B736
B736 | ||||
Location Map ( geo) | ||||
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From: | Kelton Mains (NX750612) | |||
To: | Douganhill (NX805561) | |||
Via: | Castle Douglas | |||
Distance: | 6.3 miles (10.1 km) | |||
Meets: | A75, A713, B727, A711 | |||
Former Number(s): | A75 | |||
Highway Authorities | ||||
Traditional Counties | ||||
Route outline (key) | ||||
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For the original B736 along the coast in Wigtownshire, see B736 (Wigtownshire).
The B736 is a secondary route in south Kirkcudbrightshire.
Route
The route starts at the roundabout on the A75 at the western end of the Castle Douglas bypass. Threave Castle, now owned by Historic Scotland, can also be accessed from this roundabout. The B736 heads east along the pre-bypass A75 to reach Carlingwark Loch and then follows the lochside northwards, with the water visible through the trees on the right. Towards the end of the loch, the road enters Castle Douglas on King Street, passing between housing and Lochside Park as it approaches the town centre. King Street kinks right, revealling the long, wide main street ahead which is dominated by the clock tower. This stands above the crossroads where the road cannons off the A713; both roads TOTSO here as the priority still echoes the time the through route was the A75. The B736 therefore turns right onto St Andrew Street, while the A713 comes in from the left on St Andrew Street and turns left onto King Street.
St Andrew Street is initially lined with brightly coloured old terraces, interspersed with lowlier commercial premises and a small green space. More modern housing then takes over, including some large detached properties, as the route curves round onto Whitepark Road and soon finds the eastern side of Carlingwark Loch. This is followed for a short distance to the edge of town, where the route winds out past the cemetery before continuing south across the fields to meet the B727 at Breoch. The hill slopes gently down from the left, and before long the road is just above the Gelston Burn, which flows through a boggy hollow into Carlingwark Loch. At Breoch, the route turns left at a T-junction, and becomes the junior partner in a very short multiplex which ends with the B727 TOTSOing left at a fork whilst the B736 continues ahead. The route crosses the watershed at a low summit of about 51m and follows a winding route down the valley of the Doach Burn past Doach itself (a single cottage). There are a couple of other cottages along the roadside, but for the most part this is a rural run through small fields and forestry.
The hills are much steeper above the road as it runs south east down the valley, their forested slopes making a sharp contrast with the small, lush fields on the valley floor. Before long, the valley widens out and the road cuts diagonally across the burn on a long straight. It then comes to an end a few windy bends later at a crossroads on the A711 a short distance west of Palnackie.
History
Except for the section west of Castle Douglas, which is the original line of the A75, the route was originally unclassified. The majority of the route had gained its current number by 1932, possibly in the late 1920s when the original B736 was renumbered. It then remained unchanged until the Castle Douglas bypass opened in 1988, at which point the B736 was extended west along the former A75 alignment, with the A713 taking over the eastern section of the old main road.