M6 Lancaster-Penrith

Published on 23 May 2020
Front cover of a booklet with the title "M6 Motorway Lancaster to Penrith" superimposed over a black and white artist's impression of a motorway curving through a steep-sided valley
Front cover of the M6 Lancaster to Penrith commemorative booklet

Often described as the most scenic, the most dramatic and the most remarkable length of motorway ever built in the UK, the M6 between Lancaster and Penrith is undeniably an amazing length of road.

Built through the beautiful but bleak fells that lie between the Lake District and the Forest of Bowland, the 35 miles of motorway built in this one project are like no other. It's not just a feat of engineering, but also a fine example of infrastructure design, fitting a major highway into its environment in a thoughtful way. In 1971 the Civic Trust presented the road - and its designers - with an award for actually enhancing the landscape.

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Picture credits

"M6 Motorway: Lancaster Bypass to Penrith Bypass" (1970) was subject to Crown Copyright, now expired. Scans appear here courtesy of Mike Ashworth (@mikeashworth12).

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