Gretna

Gretna is a Scottish village, just north of the English border and at the head of the Solway Firth. The village is perhaps world famous for being a place to get married, as in the past it was legal to elope from England and be married in Scotland, without the same restrictions as couples would have had south of the border. Whilst this did genuinely happen, the romantic nature of the story has perhaps exaggerated it somewhat. Nevertheless, the village has grown primarily around this story, and is still a popular wedding location, and also enjoys a thriving tourist industry.

The two roads through the village have both now been rerouted to bypass Gretna and Gretna Green. The former A74 has moved east to become the A74(M) motorway, its old route being the B7076. South of the border, the motorway becomes the M6, which runs south through England to Carlisle and beyond. The A75 has also been moved out of the village to the north, and the old route it now the B721. The B721 previously ran a little further north, through Gretna Green and Springfield. To the east of the village, the A6071 used to meet the A74 at Springfield, but it too has been re-routed and now meets the motorway south of Gretna, right on the border.

Despite being a small village, Gretna now effectively has three junctions on the motorway. Approaching from the south, the first is south facing slips connecting to the A6071 immediately south of the border. This is also the start of the B7076, which we shall meet again. The next is south facing slips for the A75, which is therefore under motorway restrictions for the first few hundred metres. Sliproads connect the A75 with the B7076. Finally, there are two north facing slips, albeit separated by a short distance. These also connect to the B7076, the northbound onslip being a short spur.

Routes

Route	To	Notes
M6	The SOUTH, Carlisle	begins just south of the border. formerly A74
A74(M)	Glasgow, Edinburgh	formerly A74
A75	Dumfries, Stranraer
A6071	Longtown	doesn't enter Scotland, though used to
B721	Annan	formerly A75
B7076	(Springfield), Kirkpatrick Fleming	formerly A74
E05	Glasgow, Edinburgh	unsigned, uses A74(M)
E05	The SOUTH, Carlisle	unsigned, uses A74(M)/M6
E18	Dumfries, Stranraer	unsigned, uses A75
E18	The SOUTH, Carlisle	unsigned, uses A74(M)/M6

Links

• Official Website
• Undiscovered Scotland