shore Street takes over and runs around the back of the small beach and pretty harbour. The buildings looking out to sea show a fine mix of Architectural styles so typical of the East Neuk of Fife. Shore Street becomes East Shore before winding inland a little. The original route through the villages seems to have then been along James Street, then left up Tollbooth Wynd and Toll Road. However, the 1962 OS One Inch map shows the parallel West Forth Street as the B9131, and modern mapping suggests that this is now the route, although both are narrow, two way and have give way lines (creating TOTSO junctions) at each end. Indeed, the signed route is further north again, along the unclassified Burnside Terrace and Fowler Street.

History

In 1922 the road between Brownhills and Anstruther was numbered as the B944 whilst the loop through Anstruther was unclassified. By 1932 the B9131 had come into existence as the loop in Anstruther, whilst the B944 had been upgraded to become the A959. The early maps showing the B9131 (albeit un numbered) in Anstruther are all small scale 10 mile maps, and suggest some intriguing history, but unfortunately the scale is too small to be certain. The earliest, from 1932, suggests that the route ran from Anstruther to Kilrenny, without meeting the A917 at all (presumably the junctions are lost under the dots for the villages). Subsequent editions between 1936 and 39 show the B9131 meeting the A917 to the east of Anstruther, but curiously retain the route through Cellardyke to Kilrenny as a spur, or perhaps a different numbered B road. However, no other supporting evidence has been found, and even today there isn't really a road from Cellardyke to Kilrenny, so it is presumed these depictions are inaccurate due to the limitations of the scale.

The A959 was downgraded in the 1980s, along with a number of other roads in East Fife, and became a northerly extension of the B9131.