B778

The B778 is a rural B-road in north Ayrshire.

Route

Kilwinning - Stewarton

The route starts on the A737 at the end of Abbott Adams Bridge over the River Garnock to the east of Kilwinning town centre and heads east along Bridgend Lane, past the cemetery and into the suburbs. Apart from a row of houses opposite the cemetery, the road passes between modern housing estates which back on to it. Old Glasgow Road soon reaches the edge of the town, and passes a small woodland before crossing fields. There is a fairly continuous string of properties along the roadside for the next mile or so, including houses, farms and businesses. After passing the entrance to a quarry, the route winds through trees before straightening up to head north east across fields. Two long straights cross the undulating terrain of this part of the country, passing few buildings to reach the bleak Auchentiber Moss, which is crossed to reach the tiny village of Auchentiber itself and a crossroads on the A736.

Originally the B778 ended in Auchentiber, but there is now a multiplex to the south for nearly half a mile. Immediately after a bridge over the Lugton Water the B778 regains its number by turning left, and continuing east across fields. The land is fairly flat until the Glazert Burn is crossed, after which it becomes hillier. Despite a couple of short straights, the route is quite windy, with a couple of sharper kinks. This section of the route is still quite empty, with just a scattering of houses to be seen. There are a few places along this section of the route, where the road can be seen stretching out ahead for half a mile or more, snaking gently through the fields. There are, however, a few blind crests, hidden dips and sharp bends that can hide oncoming traffic. A long straight then climbs over one such blind crest to reveal a housing estate spread out ahead. This is the edge of Stewarton, and the route soon enters town along Dalry Road.

Stewarton - Fenwick

The modern housing estates on the edge of town sit back from the roadside, but it then kinks right to pass between older housing and a cemetery on the right. Beyond the cemetery are areas of parkland, and then the B778 passes the end of Kilwinning Road, which is unclassified, and under a railway line. The winding Standalane then leads to a mini-roundabout on the A735, Lainshaw Street. The two routes multiplex east, along with the B769, as far as the signalised crossroads in the centre of town. Here the three routes go their separate ways; the A735 turns left, the B769 goes straight on and the B778 turns right onto Vennel Street. Surprisngly, no shops extend along the B778, which soon becomes Holm Street, running between modern housing set back from the roadside. It crosses the Annick Water before having to TOTSO left at a fork onto Loudoun Street. Some older housing lies near the junction, which sits on the hill climbing up from the river. The route continues to climb, to a new roundabout for a new housing estate, beyond which it narrows a little as it heads out into open country once more.

Near Fenwick

The route continues east and climbs up into the hills, passing a couple of farms before two tight bends lift it up to the summit of Blair Hill at around 150m. A long gentle descent follows across the undulating terrain, still with few buildings en route. The Balgray Mill Burn is crossed at Gainford at the bottom of the valley, after which the route climbs again, crossing the 150m contour a second time. Two long straights cross this summit, which is shrouded in forestry, and then the route descends once more to cross the Gardrum Mill Burn. A short climb leads to a roundabout on the A77. Logic would assume that the B778 ends here - but it doesn't. It continues ahead and goes under the M77, after which it meets the two sliproads at junction 7 for the southbound carriageway as it enters Fenwick on Stewarton Road. Soon afterwards the route reaches another mini-roundabout where it does end. To the right is the B7061 (the original line of the A77) and the other direction is unclassified, although a gated strip of overgrown tarmac is the original line of the A77, latterly the B7061.

History

As noted above, the original line of the B778 extended from Kilwinning to meet the A735 at Auchentiber. It was extended very early on to pass through Stewarton and meet the A77 at the northern end of Fenwick. Despite the changes to the A77, and subsequent construction of the M77, the route still appears to end at the same point; when Fenwick was first bypassed, the B7061 continued north to meet the bypass, hence why the old road wasn't renumbered as part of the B778. Back at Stewarton, the roundabout on the eastern edge of the town was constructed in 2021.

The 1922 MOT Road List defines this route as: Kilwinning - Auchentiber