(National Route 7 connects Carlisle to Gretna - around 14km north as the crow flies.)
North of Abington the railway chooses a different route (via Carstairs Junction), and then north of Lesmahagow and Blackwood the number of urban settlements increases.
Travel into central Glasgow can be achieved on National Route 75.
One of the interesting features of this route is the re-purposed south-bound lane of the former dual carriageway B7078 (which was the A74) The one remaining incomplete section lies just north of Lesmahagow, comprising two road roundabouts and a flyover over the M74.
It is possible to negotiate the area on foot, or by cycling on the road to join the next stage of the route.