Road Network

Carlisle is near the M6 motorway and several major roads, and easy to access from Scotland, the Northeast, Lancashire, the Lake District and the west coast of Cumbria.

The M6 motorway has junctions to the south (J42), mid (J43) and north (J44) of Carlisle, and functions as a main north-south link between England and Scotland. Further north, the M6 merges with the M74 near Gretna and continues to Glasgow. Edinburgh can be reached via the scenic A7 through the Scottish Lowlands. Both cities are about 90 minutes drive from Carlisle.

The A69 provides the most direct route to and from the Northeast, with links to Hadrian's Wall all along its length. West Cumbria is served by the A595 and A596, linking Carlisle with the towns of Wigton, Cockermouth, Maryport, Workington, Whitehaven and Barrow-in-Furness.

To the south, the A6 runs parallel to the motorway for much of its length through Cumbria, passing through Penrith and Kendal and along the eastern edge of the Lake District National Park.