A71 road
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The A71 is a major road in Scotland linking Edinburgh with Lanarkshire and Ayrshire.
It runs south west from Edinburgh for approximately 70 miles, through Saughton, Wilkieston and south of Livingston, Whitburn and Wishaw, then by way of the Garrion Bridge, Stonehouse, Strathaven, Darvel, Galston, Hurlford and Kilmarnock to Irvine on the North Ayrshire coast.
Formerly a trunk route from the east to the west coast of Scotland it has since been downgraded to a mix of primary and secondary routes. From Edinburgh to Darvel, it is now a secondary route, a fact which is obvious from its poor state of repair in some places such as its section to the south of Wishaw, and the poor road conditions through the village of Ashgill. From Darvel to Irvine, it has retained its primary route status.
Contents |
[edit] Route
[edit] Edinburgh - Newmains
It almost parallels the M8 between the A720, Edinburgh City Bypass and its junction with the A73 at Newmains. As it leaves the congested City of Edinburgh, it passes into leafy countryside, with the newest section of the M8 visible to its north. Passing through the picturesque village of Wilkieston and onto the Mid Calder bypass, which leads it into the new town of Livingston. It follows a very straight and obviously re-aligned course through livingston, with several grade separated junctions, unusual for a single carriageway road. As it leaves the modern surroundings of Livingston it passes into more the more traquil areas of Polbeth and West Calder. It then passes into an almost barren wilderness, as it then passes through the remote forests of West Lothian, skirting to the south of towns such as Whitburn and Fauldhouse before entering North Lanarkshire and a remote and almost pointless dual carriageway, taking it into the village of Allanton and onto the Bonkle bypass and into Newmains.
[edit] Newmains to Darvel
From here it turns sharply south west, bypassing Wishaw to its north and descending steeply into the Clyde Valley, over the recently re-built Garrion Bridge at its junction with the A72, which up until recently had been one of the worst traffic bottlenecks in Lanarkshire. As it climbs the western side of the Clyde Valley on a newly built road, which it shares for a short section with the A72, it commands a view over most of the valley, stretching as far as Coatbridge and the Campsie Hills. When it finally peaks at the top of the valley, it meets the M74 at Jct 8 (a junction known locally as Canderside Toll), before turning towards the village of Stonehouse and its newly built bypass, taking traffic to the north of the quiet and narrow village roads, before descending yet again into the Avon valley and into the conservation village of Strathaven. This village has a few traffic problems of its own, at a meeting of the A71, A723 and A726, it provides a link to East Kilbride and Paisley, as well as to Lanark, Hamilton and Motherwell. But to get to any of these places, you need to negotiate a maze of narrow streets. This is the last centre of population before Darvel (almost 15 miles west).
[edit] Darvel to Irvine
The A71 then becomes a narrow and winding road with some treacherous bends across moorland, as it ascends to the head of the Avon valley. At the highest point is Loudoun Hill, an ancient site of human occupation, and the road here follows the route of a minor Roman road which once linked the Clyde Valley and the coast. The road descends into the Irvine Valley, passing the weaving towns of Darvel, Newmilns, Galston and Hurlford. At Darvel, it becomes a Primary Route for the rest of its length to Irvine, and widens slightly, with a straighter alignment until its junction with the A77, south of Kilmarnock. It remains as a dual-carriageway until its terminus in Irvine town centre.
[edit] External link
 |
A roads in Zone 7 of the Great Britain road numbering system |
|
|---|---|---|
| A7 | A71 • A72 • A73 • A74 • A75 • A76 • A77 | |
| A702 • A720 | ||
| List of A roads in Zone 7 | ||
