A7 road

The A7 is a major road linking Edinburgh in Scotland to Carlisle in England. It runs through the Scottish Borders and Cumbria, passing towns like Galashiels, Hawick and Longtown. Near Carlisle it meets the M6 motorway, giving access to the wider English motorway network. The road changes character several times, from single carriageway through rural landscapes to dual carriageway at the northern edge of Carlisle. Alongside it runs the Borders Railway, opened in 2015, which runs parallel for much of its length. The A7 has a history of safety concerns. In the late 1970s it was described as slow and tortuous, and by 2017 it ranked as the 28th most dangerous road in the UK. The A7 Action Group, founded in 1990, continues to campaign for improvements such as a bypass for Selkirk. Parts of the route have been upgraded to allow overtaking, especially south of Langholm. Network Rail and local MPs worked together during construction of the railway to reduce disruption from construction traffic. A drive along the A7 offers changing scenery from the built-up edges of Edinburgh to the rolling hills of the Borders. It passes through small towns such as Newtongrange, Gorebridge and Stow, each with local shops and cafes. The river crossings at Albert Bridge in Hawick and Eden Bridge in Carlisle add interest to the journey. Within Carlisle the road becomes part of the city’s one-way system, passing near the railway station before ending at the A6.