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B734

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B734
Location Map ( geo)
Cameraicon.png View gallery (11)
From:  Girvan (NX192986)
To:  Ballantrae (N) (NX091850)
Distance:  21.8 miles (35.1 km)
Meets:  A77, B7044, A714, A77
Former Number(s):  A765
Highway Authorities

South Ayrshire

Traditional Counties

Ayrshire

Route outline (key)
B734 Girvan - Barr - Pinmore Mains
(A714) Pinmore Mains - Almont
B734 Almont - Ballantrae
This article is about the current B734 in Ayrshire.
For the original B734 in Wigtownshire, now the A746, see B734 (Wigtownshire)
.

The B734 is a long-way-round route in south Ayrshire.

Route

Girvan - Pinmore

The route starts at the Bridgemill Roundabout on the A77 on the northern edge of Girvan. From here the B734 heads due east, following the Water of Girvan upstream, although the quickest route from here to the far end of the route is to follow the A77 southwards. After a couple of kinks to avoid a meander of the river, the B734 follows a long straight section across fields while the river continues to meander back and forth across its flood plain to the north. Half way along the main straight, the B7035 comes in from the right, and the two route's multiplex for the next mile and a half as the road slowly climbs away from the river. At the end of the straight, another windy section again avoids a meander before a short straight leads into Old Dailly. Here the route TOTSOs to the right, as the B7035 continues ahead, and climbs steeply out of the valley. A short straight through fields is followed by a much twistier section that lifts the road up onto the moorland hills above. It uses a couple of small valleys to wind uphill before finally levelling out a little.

Near Doularg

Somewhere near the top of the climb, the white centre line disappears for a time, although the road is still mostly wide enough for two cars to pass with ease. Around another bend, the route finds itself coming onto a slight ledge on the slopes above the Penwhapple Burn, and after a tight horseshoe bend over a stream, green fields once more appear amongst the moorland. A couple of farms are passed as the road winds round to the head of the valley, where it passes below Penwhapple Reservoir (which is not visible from the road) and to the east of a large wind farm (which is). After crossing the Penwhapple Burn below the dam, the road reaches a summit of 212m before beginning to descend. Having crossed the watershed, the route follows a series of burns downstream in a generally south easterly direction. The road is rarely straight for long as it winds steadily downhill, passing the lonely farm of Lanes, with few other buildings in sight from the road. The road again loses the centre line, and gets twistier as the road nears the valley of the River Stinchar, with some quite tight wiggles to negotiate, but there are fine views out across the valley ahead.

Presently the road descends to the riverbank, where it runs through the trees before a sharp left turn leads over the River Stinchar on the narrow Stinchar Bridge. The road ahead leads into the pretty little village of Barr, with its riverside green and brightly painted houses. The B734, however, TOTSO right in front of the church and leaves the village almost as soon as it arrived. The Water of Gregg is crossed on a small bridge, and then a left turn leads into a housing estate, beyond which the road drops to single track as it winds gently across the riverside meadows as it follows the Stinchar downstream. For the next couple of miles the route heads south west, hugging the edge of the valley floor, with forestry on the slopes above. A little over a mile from Barr, the road is squeezed onto the riverbank as the river meanders across the valley floor, but a thick line of trees hides the water.

A little further on, the road climbs a little through trees and past a handful of houses to Cairnwhin. It then climbs further up the side of the valley, where breaks in the trees offer some stunning views of lush green fields and patches of woodland rising up to the moorland tops on the far side of the valley. The summit of this section is a little over 100m near Merkland, from where there is a fairly steep descent back to the valley floor. Before long, however, the road starts to climb again, gently winding as it gains height. This is a very pleasant drive through the valley, with dappled sunlight coming through the trees and fine scenery to enjoy. The letdown is the road, which remains resolutely single track and could do with a few more passing places here and there, although traffic is generally light. After passing Pinmore Mains, a couple of short straights lead to a much steeper descent round a hairpin bend to Pinmore Bridge over the River Stinchar. On the west bank, the A714 is met at a T-junction.

Pinwherry - Corseclays

After a lengthy multiplex south along the A714 following the Stinchar and the Stranraer railway line, the B734 resumes by turning right in Pinwherry. This scattered village is strung along both routes in all directions, so after crossing the railway, the route winds around a farm and crosses the river. Another farm and some houses are found a couple of bends further along, as the route settles down to a windy journey across fields. It is still following the Stinchar downstream, taking a line just above the valley floor on the north side of the meandering river. Thankfully, this whole section has a centre line once more, and after passing through Poundland (a tiny settlement, not a shop), the road straightens up a little with a series of short, undulating straights connected by sinuous bends. A handful of houses and farms are passed, and then a slightly windier section leads over the Garna Burn and into Colmonell.

Colmonell

The route follows Main Street through the small village of Colmonell, with the modern primary school standing out in a long row of old stone buildings, many of which are painted white and black. Towards the end of the street, the route turns hard right on its way out of town. It climbs a little now, across the undulating slopes on the north side of the valley, winding through patches of woodland to Knockdolian. Here the route turns right at a TOTSO, finally leaving the valley behind, with the B7044 continuing ahead, alongside the River Stinchar, to Ballantrae. The B734 instead heads west across surprisingly flat terrain with the height of Knockdolian to the left. This section is sparesely populated farmland, and although the sea is ever closer ahead, the road has to climb at first. The road then dips into a slight valley, as it starts to wind downhill, and only an odd glimpse of the sea can be had. The final section winds past Corseclays Farm and then runs down through a tunnel of trees meaning that it is only really at the last minute that the sea becomes visible. The route then ends in the dunes at a T-junction back on the A77, looking out across the wide mouth of the Firth of Clyde. Aisla Craig is normally visible to the north west, and on a clear day Kintyre and Ireland may just be seen.

History

When the roads were first numbered in 1922 the section of the present B734 east of the A714 was left unclassified whilst the section to the west was numbered as the B739. By 1932 the B739 had been upgraded to Class I and renumbered as the A765, while the B734 had come into existence following its current C-shaped route between Girvan and Pinmore Mains to the east of the A714. This situation lasted until the 1980s when the A765 was downgraded and became a western extension of the B734, giving the route a lengthy multiplex.




B734
Junctions
Crossings
Places
Related Pictures
View gallery (11)
Residential housing - Geograph - 297611.jpgRoadside Trees - Geograph - 1716007.jpgB734 at Poundland (C) Ann Cook - Geograph - 3526881.jpgTelephone Exchange, near Penwhapple Reservoir - Geograph - 378630.jpgPinmore Bridge - Geograph - 2867742.jpg
Other nearby roads
Girvan
B700 – B799
B700 • B701 • B702 • B703 • B704 • B705 • B706 • B707 • B708 • B709 • B710 • B711 • B712 • B713 • B714 • B715 • B716 • B717 • B718 • B719
B720 • B721 • B722 • B723 • B724 • B725 • B726 • B727 • B728 • B729 • B730 • B731 • B732 • B733 • B734 • B735 • B736 • B737 • B738 • B739
B740 • B741 • B742 • B743 • B744 • B745 • B746 • B747 • B748 • B749 • B750 • B751 • B752 • B753 • B754 • B755 • B756 • B757 • B758 • B759
B760 • B761 • B762 • B763 • B764 • B765 • B766 • B767 • B768 • B769 • B770 • B771 • B772 • B773 • B774 • B775 • B776 • B777 • B778 • B779
B780 • B781 • B782 • B783 • B784 • B785 • B786 • B787 • B788 • B789 • B790 • B791 • B792 • B793 • B794 • B795 • B796 • B797 • B798 • B799
Earlier versions: B705 • B706 • B707 • B708 • B713(E) • B713(W) • B714 • B715 • B716 • B724 • B727 • B730 • B734
B735 • B736 • B739 (S) • B739 (N) • B743 • B744 • B746 • B752 • B761 • B762 • B763 • B765 • B773 • B783 • B785 • B789 • B791 • B795
Anomalous numbers: B77


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