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Wigtownshire

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Wigtownshire
Location Map ( geo)
Cameraicon.png View gallery (2)
Primary Destinations
Stranraer
Other Important Destinations
Cairnryan • Glenluce • Newton Stewart • Portpatrick • Whithorn • Wigtown
Current Highway Authorities
Dumfries & Galloway
Borders
Ayrshire • (County Antrim) • Kirkcudbrightshire
Transport Scotland Roads
A75 • A77 • A751

Wigtownshire is the southern most traditional county in Scotland. Along with Kirkcudbrightshire to the east, it forms the Galloway part of the modern authority of Dumfries & Galloway.

Geography & Economy

The A746 south of Wigtown

The county is one of the smaller ones in Scotland, and consists of 3 main areas. The southerly 'Machars' peninsula takes in the historic county town of Wigtown, the T shaped peninsula of The Rhinns of Galloway lies to the west, with Stranraer, the largest town at the neck, whilst the northern portion of the county is in the Galloway Forest. This last area is sparsely populated, with open moorland and dense forestry plantations cloaking the lower slopes of the hills.

The county's population has always been relatively small, with no traditional industries of any size. However, tourism has been an important part of the economy for centuries, with Whithorn Priory and the Isle of Whithorn Christian sites drawing pilgrims perhaps for 1500 years! Today, the presence of Cairnryan as the main Irish ferry port brings a lot of people through the county, and so provides a lot of employment in associated businesses, but tourism, farming and forestry are the largest parts of the economy.

Roads

A ferry at Stranraer - before the move to Cairnryan

With the exception of the A75, the A roads generally follow the coast line, with the B and unclassified roads criss crossing inland. The north of the county is comparatively poorly served, but with few settlements and vast areas of forest, there is little for a road to provide access to. The number of A roads has been reduced over the years from the post war maximum, which has left anomalies like the A714 - A746 - A747 route from Newton Stewart to Whithorn and back to Glenluce, a route which would normally carry a single number.

Stranraer was for many years an important port for ferries to Ireland, but in recent years all services have moved out to Cairnryan, away from the confines of the town but also away from the rail link and services for travellers. All non trunk roads in the county are maintained by Dumfries & Galloway. The Trunk roads are maintained by Transport Scotland and include the A75, A751 and most of the A77. There are various small schemes for improving the A75 and to a lesser extent the A77 that come to fruition every few years, but the long term aspirations to dual these routes remain long term.

Route From To Length

    

A75 Gretna Stranraer 95.8 miles View
A77 Glasgow Portpatrick 91.7 miles View
A714 Girvan Braehead 38.0 miles View
A715 Whitecrook Sandhead 5.8 miles View
A716 Whiteleys (S) Drummore 14.5 miles View
A717 Stair Drive Queen Street 0.4 miles View
A718 Stanraer Kirkcolm 6.7 miles View
A746 Braehead Glasserton 10.3 miles View
A747 Glenluce Glasserton 19.8 miles View
A748 Dunragit Piltanton Bridge 0.6 miles View
A750 Whithorn Isle of Whithorn 3.2 miles View
A751 Innermessan Aird 1.7 miles View
A757 Genoch Mains Lochans 4.3 miles View
A764 Portpatrick Portslogan 3.4 miles View   
B733 Halfway House Wigtown 9.6 miles View
B734 Braehead Glasserton 10.3 miles View
B735 Kirkcowan Shennanton 1.4 miles View
B735 Glenluce Glasserton 20.0 miles View
B736 Sandhead Dunragit 5.2 miles View
B737 Station Street Leswalt Road 1.3 miles View
B738 Dinvin Kirkcolm 15.1 miles View
B798 Craigenholt, Leswalt Ervie 3.4 miles View
B7004 Kirkinner Isle of Whithorn 12.4 miles View
B7005 Wigtown(N) Garheugh Port 12.0 miles View
B7021 Whithorn Drumtroddan 6.1 miles View
B7027 Challoch Barrhill 15.2 miles View
B7041 Drummore Castlemoor 2.3 miles View
B7042 Sandhead Pinminnoch 5.9 miles View
B7043 Galdenoch Leswalt 2.6 miles View
B7051 Dashwood Square Barbuchany 0.6 miles View
B7052 Garlieston Spittal 11.8 miles View
B7063 Cults Isle of Whithorn 5.6 miles View
B7065 Balgowan Damnaglaur 6.4 miles View
B7077 Genoch Square Lochans 4.3 miles View
B7079 Calgow Newton Stewart 1.9 miles View
B7084 Glenluce (W) Sandhead (N) 7.1 miles View
B7085 Braehead Port William 8.3 miles View     
T28 Gretna Stirling View

Key

Motorway
Primary Route
Non Primary Route
Former Motorway
Defunct Route
E Road
Future Motorway
Future Primary
Future Non Primary
Historical Route
Tourist Route
Roman Road
Unbuilt Motorway
Unbuilt Primary
Unbuilt Non Primary
National Cycle Network
Cycle Route
Eurovelo Cycle Route

Junctions

Main Article: Junctions in Wigtownshire


Bridges, Tunnels, and other Crossings

Main Article: Crossings in Wigtownshire





Wigtownshire
Crossings
Roads
A75 • A77 • A714 • A715 • A716 • A717 • A718 • A746 • A747 • A748 • A750 • A751 • A757 • A764 • B733 • B734 (Wigtownshire) • B735 • B735 (Glenluce - Glasserton) • B736 (Wigtownshire) • B737 • B738 • B798 • B7004 • B7005 • B7021 • B7027 • B7041 • B7042 • B7043 • B7051 • B7052 • B7063 • B7065 • B7077 • B7079 • B7084 • B7085 • E18 • E110 (Old System) • E111 (Old System) • NCN7 • Solway Coast Heritage Trail • South West Coastal 300 • T28 (Britain)
Places
Miscellaneous
Related Pictures
View gallery (2)
Dunragit level crossing.jpgA minor road meets the B738 - Geograph - 1626738.jpg
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ScotlandAberdeenshire • Angus • Argyll • Ayrshire • Banffshire • Berwickshire • Buteshire • Caithness • Clackmannanshire • Cromartyshire • Dumfriesshire • Dunbartonshire • East Lothian • Fife • Inverness-shire • Kincardineshire • Kinross-shire • Kirkcudbrightshire • Lanarkshire • Midlothian • Moray • Nairnshire • Orkney • Peeblesshire • Perthshire • Renfrewshire • Ross-shire • Roxburghshire • Selkirkshire • Stirlingshire • Sutherland • West Lothian • Wigtownshire • Zetland
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