B6276

Hargill Bridge

The B6276 crosses the Lune Forest in the North Pennines.

The road starts in the tiny primary destination of Brough, on the edge of the Eden Valley, as the northern continuation of the A685 at the point that road peters out at its GSJ with the A66. Our road heads north to a T-junction, where it TOTSOs right, thus taking over some of the pre-bypass route of both these roads. After leaving Brough the road TOTSOs left at its original southern end, with the original line of the A66 continuing ahead, even though almost all traffic will remain on the B-road and so have to turn.

The road now heads vaguely northwards and soon begins to climb into the hills. Although the terrain does seem hostile there are a few scattered farmsteads dotted around near the road. The road skirts the edge of Warcop Firing Range and flagpoles on the left warn walkers to avoid the area.

Eventually the summit is reached and the road continues across the top of the moor for a short distance. It then starts to descend, steeply at one point, to cross the two streams that combine to form the River Lune that the Lune Forest is named after. As with many rivers in the UK, the same name is used for more than one river; this River Lune is a tributary of the River Tees and not the same one that parallels the M6 before flowing through Lancaster.

The B6276 continues downstream, contouring half way up the valley side with two reservoirs below to the right. Between the two reservoirs is the first road junction (with a minor road to nowhere in particular) for some distance. The road then goes through the scattered settlement of Thringarth before reaching Laithkirk. There is a road junction here where the B6276 originally ended on the B6277. However, that road now follows a flatter route so the B6276 continues ahead round the next corner to end at a T-junction on the current route of the B6277; owing to the sharp angle of this junction traffic wanting to turn right should have gone the other way in Laithkirk.