A68 road
Encyclopedia
The A68 is a major road in the United Kingdom
, running from Darlington
in England
to the A720
in Scotland
.
From Darlington, the road runs north, bypassing Bishop Auckland
, and running through West Auckland
, Toft Hill and Tow Law
, past Consett
and Corbridge
. The road used to run through the centre of Corbridge but now runs on a new single carriageway alignment to the East of the town, crossing the River Tyne
over Styford Bridge
. To bring the road back to the previous route of the A68 it now overlaps the A69
for 2.9 miles (4.7 km), before turning off north again.
The A68 reaches the Scottish border at Carter Bar
, where there is a junction with the A6088, leading to Hawick. The road then runs through the small Border
towns of Jedburgh
, St Boswells, Earlston
and Lauder
before going over Soutra Hill, passing through the village of Pathhead
and by-passing the town of Dalkeith
, before reaching the A720. Prior to September 2008, the A68 passed through the town of Dalkeith before terminating at the Sherriffhall Roundabout on the A720. The bypass has removed large volumes of traffic from the centre of Dalkieth.
The A68 used to run all the way into Edinburgh, but that section within Edinburgh became part of the A7 several years ago.
It is the only major road to cross the England/Scotland border for a long distance either way (the next crossing being the A697 road
near Coldstream
/Cornhill-on-Tweed
in the east, and the A7 near Canonbie
.
Apart from the A69
concurrency
the road is entirely single carriageway apart from a short section before it crosses the A1(M) into Darlington
.
The A68 is part of Euroroute E15
(Inverness
-Algeciras
) between its northern terminus on the A720, and its junction with the A696 just on the English side of the border. The E15 continues northwards and southwards on the A720 and A696 respectively.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, running from Darlington
Darlington
Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, part of the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It lies on the small River Skerne, a tributary of the River Tees, not far from the main river. It is the main population centre in the borough, with a population of 97,838 as of 2001...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
to the A720
Edinburgh City Bypass
The Edinburgh City Bypass, designated as A720, is one of the most important trunk roads in Scotland. Circling around the south of Edinburgh, as the equivalent of a ring road for the coastal city, it links together the A1 towards north-east England, the A702 towards north-west England, the M8...
in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
From Darlington, the road runs north, bypassing Bishop Auckland
Bishop Auckland
Bishop Auckland is a market town and civil parish in County Durham in north east England. It is located about northwest of Darlington and southwest of Durham at the confluence of the River Wear with its tributary the River Gaunless...
, and running through West Auckland
West Auckland
West Auckland is a village in County Durham, in North East England. It is situated to the west of Bishop Auckland, on the A688 road.It is not known exactly when West Auckland was first inhabited, but there is evidence of Auckland West in the history of St. Cuthbert in the 11th century...
, Toft Hill and Tow Law
Tow Law
Tow Law is a town and civil parish in County Durham, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 1,952. It is situated a few miles to the south of Consett. Tow Law Town football team are based in the town. The town constituted an urban district from 1894 until 1974...
, past Consett
Consett
Consett is a town in the northwest of County Durham, England, about southwest of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is home to 27,394 .Consett sits high on the edge of the Pennines. In 1841, it was a village community of only 145, but it was about to become a boom town: below the ground was coking coal and...
and Corbridge
Corbridge
Corbridge is a village in Northumberland, England, situated west of Newcastle and east of Hexham. Villages in the vicinity include Halton, Acomb, Aydon and Sandhoe.-Roman fort and town:...
. The road used to run through the centre of Corbridge but now runs on a new single carriageway alignment to the East of the town, crossing the River Tyne
River Tyne
The River Tyne is a river in North East England in Great Britain. It is formed by the confluence of two rivers: the North Tyne and the South Tyne. These two rivers converge at Warden Rock near Hexham in Northumberland at a place dubbed 'The Meeting of the Waters'.The North Tyne rises on the...
over Styford Bridge
Styford Bridge
Styford Bridge is a modern concrete bridge carrying the A68 road across the River Tyne east of Riding Mill, Northumberland, England and forms part of the A68 bypass of Corbridge.-History:...
. To bring the road back to the previous route of the A68 it now overlaps the A69
A69 road
The A69 is a major road in northern England, running east-west across the Pennines, through the counties of Tyne and Wear, Northumberland and Cumbria. Originally the road started in Blaydon, but since the creation of the A1 Western Bypass around Newcastle upon Tyne, it now starts at Denton Burn a...
for 2.9 miles (4.7 km), before turning off north again.
The A68 reaches the Scottish border at Carter Bar
Carter Bar
The Carter Bar is the point at which the A68 crosses the England-Scotland border and forms a pass located at the top of Redesdale in the Cheviot Hills at an altitude of . The first sizeable Scottish town is Jedburgh approximately north. Other nearby Scottish towns include Hawick away and Kelso...
, where there is a junction with the A6088, leading to Hawick. The road then runs through the small Border
Scottish Borders
The Scottish Borders is one of 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It is bordered by Dumfries and Galloway in the west, South Lanarkshire and West Lothian in the north west, City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian to the north; and the non-metropolitan counties of Northumberland...
towns of Jedburgh
Jedburgh
Jedburgh is a town and former royal burgh in the Scottish Borders and historically in Roxburghshire.-Location:Jedburgh lies on the Jed Water, a tributary of the River Teviot, it is only ten miles from the border with England and is dominated by the substantial ruins of Jedburgh Abbey...
, St Boswells, Earlston
Earlston
Earlston , formerly Ercildoune, is a civil parish and market town in the county of Berwickshire, within the Scottish Borders. It is situated on the River Leader in Lauderdale, Scotland.-Early history:...
and Lauder
Lauder
The Royal Burgh of Lauder is a town in the Scottish Borders 27 miles south east of Edinburgh. It is also a royal burgh in the county of Berwickshire. It lies on the edge of the Lammermuir Hills, on the Southern Upland Way.-Medieval history:...
before going over Soutra Hill, passing through the village of Pathhead
Pathhead
Pathhead is an area of Kirkcaldy, in Fife, Scotland. Formerly an independent village, Pathhead was incorporated into the Royal burgh of Kirkcaldy....
and by-passing the town of Dalkeith
Dalkeith
Dalkeith is a town in Midlothian, Scotland, lying on the River North Esk. It was granted a burgh of barony in 1401 and a burgh of regality in 1540...
, before reaching the A720. Prior to September 2008, the A68 passed through the town of Dalkeith before terminating at the Sherriffhall Roundabout on the A720. The bypass has removed large volumes of traffic from the centre of Dalkieth.
The A68 used to run all the way into Edinburgh, but that section within Edinburgh became part of the A7 several years ago.
It is the only major road to cross the England/Scotland border for a long distance either way (the next crossing being the A697 road
A697 road
The A697 is a road that can be used an alternative to the A1 for those travelling between Scotland and England via the North East.It connects Morpeth on the A1 to the A68 at Oxton, near Edinburgh...
near Coldstream
Coldstream
Coldstream is a small town in the Borders district of Scotland. It lies on the north bank of the River Tweed in Berwickshire, while Northumberland in England lies to the south bank, with Cornhill-on-Tweed the nearest village...
/Cornhill-on-Tweed
Cornhill-on-Tweed
Cornhill-on-Tweed is a village and civil parish in Northumberland, in England about to the east of Coldstream.To the south and west of the village are the hamlets of West Learmouth and East Learmouth.- History :...
in the east, and the A7 near Canonbie
Canonbie
Canonbie is a small village in Dumfries and Galloway in south west Scotland, six miles south of Langholm and two miles north of the Anglo-Scottish border. It is on the A7 road from Carlisle to Edinburgh, and the River Esk flows through it...
.
Apart from the A69
A69 road
The A69 is a major road in northern England, running east-west across the Pennines, through the counties of Tyne and Wear, Northumberland and Cumbria. Originally the road started in Blaydon, but since the creation of the A1 Western Bypass around Newcastle upon Tyne, it now starts at Denton Burn a...
concurrency
Concurrency (road)
A concurrency, overlap, or coincidence in a road network is an instance of one physical road bearing two or more different highway, motorway, or other route numbers...
the road is entirely single carriageway apart from a short section before it crosses the A1(M) into Darlington
Darlington
Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, part of the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It lies on the small River Skerne, a tributary of the River Tees, not far from the main river. It is the main population centre in the borough, with a population of 97,838 as of 2001...
.
The A68 is part of Euroroute E15
European route E15
The European route E 15 is part of the United Nations international E-road network. It is a north-south "reference road", running from Inverness, Scotland south through England and France to Algeciras, Spain...
(Inverness
Inverness
Inverness is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland...
-Algeciras
Algeciras
Algeciras is a port city in the south of Spain, and is the largest city on the Bay of Gibraltar . Port of Algeciras is one of the largest ports in Europe and in the world in three categories: container,...
) between its northern terminus on the A720, and its junction with the A696 just on the English side of the border. The E15 continues northwards and southwards on the A720 and A696 respectively.