B9015

The B9015 follows the River Spey downstream to the coast opposite Spey Bay in Moray.

Route

Rothes Road in the snow

The route starts at Rothes Roundabout on the A941 at the northern end of Rothes and heads north. After a few houses, it runs past a large industrial site incoluding a biomass plant, an animal feeds factory and other businesses associated with the local distilleries. The remains of an old railway bridge can then be seen on the left, long since removed to improve the road, before the road sweeps round to the right. Leaving the small town behind, it winds north east as it starts its journey through Strathspey. The road briefly runs along the riverbank, but soon the river meanders away again across the wide valley floor, before the B9015 winds up a surprisingly steep, wooded bank. The road straightens up at the top, and runs on across fields, passing scattered farms, to reach Orton, where it meets the B9103.

The B9103 drops down eastwards to cross the Spey at Boat O'Brig, but the two routes also multiplex north for a couple of miles. The road crosses the Inverness - Aberdeen railway line with a quick double bend, and it then runs alongside as far as the junction with the other half of the B9103. The entire multiplex is sitting at the bottom of the hills on the western side of Strathspey, offering fine views through the trees across the valley. The river is on the far side of the floodplain which has become rich agricultural land. The B9103 then forks left to Elgin, immediately passing under the railway line, while the B9015 continues north to pass through some woodland, and then drop down onto a long straight through Crofts of Dipple.

North Street, the old B9015

At the end of the shortened straight, the B9015 now swings round to the right, while the old road continues straight on into Mosstodloch. The reason for this deviation is the new Fochabers and Mosstodloch Bypass on the A96, which is now met at the Coul Brae Roundabout. The old road has been cut by the bypass, although an underpass provides pedestrian and cycle access into the town. All of the old route of the A96 through Mosstodloch to Cowfords Roundabout is now the B9015, but halfway along a slightly staggered crossroads sees the mainline turn north. North Street to the left (South!) is now a dead end, leading to a forestry car park and the underpass. Turning right onto Garmouth Road, the route passes a sawmill before leaving the village behind.

Heading north, again on long straights through woodland and forestry, the route passes few houses before a little kink and shorter straight takes it into Garmouth. At the entrance to the village, the road crosses the old Spey Bay railway line, now a cycle route, on a hump-backed bridge, and then swings right to wiggle through the narrow streets of the village, following South Road, Church Street and Spey Street. There is quite a steep descent at the narrowest bit, but then it is out of the village and a final quick blast to the end of the route. This is not, as might be expected, at Kingston itself, but rather at the gateway to the village, a seemingly random spot on a bend where a small stream is crossed. The road itself continues into the village, where a large shoreside car park makes an ideal spot to explore the coast from.

History

When first classified in 1922, the B9015 only ran from Rothes to the A96 at Mosstodloch. However, by 1932 it had been extended northwards to Kingston (nearly!). Little has changed over the years, a handful of laybys show slight realignments and both B9103 junctions appear to have been widened. The Rothes roundabout replaces an acute-angled TOTSO on the A941, but barely affecting the line of our road.

However, in Mosstodloch, the construction of the A96 Fochabers and Mosstodloch Bypass in the 2010s severed the old road, which ran straight through the village, doglegging across the A96 at the crossroads. The B9015 was rerouted along a new road in a loop to the east to cross the bypass at Coul Brae Roundabout, before taking on the whole of the ex-A96 through town, thus giving it a short spur through to Cowfords Roundabout, and indeed creating a sort of TOTSO in the middle of the village.

The 1922 MOT Road List defines this route as: Rothes - Mosstodloch