The A701 is a major road in
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
that runs from
Dumfries
Dumfries ( ; ; from ) is a market town and former royal burgh in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, near the mouth of the River Nith on the Solway Firth, from the Anglo-Scottish border. Dumfries is the county town of the Counties of Scotland, ...
to
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
.
Route
The A701 leaves Dumfries and travels north to meet the
A74(M) east of
Beattock. It then passes beneath the A74(M) before continuing to the north-east towards
Moffat and ultimately Edinburgh.
The road can be an alternative to the
A7 or
A702 routes to Edinburgh from the
A74(M) and
M6. It is signposted as a scenic route to Edinburgh from the motorway. The A701 is popular with motorcyclists and passes close to the edge of the
Devil's Beef Tub. It runs also parallel with the former
Talla Railway for several miles.
A relief road for a stretch of the A701 running between
Penicuik and Edinburgh has a been proposed and is being phased.
The decision has been contested for many years, as the bypass will form a bottle neck back into the current road, and also will cut through an important
wildlife corridor
A wildlife corridor, also known as a habitat corridor, or green corridor, is a designated area habitat (ecology), that connects wildlife populations that have been separated by human activities or structures, such as development, roads, or land ...
, a woodland which is a
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain, or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland, is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle ...
.
References
External links
*
Roads in Scotland
Transport in Edinburgh
Transport in Dumfries and Galloway
Transport in Midlothian
Dumfries
Moffat
Penicuik
Transport in the Scottish Borders
Loanhead
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