B786
B786 | ||||
Location Map ( geo) | ||||
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From: | Lochwinnoch (NS349586) | |||
To: | Kilmacolm (NS358699) | |||
Distance: | 8.1 miles (13 km) | |||
Meets: | A760, B788, A761 | |||
Highway Authorities | ||||
Traditional Counties | ||||
Route outline (key) | ||||
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The B786 is a cross-country B-road between Lochwinnoch and Kilmacolm in central Renfrewshire.
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The route starts at traffic lights on the A760 on the southern edge of Lochwinnoch. It heads north east on Main Street and immediately crosses Lochwinnoch Bridge over the River Calder; the traffic lights at the junction also control traffic flow over the bridge, which has extra wide pavements on either side. Continuing along Main Street, the route soon reaches the small town centre, with a cluster of shops and businesses set around a crossroads. The terraces of old stone houses are mostly brightly painted, presenting a cheery outlook on a bright sunny day. There are more shops strung along the High Street, at the end of which the B786 winds past the church and up Johnshill, which climbs steadily past a mixture of Victorian villas and more modern infill. Eventually the last house is passed, but the route continues a gentle, winding climb onto a slight ridge, from where it dips down to cross the Cloak Burn.
A little above the bridge, the B786 curves round to the right to follow the burn up stream into the hills although there are never any particularly steep gradients, the road does meander across the hillside a little to make sure this remains so. A handful of houses and farms are passed, and a couple of short straights, before the route reaches its summit at around 175m After a mile or so across the relatively flat summit stretch, the route curves to the right by a small car park and starts its descent. This remains gentle at first, even with a couple of slight rises, but after a tighter right hand bend it appears to become steeper than the climb. This short sharp drop leads to a long left hander and into woodland, where the road levels out and undulates across the hillside to cross a few tributaries of the River Gryfe. The bends become twistier, especially around Polmillan Bridge over the little Mill Burn. Just before the bridge, a right turn leads to Quarriers Village, which was set up as a new type of charitable children's home in the Victorian era, where the children lived in (large) family units rather than dormitory and canteen accommodation.
A sharp right bend takes the route over the Green Water on Stepends Bridge, and then it climbs past woodland to cross the B788 at a crossroads. A winding descent then leads down to Pacemuir Bridge over the River Gryfe itself, and on the far side of the river the road enters Kilmacolm. It heads northeast along Lochwinnoch Road, which is lined with a mixture of large detached properties and crosses a bridge over a dismantled railway line, which is now a popular cycle route, adjacent to the old station. Lochwinnoch road continue into the town centre before ending at Kilmacolm Cross on the A761.