The A701 leaves Dumfries and travels north to meet the A74(M) east of Beattock.

It then passes beneath the A74(M) before continuing to the north-east towards Moffat and ultimately Edinburgh.

The A701 is popular with motorcyclists and passes close to the edge of the Devil's Beef Tub.

[citation needed] A relief road for a stretch of the A701 running between Penicuik and Edinburgh has a been proposed and is being phased.

[2][3] The decision has been contested for many years, as the bypass will form a bottle neck back into the current road, and also will cut through an important wildlife corridor, a woodland which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest.