The A361 is an A class road in southern England, which at is the longest three-digit A road in the UK.
History
When first designated in 1922, the A361 ran from Taunton (Somerset) to Banbury (Oxfordshire). It was later extended west through
Bampton to
South Molton
South Molton is a town in Devon, England. It is part of the North Devon local government district. The town is on the River Mole. According to the 2001 census the civil parish of South Molton had a population of 4,093, increasing to 5,108 at the ...
(Devon), on the route of the former A398, and from South Molton to Barnstaple and Ilfracombe, previously part of the route of the
A373. In 1988, when the North Devon Link Road was opened, the A361 was switched to its present route. The old route from Taunton through Bampton to South Molton was downgraded to become the B3227. In the 1970s the route was extended north from Banbury to Daventry (Northamptonshire), providing a link to the
M1 motorway
The M1 motorway connects London to Leeds, where it joins the A1(M) near Aberford, to connect to Newcastle. It was the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the UK; the first motorway in the country was the Preston By-pass, which lat ...
near
Crick
Crick may refer to:
Places
* Crick, Monmouthshire, Wales
* Crick, Northamptonshire, England
* Crick Road, Oxford, England
People with the name
* Crick (surname)
Other uses
* Crick, the cricket from ''Beat Bugs''
* Francis Crick Institute
...
.
Route
Devon
The road starts in Ilfracombe as part of the town's High Street, and is mostly single carriageway. The road passes through the villages of Knowle and Braunton, before becoming
dual carriageway
A dual carriageway ( BE) or divided highway ( AE) is a class of highway with carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation (BrE) or median (AmE). Roads with two or more carriageways which are ...
standard at Ashford, which continues for the short distance to Barnstaple. From there it passes the town's railway station then merges with the
A39 for a short while before splitting back off near Portmore Golf Park. The section from Barnstaple to the M5 near Tiverton has been designated the North Devon Link Road, and enables relatively fast access to the
Atlantic Highway, relieving pressure on the northern section of the A39 and A358. This section is a modern, wide single carriageway
trunk road (which was de-trunked in 2002), apart from the stretch between Tiverton and the M5, which is dual carriageway.
Tiverton Parkway railway station
Tiverton Parkway railway station is on the Bristol to Exeter line in Devon, England. The "Parkway" name signifies that the station is a distance from Tiverton town itself: it is actually located in the civil parish of Burlescombe, near Sampfo ...
is situated close to the junction with the motorway in order to give easy rail connections for people driving from north Devon. Some sections of road are on the alignment of the
Devon and Somerset Railway
The Devon and Somerset Railway (D&SR) was a cross-country line that connected Barnstaple in Devon, England, to the network of the Bristol and Exeter Railway (B&ER) near Taunton. It was opened in stages between 1871 and 1873 and closed in 1966. ...
, including the Castle Hill Viaduct over the River Bray, where the stone pillars formerly used to support a lattice girder railway bridge now support the road.
Somerset and south Wiltshire
The road merges with the
A38 from Junction 27 of the
M5 until
Taunton
Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England, with a 2011 population of 69,570. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century monastic foundation, Taunton Castle, which later became a priory. The Normans built a castle owned by the ...
. The rest of the road, from there to Swindon, is largely county-road class. It crosses the
Somerset Levels
The Somerset Levels are a coastal plain and wetland area of Somerset, England, running south from the Mendip Hills, Mendips to the Blackdown Hills.
The Somerset Levels have an area of about and are bisected by the Polden Hills; the areas to ...
separating
Curry Moor from North Moor and Salt Moor, where in flood conditions such as the winter of 2012/2013 the Athelney spillway runs across the road if the drain level at Curry Moor pumping station exceeds 7.1m, making the road impassable. Next, it passes by the towns of Street and Glastonbury and briefly merges with the
A39 again. From there it continues northeast near
Cranmore (the home of the
East Somerset Railway
The East Somerset Railway is a heritage railway in Somerset, running between Cranmore and Mendip Vale. Prior to the Beeching Axe, the railway was once part of the former Cheddar Valley line that ran from Witham to Yatton, meeting the Some ...
) and originally passed through
Frome
Frome ( ) is a town and civil parish in eastern Somerset, England. The town is built on uneven high ground at the eastern end of the Mendip Hills, and centres on the River Frome. The town, about south of Bath, is the largest in the Mendip d ...
, which it now bypasses to the east. It briefly merges with the A36 then passes through villages at Rode and into Wiltshire at Southwick. Here it is signposted alternatively via
Trowbridge
Trowbridge ( ) is the county town of Wiltshire, England, on the River Biss in the west of the county. It is near the border with Somerset and lies southeast of Bath, 31 miles (49 km) southwest of Swindon and 20 miles (32 km) southe ...
or through North Bradley and Yarnbrook (which could have been reached if the Frome bypass had continued to follow the railway) to merge with the A350 before diverging towards
Devizes
Devizes is a market town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. It developed around Devizes Castle, an 11th-century Norman architecture, Norman castle, and received a charter in 1141. The castle was besieged during the Anarchy, a 12th-century ...
.
A4361
From its junction with the
A4 at Beckhampton, northwards through
Avebury
Avebury () is a Neolithic henge monument containing three stone circles, around the village of Avebury in Wiltshire, in southwest England. One of the best known prehistoric sites in Britain, it contains the largest megalithic stone circle in t ...
, the A361 has been renumbered the A4361 as it heads for
Swindon
Swindon () is a town and unitary authority with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Wiltshire, England. As of the 2021 Census, the population of Swindon was 201,669, making it the largest town in the county. The Swindon un ...
town centre via
Wroughton
Wroughton is a large village and civil parish in northeast Wiltshire, England. It is part of the Borough of Swindon and lies along the A4361 between Swindon and Avebury; the road into Swindon crosses the M4 motorway between junctions 15 an ...
. It emerges near
Stratton St Margaret
Stratton St Margaret is a civil parish in the Borough of Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The parish covers north-eastern suburbs of Swindon including Stratton St Margaret itself along with Upper Stratton, Lower Stratton and Kingsdown. Since May 20 ...
, becoming the A361 again at the junction with the
A419
The A419 road is a primary route between Chiseldon near Swindon at junction 15 of the M4 with the A346 road, and Whitminster in Gloucestershire, England near the M5 motorway. The A419 is managed and maintained by a private company, Road Manag ...
which passes northeast of Swindon.
North Wiltshire and Gloucestershire
This road links
Highworth
Highworth is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Swindon, England, about northeast of Swindon town centre. The 2011 Census recorded a population of 8,151. The town is notable for its Queen Anne and Georgian buildings, dating ...
to
Lechlade
Lechlade () is a town at the southern edge of the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire, England, south of Birmingham and west of London. It is the highest point at which the River Thames is navigable, although there is a right of navigation that contin ...
and has no pavement for the entire length apart from a small section in
Inglesham
Inglesham is a small village and civil parish in the Borough of Swindon, Wiltshire, England, notable for the Grade-I listed St John the Baptist Church. The village is just off the A361 road about south-west of Lechlade in Gloucestershire. Mos ...
. It carries traffic at high speeds.
The
Thames Path
The Thames Path is a National Trail following the River Thames from its source near Kemble, Gloucestershire, Kemble in Gloucestershire to the Woolwich foot tunnel, south east London. It is about long. A path was first proposed in 1948 but it onl ...
National Trail follows the verge for a little over one mile between Upper Inglesham and
Inglesham
Inglesham is a small village and civil parish in the Borough of Swindon, Wiltshire, England, notable for the Grade-I listed St John the Baptist Church. The village is just off the A361 road about south-west of Lechlade in Gloucestershire. Mos ...
. On entering Lechlade, the road crosses the Grade II listed
Halfpenny Bridge
Halfpenny Bridge is a bridge across the River Thames, at Lechlade, Gloucestershire, England. The bridge and its toll house are a Grade II listed building.
It marks the start of the navigable Thames, although if the waters are high, the Thames c ...
,
which marks the navigable limit of the
River Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...
for powered craft. Lines painted onto the panels on the bridge parapets indicate the border between the ceremonial counties of Wiltshire (to the south) and Gloucestershire (to the north).
Oxfordshire
The road crosses into Oxfordshire a few miles north of Lechlade and heads towards Burford and
Chipping Norton
Chipping Norton is a market town and civil parish in the Cotswold Hills in the West Oxfordshire district of Oxfordshire, England, about south-west of Banbury and north-west of Oxford. The 2011 Census recorded the civil parish population as ...
passing many Oxfordshire villages on its way. It is also the boundary for the
Cotswolds AONB at Lechlade. It then enters
Banbury
Banbury is a historic market town on the River Cherwell in Oxfordshire, South East England. It had a population of 54,335 at the 2021 Census.
Banbury is a significant commercial and retail centre for the surrounding area of north Oxfordshire ...
from the southwest as an arterial road passing the Banbury Cross, and heading north, the A361
multiplexes on the Southam Road roundabout of the
A422
The A422 is an "A" road for east–west journeys in south central England, connecting the county towns of Bedford and Worcester by way of Milton Keynes, Buckingham, Banbury and Stratford-upon-Avon. For most of its length, it is a narrow sin ...
. For about two miles the route is signed as
A422
The A422 is an "A" road for east–west journeys in south central England, connecting the county towns of Bedford and Worcester by way of Milton Keynes, Buckingham, Banbury and Stratford-upon-Avon. For most of its length, it is a narrow sin ...
, the dual carriageway Hennef Way until Junction 11 of the
M40.
Northamptonshire
From there it heads northeast through the villages of
Wardington
Wardington is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire, about northeast of Banbury. The village consists of two parts: Wardington and Upper Wardington. The village is on a stream that rises in Upper Wardington and flows north to join the River ...
,
Chipping Warden
Chipping Warden is a village in Northamptonshire, England about northeast of the Oxfordshire town of Banbury. The parish is bounded to the east and south by the River Cherwell, to the west by the boundary with Oxfordshire and to the north by f ...
,
Byfield,
Charwelton
Charwelton is a village and civil parish about south of Daventry in Northamptonshire, England. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population (including Fawsley) as 220.
The villages name means 'River Cherwell farm/settlement'.
The present ...
, and
Badby
Badby is a village and a rural parish of about in West Northamptonshire, England.- OS Explorer Map 207: Newport Pagnell & Northampton South (1:25 000)
Location
Badby is about 2 miles (3 km) south of Daventry, on the A361 Daventry to Ban ...
. A
relief road
A bypass is a road or highway that avoids or "bypasses" a built-up area, town, or village, to let through traffic flow without interference from local traffic, to reduce congestion in the built-up area, and to improve road safety. A bypass spec ...
for Chipping Warden was constructed in 2021, in conjunction with neighbouring works for
HS2
High Speed 2 (HS2) is a planned high-speed railway line in England, the first phase of which is under construction in stages and due for completion between 2029 and 2033, depending on approval for later stages. The new line will run from its m ...
. Sections of land were purchased in the 1970s after the road was upgraded from the
B4038 to the A361 to straighten out some of the sharper corners but the vast majority of these works were never done. The road then multiplexes once more, this time with the
A45 just outside
Daventry
Daventry ( , historically ) is a market town and civil parish in the West Northamptonshire unitary authority in Northamptonshire, England, close to the border with Warwickshire. At the 2021 Census Daventry had a population of 28,123, making ...
. Once the A45 leaves Daventry for
Coventry
Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...
, the remaining section of single carriageway ring road is signed as A361, before it once again turns north to
Kilsby
Kilsby is a village and civil parish in West Northamptonshire, England. It is situated a short distance south of the border with Warwickshire approximately five miles southeast of Rugby. The parish of Kilsby, which includes Barby Nortoft, was est ...
to terminate on the
A5 at its northern end.
Points of interest
References
External links
From Watford Gap to Camelot– a travelog following a section of the A361
{{DEFAULTSORT:3-0361
Roads in England
Roads in Devon
Transport in Northamptonshire
Roads in Oxfordshire
Roads in Somerset
Roads in Warwickshire
Roads in Wiltshire