heading south, the road begins as single carriageway from thirsk which bypasses ripon and travels towards harrogate, eventually passing through harrogate town centre. here, the road divides into two major one-way streets which enclose the town centre and run along the stray, a stretch of grassland in harrogate. as leeds road, it then passes through the southern suburbs of harrogate before meeting the a658 near the village of pannal. the a61 continues through harewood before approaching the north's metropolis, where a sudden urban fringe approaches. as the road enters leeds and crosses the a6120 outer ring road, the road becomes scott hall road, a main dual carriageway (or trunk road) and artery for north leeds. there are sections of guided bus route using kerb guidance near potternewton. here, the a61 rises slightly, and a panoramic view of leeds skyline is revealed. the descent into leeds is quick and the road soon turns into a multi-lane road, as it approaches sheepscar interchange. fast-flowing traffic is directed onto the a61, although some traffic is directed off the a61 to avoid leeds city centre as it routes around the back of quarry house. the a61 meets it shortly after, as it shares the city centre loop for a short distance. after crossing the river, the road splits again before taking traffic out to the motorways. the road then continues out of leeds towards wakefield and barnsley. south of barnsley it crosses the m1 at junction 36 then heads towards sheffield. between the m1 at junction 36 and the westwood roundabout intersection with the a616, the road is designated as a trunk road under the responsibility of highways england.