B953

This article is about the current B953 east of Perth.
For the original B953 in Alyth, now part of the B952, see B953 (Alyth).

The B953 is a cross-country B-road in eastern Perthshire. The road was originally unclassified but had gained its present number by 1932.

The route starts in Inchture village, although it is not entirely clear exactly where. Most maps show the route starting at the junction of Main Street and Moncur Road and heading south west to the dumbbell junction at the western end of the village. However, the council road list and signage on the ground suggest that it actually starts at the westbound offslip into the village at the east end of the village. From this sliproad, the route heads south, very quickly becoming two-way, and passing the primary school to reach the junction with Moncur Road. Here the B953 turns sharp right, maintaining priority, onto Main Street and passes through the village. Main Street is the former route of the A90, so at the western end the route has to turn sharp left to avoid the bypass and meets a small roundabout. The route turns right here to reach the dumbbell junction, which is missing an eastbound onslip.

The next section of the B953 doubles back on itself entirely, now running north east alongside the A90 to a fourth roundabout which sits directly opposite the sliproad at the start of the route. This roundabout provides the missing eastbound onslip, while the B953 mainline turns left onto a long straight across the flat Carse of Gowrie coastal plain. At the end of the straight, the route turns hard left and starts to climb the Braes of the Carse, the steep flank of the Sidlaw Hills. A sweeping double bend leads into the valley of the Baledgarno Burn, the road staying high on the hillside to reach the small village of Abernyte, which is strung along the roadside. After a brief dip to cross the Abernyte Burn, the road climbs again, and after about half a mile it TOTSOs left at a triangle junction, quickly losing the centre line.

Below Dunsinane Hill

Having reached a summit of 212m, the road dips down into a shallow valley of open fields rising to moorland hills. Before long, however, the hills close in, with a steep escarpment on the north side of the road. At the far end, this rises up to Dunsinane, which plays an important role in Shakespeare's Macbeth. The road through this valley includes a couple of good long straights, but as it enters a block of trees, it becomes a little windier, with a couple of sharp bends as it drops down the lower slopes of Bandirran Hill. A left turn then leads out along two long straights crossing flatter farmland to reach the village of Balbeggie, with the B953 entering as Abernyte Road. The route ends here at a forked T-junction on the A93. Traffic from the southbound A93 is directed onto the B953 via St Martins Road which cuts off the corner.