| High Dyke | |
Roman Road, High Dyke |
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High Dyke
High Dyke shown within Lincolnshire |
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| OS grid reference | SK939293 |
|---|---|
| District | East Lindsey |
| Shire county | Lincolnshire |
| Region | East Midlands |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Grantham |
| Postcode district | NG33 5 |
| Police | Lincolnshire |
| Fire | Lincolnshire |
| Ambulance | East Midlands |
| EU Parliament | East Midlands |
| UK Parliament | Louth and Horncastle |
| List of places: UK • England • Lincolnshire | |
High Dyke is a minor road following a length of Roman Road in the English county of Lincolnshire, between Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth and Ancaster. It is also the name of a small settlement[1] on that road, near to Great Ponton, near to the mouth of Stoke Tunnel on the Great Northern main line. High Dyke is also a name for the general area between Easton and Great Ponton.
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Recent rebuilding of the A1 road junction at Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth in 2008 has included construction of a grade-separated road crossing in place of the disused railway bridge that was part of the High Dyke branch, a mineral railway used to export iron ore between 1916 and 1973.[2][3]
The route begins at the grade-separated junction at Colsterworth. At Easton Farm, it meets the line of Ermine Street from the south, and runs north-south. There is a right turn for Burton Coggles to the right, and the 18-acre Easton Cold Store, built in the late 1960s, and run by Norbert Dentressangle[4]. When built, and throughout the 1970s it was thought to be the largest cold store in Europe. To the left is a turn for Easton and the Easton Walled Gardens, where the road is at 119 metres high. Further north, past the cold store, the width of the road narrows. The section of road from the A1 was widened and straightened in 1969 when the cold store was built.
There is a left turn for Stoke Rochford. It passes Highdyke Farm to the right, and the road descends and is crossed by a 400kV pylon line that runs parallel to the East Coast Main Line. At Great Ponton there is a railway bridge for the ECML. There is a left turn before the bridge for Great Ponton, and a right turn after the bridge for Bassingthorpe, near Highdike Cottages. The former High Dyke branch railway ran paralley to the High Dyke from the A1, and joined the East Coast Main Line here. There is a right turn for Boothby Pagnell and a left turn for Great Ponton
At Little Ponton and Stroxton it passes Ponton Park Wood to the left where the road reaches 118 metres high, and passes through Woodnook, where there is a left turn for Little Ponton. From here to almost Ancaster, the road becomes the boundary of several parishes starting with Londonthorpe and Harrowby Without to the left and Old Somerby to the right. On Spittlegate Heath there is a roundabout where the road briefly becomes the A52. To the west is Grantham (A52), and to the right is Old Somerby (B1176). At Cold Harbour, the A52 deviates to the right, and the High Dyke continues ahead as the B6403. Along an avenue of trees the road becomes the parish boundary of Harrowby Without, and Welby, to the east. At this point the road reaches it highest point of 125 metres, meeting Harrowby Lane to the right. There is a left turn for Londonthorpe, and the road gently descends to a right turn for Welby at Pyewipe Cottages.
At Welby Pastures the road becomes the boundary between Syston, to the west, and Welby. The road gently descends and rises up to a left turn for Heath Lane named after Barkston Heath. At this point the road becomes the boundary between South Kesteven and Barkston, to the west, and North Kesteven and Wilsford, to the east. To the left is RAF Barkston Heath. There is a right turn for Wilsford, and the road is the boundary between Ancaster and South Kesteven, to the east, and with North Kesteven. At Duke's Covert it meets King Street from Bourne, and the road descends into Ancaster. It crosses the A153 at traffic lights, and passes under the Poacher Line at Ancaster railway station. Ancaster Roman Town, the main Roman town on the High Dyke, is in the south-east of the village. The road climbs out of Ancaster, becoming the South Kesteven and North Kesteven boundary all the way to the A17, with South Rauceby to the east. There is a dip in the road known as The Hollow.
At Sudbrook House it becomes the boundary between Ancaster and North Rauceby, where the road is more north-south aligned, north of Ancaster. There is a right turn for North Rauceby. The Viking Way joins from the east, and follows the road, where the boundary is between Normanton to the west, and North Rauceby. The road levels out at around a height of 85 metres, and passes Ermine Street Farm to the right. There is a staggered junction and the B6403 finishes at the T-junction at Byard's Leap with the A17.