Primary destinations are locations that appear on route confirmation signs in the United Kingdom. Most are important settlements or conurbations, but some are bridges and tunnels, or even villages that are important junctions, e.g.

Scotch Corner Scotch Corner is a junction of the A1(M) and A66 trunk roads near Richmond in North Yorkshire, England. It has been described as "the modern gateway to Cumbria, the North East and Scotland", and is a primary destination signed from as far a ...

Crianlarich Crianlarich (; gd, A' Chrìon Làraich) is a village in Stirling council area and in the registration county of Perthshire, Scotland, around north-east of the head of Loch Lomond. The village bills itself as "the gateway to the Highlands". E ...

. In 1994, previous lists for destinations in Great Britain were superseded when English, Scottish and Welsh destinations were prescribed in Appendix C of ''Local Transport Note 1/94: The Design and Use of Directional Informatory Signs'' (LTN 1/94), published by the then

Department of Transport The Department for Transport (DfT) is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland that have not been devolved. The d ...

. A revised list for England was published in 2009 and updated in 2010. The 1994 list had 333 entries for England. When the 2010 list was compiled, 15 entries were removedEntries that were removed: Alton, Avonmouth, Bawtry, Brighouse, Esher, Hatfield, March, Midhurst, Redhill, Stretford, Stroud, Swanley, Wells, Wimbourne and Workington and 16 added,Entries that were added: Altrincham, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Garston, Heysham, Huyton, Keighley, Leigh, Manchester Airport, Newquay, Shepton Mallet, Speke, Trafford Park, Tunbridge Wells, Uckfield, Wellingborough giving a total of 334 entries. In December 2011, following a consultation, the Department for Transport announced that it would add Birmingham Airport, East Midlands Airport, Luton Airport, Thamesport (for Medway Ports East) and Port of Tilbury; and, in response to local feedback, that it would also add Colne and Minehead and ratify the removal of

Stone In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...

. The list for Northern Ireland destinations has always been maintained separately from those for Great Britain. Since devolution under the

Scotland Act 1998 The Scotland Act 1998 (c. 46) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which legislated for the establishment of the devolved Scottish Parliament with tax varying powers and the Scottish Government (then Scottish Executive). It was o ...

and the

Government of Wales Act 1998 The Government of Wales Act 1998 (c. 38) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was passed in 1998 by the Labour government to create a Welsh Assembly, therefore granting Wales a degree of self-government. This legislative ...

, transport matters and hence responsibility for maintaining lists of primary destinations have been devolved to the Scottish Parliament and the Senedd (Welsh Parliament) and their respective governments. Some maps show primary destinations in a different colour or font size to other places. (} However, these sometimes include places which are not on the official lists.

Signage

Primary destinations in Greater London, other than Heathrow Airport and

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, will generally only be signed within the M25 motorway. Road signs at the B6309, A696 junction - geograph

Take your choice for the west country - geograph

List of primary destinations

Great Britain

The entries for England in this list were compiled from the 2010 list and 2011 amendments, while those for Scotland and Wales were compiled from the 1994 list.The choice of ceremonial rather than administrative county was prompted by the lack of consistency in the English local government system as some areas are covered by county and district councils, while others have a unitary authority.

Northern Ireland

Vandalised road-sign Londonderry P3010060

Primary destinations in Northern Ireland are published separately from those in Great Britain. The current list is: * Antrim * Armagh * Ballymena * Bangor *

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...

Belfast Airport Belfast Airport may refer to: * Belfast International Airport, serving Belfast, Northern Ireland, an international leisure airport * George Best Belfast City Airport George Best Belfast City Airport is a single-runway airport in Belfast, N ...

Carrickfergus Carrickfergus ( , meaning " Fergus' rock") is a large town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It sits on the north shore of Belfast Lough, from Belfast. The town had a population of 27,998 at the 2011 Census. It is County Antrim's oldest ...

* Coleraine * Cookstown * Craigavon * Derry *

Downpatrick Downpatrick () is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is on the Lecale peninsula, about south of Belfast. In the Middle Ages, it was the capital of the Dál Fiatach, the main ruling dynasty of Ulaid. Its cathedral is said to be the b ...

* Dungannon *

Enniskillen Enniskillen ( , from ga, Inis Ceithleann , ' Ceithlenn's island') is the largest town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is in the middle of the county, between the Upper and Lower sections of Lough Erne. It had a population of 13,823 a ...

Larne Larne (, , the name of a Gaelic territory) is a town on the east coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland, with a population of 18,755 at the 2011 Census. It is a major passenger and freight roll-on roll-off port. Larne is administered by Mid ...

* Lisburn *

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...

Newry Newry (; ) is a City status in Ireland, city in Northern Ireland, divided by the Newry River, Clanrye river in counties County Armagh, Armagh and County Down, Down, from Belfast and from Dublin. It had a population of 26,967 in 2011. Newry ...

* Newtownards *

Omagh Omagh (; from ga, An Ómaigh , meaning 'the virgin plain') is the county town of County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is situated where the rivers Drumragh and Camowen meet to form the Strule. Northern Ireland's capital city Belfast is 68 m ...

* Strabane *

Warrenpoint Warrenpoint ( ga, An Pointe) is a small port town and civil parish in County Down, Northern Ireland. It sits at the head of Carlingford Lough, south of Newry, and is separated from the Republic of Ireland by a narrow strait. The town is beside ...

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Primary Destinations Lists of roads in the United Kingdom United Kingdom transport-related lists