M6 Junction 45: Guards Mill – A74(M) Gretna
Junction 45 of the M6, known as Guards Mill, is where the M6 meets the A74(M), for Gretna and the Scottish border. The nearest town is Gretna, about 0.9 miles to the west, with Longtown (3 miles east) and Carlisle (8 miles south-east) also close by. Villages right beside the junction include Springfield and Gretna Green.
Roads that meet at or beside this junction: A74(M), A75, A6071, B721, B7076. The main road at the junction is the A74(M).
The M6 ends here and the road carries on into Scotland as the A74(M).
From here, the drive south to junction 44 (Carlisle) is about 6.0 miles. It is about 210 miles back down the M6 to junction 1 near Rugby.
- Junction M6 J45 · Guards Mill
- Signed for A74(M) · Gretna / Scotland border
- Nearest town Gretna, 0.9 miles west
- Map section Section 8: J40–J45, Penrith, Carlisle and Gretna
Live traffic at M6 junction 45
The speed strip below shows the M6 from junction 43 to junction 45, both directions, from National Highways’ live data, checked every five minutes.
Live traffic speed flow: M6 Junctions 43 to 45
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Junctions either side
Live traffic news at M6 Junction 45
Incidents and roadworks between Junction 44 and Junction 45 that we are aware of.
M6 Southbound Jct 45 Entry slip road closure
00:305 Oct 2026reported 12 min ago
- Location
- M6 J45 southbound access from A6071/B7076
- Direction
- Southbound
- Lanes closed
- Carriageway closed
- Reason
- Roadworks
- Schedule
- 20:00 Sun 4 Oct 2026 → 06:00 Mon 5 Oct 2026
Forecast - not confirmed
+ 15 more near Junction 45 - see all the M6 traffic news →
This is the news for Junction 45 only, not the whole M6. For the rest of the motorway see all the latest M6 traffic news, the overhead signs and the speed limits in force now.
Updated 00:42 Mon 5 Oct 2026