B9022

Route

The B9022 is a cross-country B-road in northeast Scotland. It is fully S2 and well aligned, so is quite a fast route.

Muirake Cottages

The road starts on the A96 to the west of Huntly and on the far side of the River Deveron from the town. After running downstream alongside the river for a short distance the road turns northwards and slowly climbs out of the valley. It passes a few houses as it goes through a wood called The Bin Forest - named after a nearby hill - before dropping down into the river valley once more. The river has carved quite a deep dip in what is otherwise a gently sloping, agricultural landscape, so it is only the trees and bushes along the riverbanks that can be seen at first. The railway bridge where the Aberdeen to Inverness line crosses the River Deveron is clearly visible and the road soon goes under the line itself, at a low skewed bridge, whilst following the river downstream.

The road is briefly curving along the river bank, but then turns away to cross the River Isla (a tributary of the Deveron) at Bridge of Isla, just beyond which the B9118 turns off to the right and continues alongside the River Deveron. The B9022, meanwhile, continues northwards climbing steadily through fields where most of the houses and farms are set well back from the roadside. The B9117 is crossed at Rothiemay Crossroads after which the route passes through Scraib Wood, marking the summit of this section. The route then descends gently across the fields in a series of long straights passing through the scattered settlements of Knabbygates and Lower Ternemny, with the larger village of Knock off to the left. The prominent cone of Knock Hill is visible ahead, and the smaller bump of Barry Hill to its right, the road aiming between the two.

The gap between the two hills is Glen Barry, and the B9022 suddenly finds a short windy climb up to a realigned T-junction on the A95 in Glenbarry village. There is then a multiplex north for well over a mile to the scattered village of Gordonstown. The A95 through the multiplex is much more winding than the B9002 itself on either side, due to the topography of the gap between hills that it passes through. Within the multiplex, in both Glenbarry and Gordonstown there are 40mph speed limits, in contrast to the B9022 proper which is NSL virtually throughout. At Gordonstown the B9022 regains its number by turning left at another realigned T junction (and immediately reverting from 40mph to NSL), crosses the old Banffshire coast railway line on a tight double bend, and heads north once more across gently sloping terrain with the occasional wood. It then plunges into a much larger forestry plantation, where the B9023 comes in from the right just before the crescent of houses that is Brodiesord. Recent felling means that the road now generally runs alongside rather than through the forest, with fields stretching off to the west. Beyond the forest, the prominent Fordyce and Durn Hills lie off to the left, but otherwise this is a wide landscape of big fields under a big sky.

The map suggests that the last couple of miles of the route are one long straight, but in truth it is a series of shorter straights with very slight kinks. It also undulates gently as it gradually drops down towards the coast, but there is still plenty of forward visibility most of the time. The sea is visible from the start of the straight, but as the road heads north and loses height, the sea disappears behind the low coastal hills. A final slight climb and wiggle leads across the old railway line to a T-junction on the A98 just to the south of Portsoy.

History

When first classified in 1922, this route only ran north from Huntly as far as the A95 at Glen Barry. However, the northern extension to Portsoy had been added by 1932. As noted above, the junctions at both ends of the multiplex with A95 have been realigned to improve safety and visibility; formerly both of them provided more or less straight runs off (or onto) the A95. There are a few other places where hedgerows suggest a slight realignment, but nothing substantial.

When Huntly was bypassed in the 1970s, a short length of the former A96 was added to the south end of B9022. The B9022 was given priority through the junction with the old A96 but there has been no change to the alignment, giving a slightly awkward bend combined with a narrowing from the former trunk road to the standard B9022.

The 1922 MOT Road List defines this route as: Huntly - Glen Barry