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B769

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B769
Location Map ( geo)
Cameraicon.png View gallery (19)
From:  Crossmyloof, Glasgow (NS562625)
To:  Irvine (NS336398)
Distance:  21.2 miles (34.1 km)
Meets:  B768, B762, A727, B7087, A735, B778, B7080, A736
Former Number(s):  B768, A736
Highway Authorities

East Ayrshire • East Renfrewshire • Glasgow • North Ayrshire

Traditional Counties

Ayrshire • Renfrewshire

Route outline (key)
B769 Crossmyloof - Stewarton
(A735) Stewarton
B769 Stewarton - Irvine

For many miles the B769 runs roughly parallel to the A77 and M77 between Glasgow and Irvine.

Route

Glasgow to Newton Mearns

Pollokshaws

The B769 begins at a signalised junction with the B768 at the north west corner of Pollok Country Park in Crossmyloof in Glasgow. Prior to the extension of the nearby M77 to Newton Mearns in the mid 1990s, this section of the B769 was very busy, carrying traffic between Glasgow and Thornliebank, Nitshill and Barrhead. Haggs Road remains an urban 4-lane single-carriageway, as it makes its way southwards into Pollokshaws, with the park on the right and large detached properties set back in big gardens on the left. There are a couple of signalised junctions before it passes under the railway and then curves right onto Pollokshaws Road, where the route briefly turns into a dual carriageway through the junction. The route then alternates between a dual carriageway and S4, although after the opening of the M77 it lost a lane in each direction (which was turned into a bus lane). After passing Pollokshaws West station, the route crosses the B762 at the roundabout at Round Toll.

This is the route's original northern end, although the dual carriageway that leads away from the roundabout was built as part of the junction improvement. It soon drops down to a wide S2 and curves round a couple of tight bends to cross the Auldhouse Burn. Thornliebank Road then widens back to S4, with intermittent bus lanes again as it continues south through Mansewood. Few properties open directly onto the road here, to start with they are set back with rear accesses, and then service roads run along in front of the long rows of post war low rise flats. As the route reaches Thornliebank, it passes between a cemetery and industrial area and becomes a narrow single carriageway as it winds over the railway bridge next to Thornliebank Station. Widening again, the route is only marked as an S2, with parking along either side. After curving through a signalised junction opposite a school, the route follows Main Street to the south west, with shops on the right and a service road for the flats on the left. There are also some short stretches of central reservation along here.

Beyond the shops, the route curves south again onto Spiersbridge Road , and is soon running through trees alongside the Auldhouse Burn, with some larger houses in on the left. The burn is crossed on Spiers Bridge, just before the Spiersbridge Roundabout where the B769 crosses the A727 and continues South West on Stewarton Road. The Rouken Glen Country Park lies on the left, with modern housing estates to the right which predominantly back onto the road, giving a more rural feel to the route as it crosses from Glasgow into East Renfrewshire. A patch of woodland survives between two roundabouts which serve some of the new housing. The route then crosses a railway next to Patterton Station to enter the northern edge of Newton Mearns. A straight, tree lined avenue runs down between modern housing estates, to find three roundabouts in quick succession. At the third, it meets the B7087, which leads through a small suburban shopping area to Crookfur Interchange on the M77.

Stewarton Road now curves to the south west as it skirts the western edge of Newton Mearns. This section was widened in 2008 in preparation for the ongoing housing and commercial development, and was also realigned when the M77 was extended. It now comes to a roundabout where it turns right to pass over the M77 on Aurs Road before quickly turning left, back on to Stewarton Road at a traffic-light-controlled junction.

Newton Mearns to Stewarton

Now clear of the Glasgow urban area, the route becomes narrow and winding in character as it climbs across fields. There are a handful of houses just by the junction, and then after snaking past a couple of side turning, a short straight lifts the route up to the first summit of about 165m. More short straights follow, connected by sinuous bends as the route twists its way through the undulating farmland of East Renfrewshire. This section of the route is often very quiet with little traffic, particularly since the M77 was extended, offering a much faster and more reliable route. At length the small collection of properties that forms Dodside is reached. The houses are strung along the roadside either side of the 200m contour, but still the road climbs. A steep hill rises up to the right, but to the left are expansive views across Brother Loch and the surrounding moorland fields to the hills beyond.

Windy-Yett

A series of twistier bends lift the route up past the entrances to Bannerbank Quarry and the neighbouring windfarm. A slight crest at around 250m suddenly reveals White Loch, a private fishing lake, ahead, and the road dips down to curve along its southern shore. The quarry lies behind the slight rise on the right, and the route climbs back up to the 250m contour once more, although it is not clear which point is the overall summit. A long winding descent follows, and in places the road can be seen stretching across the landscape ahead like a grey ribbon. As it passes over the boundary into East Ayrshire the landscape returns to farmland, instead of the rougher moorland over the summit. A couple of farms are passed, and others can be glimpsed at the ends of long drives which wind through the fields to either side. The road also begins to become flatter and a little less winding as it drops down past Blacklaw and Whitelee to the tiny one-street hamlet of Kingsford. A mile or so later the small town of Stewarton can be glimpsed below, and after a few more bends it comes into full view at the bottom of the hill.

Old Glasgow Road carries the B769 into town, hinting that this was perhaps once the main route across northern Ayrshire, rather than the A77 a little to the east. A small modern housing estate lies on the left at the entrance to the town, quickly followed by older housing on the right as the road follows the Annick Water downstream. Around a gentle bend, Dean Street dips down to cross a wee burn, and then the wide High Street takes over, leading into the town centre. Shops are soon lining both sides, with some fine old stone buildings towards the town centre. Here, a signalised crossroads is met, with the B778 to the left and the A735 to the right and ahead. All three routes multiplex ahead along Lainshaw Street, before the B778 turns off to the right at a mini roundabout. The B769 continues with the A735 a little further, passing under a railway viaduct, forking left at another mini roundabout and crossing the Annick Water before it forks off to the right at the edge of the town.

Stewarton to Irvine

Near Stewarton

The B769 immediately returns to its narrow, winding, rural form as it continues to head south west. It is following the Annick Water downstream, but winding over the hills to the south, with a series of crests and dips. The initial climb is through woodland, followed by a brief straight before swinging through a double bend into an arrow-straight section of over a mile long. This, unsurprisingly, forms the single straightest section of the entire route. There are a couple of bumps along the way, but visibility along the straight is generally good. Leaving the straight section behind the road becomes windy once more as it sweeps down to the banks of the Annick Water. The river here is on a tight meander, and so soon the road climbs over a slight rise to pass through the hamlet of Cunninghamhead. Another reasonably straight section follows as the route runs south west across the undulating farmland. A new housing estate on a crest marks the outskirts of Irvine, and the road suddenly widens as it leaves its original alignment to bypass the settlement of Perceton.

Curving south and then west along the bypass which opened in 1991, the route passes between trees with a few houses visible to the right here and there. A longer straight then carries it across the Annick Water and on through Girdle Toll. Again, the road is tree lined with few houses visible, typical of New Town developments across the country. There are numerous side turnings into the housing estates that are screened by the trees, and all of the junctions have the unusual feature of acceleration and deceleration lanes for left turning traffic. None of them, however, have the newer, and perhaps more desirable feature of right turn bays in the centre of the road. The route finally reaches it end at the huge Stanecastle Roundabout, where it forms a junction with the B7080 and both the current and historic routes of the A736.

History

The original line of the B769 in Irvine

The route has seen numerous changes, mostly in the last fifty years. The current northern end along Haggs Road was originally the B768, while Pollokshaws Road was the original line of the A736. The B769 was extended along these in the later 1970s or 1980s as part of a review of classified roads in southern Glasgow. Round Toll had been converted to a roundabout in the late 1960s, and the short dual carriageway section built at this time. Previously, the B769 had initially headed east along Nether Auldhouse Road and then, almost immediately, turned right roughly where the block of flats now stands. The remainder of the route through Glasgow's suburbs appears to be on the original alignment, although several sections have almost certainly been widened as the neighbouring housing was built, and numerous junction improvements have been carried out. One such improvement is at Spiers Bridge, where the A726 (now the A727) used to dogleg across the bridge, with a short multiplex. The roundabout and realignment post date 1974.

Continuing south through Newton Mearns, it could be presumed that the growth of the town has led to changes to the route's alignment. However, apart from the addition of numerous roundabouts, this does not appear to be the case. Even the snaking bends past the Newton House Care Home seem to have survived the insertion of the roundabouts, rather than being tidied up. Clearly, the construction of the M77 extension has seen the B769 realigned over the new bridge, and a section of the old road can still be found at the rugby club on the western side of the motorway. The bridge was built on a completely new section of road, which included realignments to both Barrhead Road and Aurs Road.

The next notable changes are found at the far end of the route in Irvine. Before the Perceton bypass opened in 1991, the route continued ahead along what is now a rough track and then the main road through Perceton village, which has since expanded into a sizeable suburb. At the roundabout, the route continued ahead onto a road which appears to, confusingly, be called Girdle Toll which runs through Girdle Toll. This curved round to the right to meet the original line of the A736 at what is now a mini roundabout. This was the original end of the route.

The 1922 MOT Road List defines this route as: Pollokshaws - Stewarton - Junction with A736 near Irvine





B769
Junctions
Crossings
Related Pictures
View gallery (19)
Railway bridge crossing the B769 (C) Elliott Simpson - Geograph - 1871451.jpgRoad Junction on the B768 beside Pollock Park - Geograph - 1214132.jpgMiddleton Road Interchange.pngB769-auldhouse-br.jpgSpiersbr1.jpg
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B700 – B799
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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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