B7068

The B7068 is a long B-road heading east from Lockerbie in south Dumfriesshire, following the original eastern part of the A709.

Route

Lockerbie - Paddockhole

Lockerbie

The route starts at A74(M) J17 and heads east to cross the B7076 at a roundabout; at one time this was a GSJ with the dual-carriageway A74 but the construction of the motorway saw the old junction removed, with only part of the southbound sliproad surviving as the entrance to a farm. The B7068 curves right as it leaves the roundabout onto Glasgow Road and then the three routes of the A74 (the present motorway; the old bypass, now the B7076; and the original road, now the B7068) head south along a similar line. The B7068 passes through an industrial area to reach a roundabout at the entrance to the new school campus as it enters the town. The B723 then comes in from the left at a mini roundabout in front of the old school and there's a multiplex south along Townhead Street. It's not obvious which route is dominant, although maps suggest that it is the B723.

Townhead Street winds its way into the town centre between rows of old red sandstone buildings, interspersed with newer infill. After passing between two churches, the street narrows before widening again as it reaches the town centre. There is a square here, shaped like an egg-timer and the multiplex ends with the B7068 forking left at a triangular junction around the war memorial in front of the town hall. The next turn left leads to the station, on the West Coast Main Line, whilst the B7068 curves along Bridge Street to go over the railway. Bridge Street then becomes very wide, with parking bays on both sides (perpendicular on the left) as it climbs up to a T junction. Here the route bears sharply right onto the much narrower Hillfoot Place to avoid the steeper slopes of Lockerbie Hill. A winding climb curves around the southern side of the hill, leaving the town behind. It then heads eastwards, passing through an area of woodland, with fields in between, before bearing right and dropping down to cross the Water of Milk at Scroggs Bridge.

For the next few miles the route loosely follows the Water of Milk upstream, although a steep climbs away from the bridge means that the river is rarely in sight. The climbs is twisty, with a couple of short sharp sections before it reaches the plateau area above the valley. As it levels out, the route becomes straighter, heading east across the undulating terrain. The isolated Tundergarth Church sits near a summit of around 145m, with the route dipping a little as it crosses a small tributary. It is soon climbing again, with the river valley to the left, to reach the tiny village of Bankshill, which sits near the summit of a low hill. Beyond the village, the terrain becomes hillier, with the route dropping down to cross another tributary, Gavins Burn, before climbing upstream with it to reach another summit of 188m on the shoulder of Whitstone Hill. There are some stunning views across the surrounding landscape from this viewpoint.

As the route begins to descend, the shape of the valley below becomes clearer, although the river itself is hidden. Midway down the gentle descent, a tight meander in the river can be seen cutting into the hillside on the far side of the valley. A little further along, the road has to make a tight double bend as the meandering river is cutting into the hillside below the road in a similar manner. The route then drops down onto the fields on the valley floor, and soon comes alongside the Water of Milk once more. A wooded stretch leads to Paddockhole, where a minor road crosses the river and the B7068 turns right, into a tributary valley.

Paddockhole - Langholm

Now heading southeast, a slight climb is all that is needed to carry the route over the watershed, below a quarry on the side of a wooded hill. The valley is fairly wide - but the sides become steeper beyond the watershed as the route begins to drop down above the infant Kirk Burn. The route then forks left then left again either side of Dunnabie Farm as it climbs a little then contours round the southern side of Crowdieknowe Hill. It is only a slight descent into the valley of the Kirtle Water, where the B722 comes in from the right just before the bridge over the burn. A much steeper climb lifts the route out of the valley and into a large forestry plantation which covers large areas of the hillside either side of the road. Many of the trees have been felled and replanted in recent years, which has opened up some views as the route crosses an overall summit of 223m. The trees are growing fast, however.

From the summit the route drops down, past a lonely house, into the valley of the Bigholms Burn. A number of small tributaries are crossed as the route winds downhill, through a smaller block of forestry and a handful of small fields. The route winds down into the narrow valley floor and follows a series of short straights between twistier sections as it follows it downstream and into the valley of the Wauchope Water. As the small burn develops into a larger river, the meanders and valley floor become wider and the road can often take a straighter line. A steep bracken covered slope rises up to the right, and forestry sits on the far bank of the river, with odd trees self-planted closer to the road. This winding valley is followed north eastwards for a couple of miles, before the road crosses the river. It then has to divert a little to go round a tight meander to enter Langholm. It soon straightens up onto the wide Caroline Street, lined with a variety of stone houses. It then bears left into the very similar Henry Street and ends at a T-junction on the B709 at the far end. The town centre and the A7 are to the right, on the far side of the River Esk.

History

The B7068 appears to have come into existence in 1968 when the eastern end of the A709 was downgraded to become a B road. At the same time, the former A74 route through Lockerbie's town centre was also downgraded, and largely renumbered as the B723, as the two routes had previously shared a multiplex into the town centre from the south. The B7068 number was therefore applied to the shorter northern part of the bypassed A74, meeting the bypass, now the B7076, at a GSJ where the roundabout now sits. The section of the B7068 to the west of this roundabout was only built as part of the motorway construction in the 1990s.