A666 road
Encyclopedia
The A666 is a major road in Greater Manchester
and Lancashire
, England. Known as Manchester Road, Bolton Road, or Blackburn Road, depending on which area it is in, it runs from its junction with A6 and A580
at the Irlams o' th' Height
boundary with Pendlebury
near Manchester
, through Pendlebury
, Clifton
, Kearsley
, Farnworth
, Bolton
, Darwen
and Blackburn before meeting the A59
at Langho
. Along the route are the West Pennine Moors
, the Turton and Entwistle reservoir and the Entwistle reservoir forest.
It is sometimes referred to as the Devil's Highway or the Devil's Road because of Biblical associations of its number 666
, and its high accident rate on the moors between Egerton
and Darwen. Conversely, for a short length from the M61 Kearsley spur
and bypassing Farnworth to central Bolton, it is officially called St. Peter's Way.
Road works (speed limit changed from 70mph to 50mph, speed cameras, better safety fencing, banning cyclists from the road, slip road changes) finished at the start of 2000 reduced the traffic accident by 60%. Before this it was having 26 traffic accidents a year with 40 people injured.
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
and Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, England. Known as Manchester Road, Bolton Road, or Blackburn Road, depending on which area it is in, it runs from its junction with A6 and A580
A580 road
The A580 is a primary A road in England that connects Walton, near Liverpool and Salford, near Manchester and known officially as Liverpool-East Lancashire Road. Locally, the road is shortened to the "East Lancs". The road was designed and built to provide better access to the Port of Liverpool for...
at the Irlams o' th' Height
Irlams o' th' Height
Irlams o' th' Height is an area of Pendleton, in Salford, Greater Manchester, England. It is on the extremity of the City of Salford metropolitan district boundary, and stands next to Swinton and Pendlebury...
boundary with Pendlebury
Pendlebury
Pendlebury is a suburban town in the City of Salford, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies to the northwest of Manchester city centre, northwest of Salford, and southeast of Bolton....
near Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, through Pendlebury
Pendlebury
Pendlebury is a suburban town in the City of Salford, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies to the northwest of Manchester city centre, northwest of Salford, and southeast of Bolton....
, Clifton
Clifton, Greater Manchester
Clifton is a small town within the metropolitan borough of the City of Salford, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies in the Irwell Valley in the northern part of the City of Salford....
, Kearsley
Kearsley
Kearsley is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, in Greater Manchester, England. Historically within Lancashire, it lies about 7½ miles northwest of Manchester,5.5 miles south-west of Bury, and about 3¾ miles south of Bolton.It is bounded on the west by Walkden, the east by...
, Farnworth
Farnworth
Farnworth is within the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton in Greater Manchester, England. It is located southeast of Bolton, 6 miles south-west of Bury , and northwest of Manchester....
, Bolton
Bolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
, Darwen
Darwen
Darwen is a market town and civil parish located within Lancashire, England. Along with its northerly neighbour, Blackburn, it forms the Borough of Blackburn with Darwen — a unitary authority area...
and Blackburn before meeting the A59
A59 road
The A59 is a major road in the United Kingdom that runs from Liverpool in Merseyside, to York in North Yorkshire.-Merseyside:The A59 begins in the centre of Liverpool at the mouth of the Birkenhead Tunnel, and heads north out of the city, first as Scotland Road in Vauxhall, then Kirkdale Road,...
at Langho
Langho
Langho is a small rural village north of Blackburn in the Ribble Valley, Lancashire, England. It is part of the parish of Billington and Langho. The village is linked with Blackburn and Clitheroe by the A666 road and is served by Langho railway station on the Ribble Valley Line. To the north,...
. Along the route are the West Pennine Moors
West Pennine Moors
The West Pennine Moors cover an area of approximately of moorland and reservoirs in Lancashire and Greater Manchester, England.The West Pennine Moors are separated from the main Pennine range by the Irwell Valley. The moorland includes Withnell, Anglezarke and Rivington Moors in the extreme west,...
, the Turton and Entwistle reservoir and the Entwistle reservoir forest.
It is sometimes referred to as the Devil's Highway or the Devil's Road because of Biblical associations of its number 666
Number of the Beast
The Number of the Beast is a term in the Book of Revelation, of the New Testament, that is associated with the first Beast of Revelation chapter 13, the Beast of the sea. In most manuscripts of the New Testament and in English translations of the Bible, the number of the Beast is...
, and its high accident rate on the moors between Egerton
Egerton, Greater Manchester
Egerton, pronounced edgerton, is a village in the unparished area of South Turton, in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England. Historically part of Lancashire, it is situated three miles north of Bolton and 12 miles north west of Manchester City Centre within the West...
and Darwen. Conversely, for a short length from the M61 Kearsley spur
M61 motorway
The M61 motorway is a motorway in North West England. It runs from the M60 motorway northwest of Manchester and heads northwest past Bolton and Chorley to join the M6 just north of the junction between the M6 and M65 motorways to the south of Preston....
and bypassing Farnworth to central Bolton, it is officially called St. Peter's Way.
Road works (speed limit changed from 70mph to 50mph, speed cameras, better safety fencing, banning cyclists from the road, slip road changes) finished at the start of 2000 reduced the traffic accident by 60%. Before this it was having 26 traffic accidents a year with 40 people injured.