The B7044 was a short link road heading inland alongside the River Stinchar from Ballantrae in south Ayrshire.
The B7044 near Macherquhat
The road itself cuts the corner between the A77 and B734. It is mostly single track and too narrow for a central white line for much of the route. The route started on the A77 at a simple T-junction next to Ballantrae Bridge and headed east along Mains Road, passing a few houses on the left, with the river close by on the right. It then followed the valley of the river Stinchar inland for a few miles, winding through trees, first along the riverbank itself, and then on the landward side of a series of long, thin riverside fields. A couple of larger farms were passed as the river turns to a more north easterly course, and then the route climbed through trees across the lower slopes of Knockdolian. A long left hand bend curves around the eastern end of this prominent hill, above the meandering river, to end at another simple T junction on the B734.
History
The route was originally unclassified, and is not shown on the 1930 revision of the MOT Map, but is marked on the 1932 edition of the OS Ten Mile Map. It survived unchanged for around 80 years, but at some point between 2011 and 2016 it appears to have been downgraded and South Ayrshire Council now list it as the C59. Certainly, signage at each end has had the route number removed - a new sign has been installed on the B734 while a sticker applied to signage at Ballantrae. For a time mapping seemed to reflect this change, but the B7044 is once more shown on most modern mapping. The road's status is therefore still not absolutely clear, but the B7044 is presumed to be defunct as per the council list.
