April 11, 2015 -

Great road. I came from Melton out.. Very testing 90degree bends - many with little or no notice. Road surface is poor in places. Narrow in places too so careful on right handers with trucks oncoming. Recommended.

September 26, 2011 -

I think they must have repaired the road surface as rode this the other way all the way from Spalding to Melton. A very nice road and could not see the surface defects mentioned before.

February 25, 2007 -

This is my regular route to work at Melton but as I travel from Bourne I cannot comment on the section from Spalding. The road was quite well surfaced about 4 years ago but is now deteriorating rapidly. There are many sections with grooves in the surface ( probably from motorcycles !) and the whole route can get very dodgy in wet or damp weather due to gravel washing in from the banked sections. It isn't too bad in the dry but the patch-mending that has gone on can make corner entry a bit of a lottery. The worst bit is just on the exit from Colsterworth and the slippiest is the bends through Buckminster. From Bourne you have the worst of the patching but it is generally avoidable and the bends on this section are the most testing,be aware of the entrance to Bourne woods. Past Grimthorpe and the road widens and has several long straightish sections for some decent speed , there are some exceptional bends and swoops just outside Grimthorpe but it is worth keeping an eye out for deer along here , early mornings and late evenings in particular.I have seen speed traps quite often in Corby-Glen as there is a fire-station and a school so cool it through there , beyond Corby-Glen is some of the fastest sections but this also has the deepest grooves in the surface ! Very fast up the hill towards the Colsterworth roundabout on the A1. Another section to be mindful of deer ,however. The roundabout can be a bit of a pain , trucks will often plunge straight over in front of you ( too busy on their mobiles/eating yorkies/using the CB radio)just beyond the next village is the longest straight. Between Buckminster and Coston the road opens out and is just brilliant with nice bends and a great surface , this continues more-or-less all the way to Melton but the surface is markedly poorer in the small villages, particularly Saxby.This is a shame because they all have really testing right-angle bends in them. Oh well. From Coston to Saxby the road is narrower with high hedges and quite poor visibility as a consequence. This also coincides with a lot of quick ups and downs so treat this bit with respect .After Saxby is another highly involved section with good visibility but a lot of side-roads joining just around bends, this is my favourite bit with the complicated series of bends just near Melton providing the grand finale. I have a different route for the weekends to avoid the 'weekend warriors' but I noticed a drop in numbers last year or maybe they're just not catching me anymore. Tuesday nights were also a popular meeting-up night at near Bourne Woods.

January 25, 2005 -

Lots of hair pins and brilliant corners for testing ground clearance ;)

December 24, 2004 -

This section starts off open and quite straight,then becomes twistier on the way into Melton. Some poor visibility due to hedgerows so be aware of hazards.