This road is an important arterial route linking the south west of Scotland and the ferry terminals of Stranraer and Cairnryan1 to the English motorway system. Most of this road is single carriageway and has numerous peak periods every day2. However, it has a very smooth link on to the northernmost point of the M6 motorway and in recent years bypasses have been built around most of the small towns it used to pass through, thus speeding up journey time.
If you are travelling in Europe and are in any way suffer motion sickness or have been discovering Hadrian's Wall and fancy a trip to Ireland, using this road will be indispensable as it provides access to the shortest crossing between the two main British isles. In good weather, the crossing time once you get to Stranraer is only 1 1/2 hours compared to the minimum of four hours further south, and you do pass through some lovely countryside on your way. However, you will miss some of the best of it since the route now goes as straight as possible, in the best Roman tradition, to the ferry terminals. It may be worth going into the odd wee village en route if you have the time and inclination.
Tips for Hitchhikers
This road is actually quite a good stretch for hitchhikers because although it is in the middle of nowhere in the normal sense, it has a high level of through traffic. Most of the bypassed towns have a slip road entrance/exit; it's best to use these as thumbing locations as cars are more likely to stop. If coming by ferry from Northern Ireland, go to the cab drivers area try and hitch your lift while on the ferry. If you have travelled by Seacat, go to the end of the conventional ferry's entrance and thumb there.
1 And thus Northern Ireland.
2 Depending on sailing times at the ferry terminals.
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