The B6261 is a rural B-road in central Westmorland, famous for being in part a primary B-road and also for including a stretch which runs between the two carriageways of a motorway.
The route starts to the south of Shap, at an eastbound turn off the A6. Road signs and mapping here both suggest that the B6261 from here to J39 of the M6 is actually a primary B-road: the A6 has come from Kendal as a primary route and now passes this status on to the B6261, leaving the A6 north through Shap as non-primary.
As befits its primary status the B6261 is straight and reasonably wide. It crosses the West Coast Main Line almost immediately before going over Hardendale Fell. Presently the road reaches the M6 at the Shap Interchange. The non-motorway road east of this junction is unclassified.
The mainline of the B6261 turns right halfway along this A6–M6 link road, becoming non-primary as expected. It crosses a cattle grid almost immediately and heads south across the moors. It soon reaches the M6 and goes under the northbound carriageway before running between the two carriageways for a short distance (in fairness the two carriageways of the motorway are some distance apart at this point). The road soon goes under the southbound carriageway but not before an unclassified road has turned off, which continues down the middle of the motorway for some distance.
The B6261 continues southeastwards. It descends off the fell and crosses a cattle grid before going over the fields into the village of Orton. The road splits by the post office with both forks heading to the B6260; the right fork is the mainline. There is then a short multiplex south along the B6260 before the B6261 turns left to regain its number and leave the village.
The road heads east for a short distance before having to TOTSO right. After crossing the River Lune it bends to the left and ends shortly afterwards at a T-junction on the A685.