A701 road

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.^[1] It runs also parallel with the former Talla Railway for several miles.^{[citation needed]}

A relief road for a stretch of the A701 running between Penicuik and Edinburgh has a been proposed and is being phased.^[2][3] 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 woodland which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest.^{[citation needed]}