B6263
B6263 | ||||
Location Map ( geo) | ||||
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From: | Carleton (NY437518) | |||
To: | Warwick Bridge (NY467566) | |||
Distance: | 4.1 miles (6.6 km) | |||
Meets: | A6, M6, A69 | |||
Highway Authorities | ||||
Traditional Counties | ||||
Route outline (key) | ||||
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Route
The B6263 is a short B-road to the east of Carlisle.
The road starts at the Golden Fleece roundabout (M6 J42) and heads east. Our road has its own entrance to the Golden Fleece service area on the right immediately after leaving the roundabout.
The road heads in a north-easterly direction towards the village of Cumwhinton. Initially the road is of a good standard for a B-road being a reasonably wide S2 with centre markings. Cumwhinton is reached in just under a mile from the Golden Fleece and upon leaving the village the road passes over the Settle to Carlisle railway opened in August 1875. The site of Cumwhinton station (closed in 1970) is visible to the left - its platforms and station building still exist. Going towards Wetheral there are several right-angled bends in the road before the road enters the village.
The road then passes the Wheatsheaf Inn and bears right before descending into the main village. Bearing left, the village green opens out to the right of the road. As the road leaves the village there is a double bend before the road passes over the Carlisle to Newcastle railway which was one of the very earliest railways to be built, opening in June 1838. The road then descends steeply on a well aligned and wide stretch, dropping over 100ft to become almost level with the River Eden, which is now very close on the right. Here the quality of the road deteriorates and drivers are warned of an uneven surface. Although the road runs on a relatively straight course close to the River Eden for about a mile or so, for the most part the view of the river is concealed by trees to the right of the road. The road then turns away from the river slightly and becomes more winding for a few hundred yards before coming back towards the river again and ending at a rather dangerous T-junction on the busy A69 on the west side of Warwick Bridge.
History
Before the M6 was built, the Golden Fleece junction was a crossroads on the A6. The B6263 would have approached the A6 on a straight course which travelled over the site now occupied by the Golden Fleece service area. Sometime in the 1930s, the road joining the other side of the A6 was diverted northwards slightly meaning that the junction became a staggered junction rather than a crossroads.
In 1970 the M6 was built and the B6263 now bears right to travel around the service area as it approaches the roundabout. Previously it joined the A6 just south of where the roundabout now stands.