A701 road

A701
Route information
Length	71 mi (114 km)
Major junctions
South end	Dumfries 55°04′17″N 3°36′39″W / 55.0714°N 3.6109°W / 55.0714; -3.6109 (A701 road (southern end))
North end	Edinburgh 55°56′21″N 3°10′46″W / 55.9391°N 3.1794°W / 55.9391; -3.1794 (A701 road (northern end))
Location
Country	United Kingdom
Constituent country	Scotland
Primary destinations	A780 A75 – A74(M) A708 A72 A721 A703 A6094 A766 A720 A772 A700 A7
Road network
Roads in the United Kingdom Motorways A and B road zones

The A701 is a major road in Scotland that runs from Dumfries to 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 stretch of the A701, between Penicuik and Edinburgh has a proposed bypass to run alongside it. This 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 woodland which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

References