Keith
Keith Baile Chè | |||
Location Map ( geo) | |||
| |||
County | |||
Banffshire | |||
Highway Authority | |||
Moray | |||
Keith is a small town in eastern Moray and historic Banffshire. It is an eighteenth century planned town with a grid-iron street pattern on the banks of the River Isla. Indeed, the grid iron is unusually dense, with alleyways and lanes running between every 3rd or 4th property. Originally planned to provide rear access to properties, many of these 'back lots' have now been developed with houses or commercial spaces such as builders yards or garages. The town itself is home to three distilleries and associated businesses, and there were formerly mills in the area as well, not least at Newmill a little to the north.
Keith sits at a major crossroads, where the main Inverness to Aberdeen road, the A96, crosses the A95 Speyside to Banff road. It is perhaps the presence of these junctions that helped Keith grow. There is a short multiplex between the two roads along the northern side of the town centre area, which the A96 then turns south through, running parallel to the the main shopping street, Mid Street. The A95 meets the A96 to the west of the town, near the old suburb of Fife Keith. In Fife Keith itself, the B9014 meets the A96 after following the River Isla through Strathisla from Dufftown to the south west. This road was once the A920, before the two numbers were swapped, and originally the northern end of the B9009.
Across the river in Keith proper, the B9116 heads north past the station and back across the river to Newmill, where it meets the B9017. This route provides a sort of bypass to the north of the town, connecting the A96 from Elgin with the A95 towards Banff, although it is doubtful if it is any quicker than going through the town. A little further east along the A95, the B9018 heads north to Cullen, whilst to the east on the A96 the B9016 heads north towards Buckie.
Routes
Route | To | Notes |
Grantown-on-Spey, Craigallachie | ||
Inverness, Elgin, Fochabers | ||
Aberdeen, Huntly | ||
Banff (A98) | ||
Dufftown, Drummuir | former A920, originally B9009 | |
Buckie (A98) | ||
forms northern 'bypass' via Newmill | ||
Cullen | ||
Newmill, Station | ||
Dufftown, Drummuir | now B9014 | |
Dufftown, Drummuir | became A920 now B9014 |