The B7042 follows a winding route in the Rhins of Galloway.
Near Sandhead
The route starts within sight of Luce Bay at a triangular junction on the A716 at the northern edge of Sandhead. It heads west along a narrow straight which climbs a little across fields before a sharp right-hand bend takes it past patches of woodland on a longer, undulating straight. A couple of bends then lead to the farm at Dalvadie, where it TOTSOs left; doubling back on itself while the unclassified road ahead returns to the A716. After some windy bends, a longer straight climbs steadily into the hills, from where the route strides out vaguely northwestwards across the hills in the centre of the peninsula. The road is winding - but not particularly steep - as it crosses fields and passes a scattering of farms and houses. There are occasional glimpses of the sea, first Luce Bay off to the east, and later the North Channel to the west, but for the most part the view is of the rolling fields. Presently the route reaches a T-junction near Awhirk, where it TOTSOs left. It then continues west, winding around Slewlan Hill and climbing a little past forestry to a summit of around 122m at a crossroads below Cairn Hill. More winding bends take it down a shallow valley and, immediately after crossing the old railway line, the route ends at a T-junction on the A77, about half a mile west of the earlier northern end.
History
The B7042 at Colfin Station in 1946
The route was originally unclassified but had gained its number by 1930 when it is shown on the revised MOT map. This map quite clearly shows the route following its current alignment, apart from staying south of the old railway line to meet the A77 a couple of hundred metres further west at Pinminnoch. This old road is now closed up and has an old shed built across it about half way along. However, the 1932 Ten Mile Map appears to show a different route, which is repeated on subsequent editions and more clearly on the 1946 OS Quarter Inch map. This turns north past Awhirk and then wiggled past the old creamery and Colfin station (on the Portpatrick branch) to end on the A77. The route had reverted to its original line by the mid 1950s as is shown on various maps dating from 1955-58, probably as a result of the closure of the railway line.
