 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 A606 Melton Road nearUpper Broughton | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Length | 38.4 mi (61.8 km) | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| East end | Stamford,Lincolnshire | |||
| Major intersections |  A6121 A1 A6003 A607 A6006 A46 A52 A60 | |||
| To | Nottingham | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United Kingdom | |||
| Constituent country | England | |||
| Road network | ||||
| ||||
Download coordinates as:
TheA606 is anA road inEngland that starts inWest Bridgford, on the outskirts ofNottingham, and heads southeastwards throughLeicestershire and the towns ofMelton Mowbray andOakham, terminating atStamford, Lincolnshire on the formerGreat North Road.
The route in earlier times was a far more important route than it is today. It was the main road from Nottingham to London. The turnpike went from Nottingham via Melton and Oakham toKettering (to join today'sA6), and then on to London, run by the Nottingham, Melton and Kettering Turnpike Trust from 1758. The turnpike trusts were abolished in 1880, the year that the railway line to Melton opened. The trains would run until 1968.
The road begins a few hundred yards south of Nottinghamshire County Hall[1] (built in 1937), inWest Bridgford in the district ofRushcliffe, at the traffic lights junction of theA60 (for Loughborough) and the B679 (forWilford). The section to Melton follows the former railway from Nottingham to Melton, now theOld Dalby Test Track, and to theA46 junction is only a few hundred metres apart. The line then continued from Melton to Oakham, then on to Corby and Kettering, and was the fastest route toNottingham by train fromSt Pancras. It followed the exact line of the formerturnpike.
It begins asMelton Road, and passes two churches then crosses the former railway line to Melton, and theBPMelton Road Filling Station. There is traffic lights at a crossroad forValley Road, to the left, andBoundary Road, to the right (for Rushcliffe Leisure Centre andRushcliffe School). InEdwalton, the road then crosses[2] the former railway, where a few hundred metres further south it is still accessible by train. To the right is Wheatcrofts garden centre[3] (started byHarry Wheatcroft) and the road meets the A52 at a busy roundabout,[4] where the road exits to the east as atrunk road.
There is a 14 ft 6 in low bridge[5] (the former railway), so there is a turning point[6] for high vehicles. For the next mile the road[7] is the parish boundary betweenTollerton to the left, andPlumtree, to the right. It passes Tollerton post office[8] and there is traffic lights forTollerton Lane (forNottingham Airport), where there is theTOTALLane End Garage.[9] The road becomes the parish boundary between Plumtree andNormanton-on-the-Wolds, to the left. The former A606 used to go through both villages before 1930. At the end of the joint bypass, there is a right turn for theBritish Geological Survey. It passes[10] throughStanton-on-the-Wolds. At the junction forKeyworth, there is theMurcoWolds Service Station.[11] At a crossroads, there is access toWidmerpool, to the right, and the formerWidmerpool railway station. The road meets the dual-carriagewayA46 at an interchange.[12] This point is the southern end of the A46 Newark to Widmerpool Improvement.[13]
At Hickling Pastures, it passes Turnpike Farm, and there is a left turn forHickling. The road becomes more hilly, and it passes[14] throughUpper Broughton and itsGolden Fleece.[15] Crossing the Dalby Brook, the road enters[16]Leicestershire and the district ofMelton. InBroughton and Old Dalby, it passes[17] throughNether Broughton, and itsAnchor Inn[18] andRed House.[19] The road is crossed by a pylon line,[20] and ascends Broughton Hill[21] where the road rises 80 metres in 0.5 km.
On the top of the hill, there are crossroads, which is highest point of the road at 171 metres, for a former Roman road (Six Hills Lane) that follows[22] the northern ridge of the wolds, where the right turn is forWartnaby. The road descends down a hill[23] intoAb Kettleby, the former home ofDesert Orchid, passing theSugar Loaf on the left. The road descends down the side of a valley and up onto Potter Hill.[24] At this point the road enters the parish ofMelton Mowbray asNottingham Road.[25] It passes theEssoBrookside Service Station and the headquarters ofEast Midlands Councils, and Melton Borough Council on the right. It meets theA607 and A6006 at traffic lights and crossroads. Previously the road went straight through the town centre, which is now pedestrianised asNottingham Street. The southbound road now follows the A607 to the east onNorman Way, then followsThorpe End andSherrard Street to the west, in a convoluted route through the town centre. The northbound route followsLeicester Street thenWilton Road. Both meet at an awkward junction at theAnne of Cleves,[26] ontoBurton Road.
The road passesMelton Mowbray railway station, and crosses theBirmingham to Peterborough Line and theRiver Eye. The road climbs the side of the River Eye's valley out of Melton, passing the formerKing Edward VII School. InBurton and Dalby it passes[27] throughBurton Lazars, and St James church,[28] and is crossed by theJubilee Way. At crossroads[29] there is a left turn forWhissendine, and a right turn forLittle Dalby. InSomerby at the top of Leesthorpe Hill,[30] there is theLeesthorpe Crossroads],[31] with a right turn[32] forLeesthorpe andPickwell. The road climbs to the top of a hill, where it becomes the boundary[33] between Rutland[34] (to the left) andLeicestershire (to the right), reaching 160 metres at Green's Lodge. Rutland became independent in April 1997. Leaving the Rutland boundary, the road descends to reach Whissendine Brook, and there is a left turn for Whissendine, and a right turn forCold Overton and Northfield Farm[35] (both in Leicestershire).
InLangham it ascends the side of Ranksborough Hill[36] (at 191 metres, the second highest in Rutland), to reach 166 metres. Descending down the hill, it passes a right turn for Ranksborough Hall,[37] an activity centre. In Langham, there is an abrupt turn to the left and one to the right, where it meets a road[38] from Cold Overton.Ruddles Brewery was based here before 1997 – the year Rutland finally became independent. AsOakham Road it meets a roundabout[39] for the bypass inBarleythorpe. The former route through Oakham is now the B640. The £11.6 million bypass opened[40] on Wednesday 10 January 2007, with construction having started[41] in October 2005. The contract had been awarded toAlfred McAlpine Civil Engineering in June 2003. The next roundabout[42] is for theLands' End clothing company. It crosses theBirmingham to Peterborough Line, and there is a roundabout[43] for the B668 (Burley Road), close to aMidlands Co-op superstore.[44]
The bypass is crossed by theHereward Way, and at theA6003 roundabout[45] the A6003 leaves to the south forUppingham, and the A606 leaves to the left (east). From here toBarnsdale, the road is followed by theViking Way and the Macmillan Way. There is a right turn forHambleton (andHambleton Hall), which is the former route of the road. WhenRutland Water was built, the A606 was diverted to the north. The road passes on the north shore of Rutland Water, and the southern edge of Burley Wood. In the parish ofWhitwell, at Barnsdale crossroads,[46] there is a right turn for Barnsdale Hall Hotel[47] and Country Club, and Barnsdale Lodge.[48] The road passes through Whitwell, where it is crossed by theViking Way, and passesThe Noel[49] (Noel Arms). The road reaches the end ofRutland Water, the largest reservoir (by surface area) in the UK, owned byAnglian Water, and passes throughEmpingham, where it is crossed by theRutland Round. It crosses theRiver Gwash, and is crossed by theHereward Way. AtTinwell, it meets theA1[50] at an interchange built in 1960. It entersLincolnshire,South Kesteven, andStamford asEmpingham Road losing its trunk road status, passing the Malcolm Sargent Primary School (former Exetersecondary modern school), on the left, and theDanish Invader,[51] on the right. There is a right turn forRoman Bank (formerErmine Street) and it reaches its terminus atScotgate – the former Great North Road (B1081).
A roads in Zone 6 of theGreat Britain road numbering scheme | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
