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B788

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B788
Location Map ( geo)
B788 towards Greenock - Geograph - 167669.jpg
Heading west from the B786
Cameraicon.png View gallery (24)
From:  Greenock (NS285758)
To:  Kilmacolm (NS362685)
Distance:  8.1 miles (13 km)
Meets:  A8, B7054, B786, A761
Old route now:  A761, B789
Primary Destinations
Highway Authorities

Inverclyde

Traditional Counties

Renfrewshire

Route outline (key)
B788 Greenock - Kilmacolm
B788 Kilmacolm - Johnstone

The B788 is a cross-country B-road in the Inverclyde Council area, which consists of the western part of the former County of Renfrewshire. It runs from the A8 at the east end of Greenock town centre to the A761 at Knapps Loch on the south side of Kilmacolm.

Route

Greenock Area

The B788 in the foreground TOTSOs to the right at the modified Baker Street junction with the B7054

The B788 starts at traffic lights on the A8 opposite Victoria Quay just east of central Greenock and heads south along a short dual carriageway section of Dellingburn Street. Mid way along the dual carriageway, it meets a roundabout serving Carnock Street and a supermarket, beyond which the two carriageways split to form a sort of gyratory as the route passes under the Gourock branch of the Inverclyde Line railway. There used to be a second roundabout here, but the junction was reconfigured many years ago. Immediately after the railway bridge, the C79, Regent Street branches off to the right, while the B788 continues ahead and starts to climb Baker Street, passing through an industrial area with some derelict sites. Before long it reaches another set of traffic lights, where it TOTSOs left onto Ingleston Street, with the B7054 continuing ahead. This junction was realigned in 2019 to accommodate the removal of a sharp bend a little higher up on the B7054.

Ingleston Street is again a mixture of industrial and derelict sites as it heads east, before passing a school and church. Here the B788 has another TOTSO junction, this time turning right onto Kilmacolm Road, with the C82 Belville Street continuing ahead. It climbs quite steeply past the church, then passes between the substantial abutments of a removed railway bridge, before turning sharply back to the east. There are now houses to the left, with a mixture of woodland and parks opposite as the route continues climbing away from the Firth of Clyde. It goes over the mouth of two tunnels (The line has been singled, so the southern tunnel is now disused) on the Wemyss Bay branch of the Inverclyde Line, with Whinhill station just to the west. After a kink to the left, the route appears to leave the town behind as it runs up through trees and wide grassy verges. In reality, however, it is climbing across a steep slope in the Strone area of town, so a school lies below the road, and housing above, but there is little evidence of either from the roadside.

Higher up, houses appear once more, including new estates, through which glimpses of the Clyde can be had. It then reaches open country as it passes Knocknairshill Cemetery on the left and there are some truly stunning views to the north over the Firth of Clyde and the hills of Dunbartonshire and Argyll beyond. The route winds as it continues to climb steadily away from the east Greenock suburbs towards the 200m contour line, and is known as Auchmountain Road. Eventually, however, it bends to the right, with a small car park on the left offering an amazing viewpoint, and turns away from the coast and onto the moors.

Devol Moor to Kilmacolm

The B788 climbing east out of the Gryfe Valley at Auchenfoyle bridge

Now heading south, the B788 continues to climb as it passes between Lurg Moor on the right and Devol Moor on the left. Knocknairshill Reservoir and Harelaw Reservoir can be seen on the left, while the eight wind turbines at Corlic Hill Wind Farm on the right side of the road were built in 2020. Nearing the end of the moorland stretch, Devol Moor electrical sub-station is passed on the left. At around 210m, this is the highest point on the route. The descent is quite steep at first, with a couple of tighter bends, but the views ahead are again spectacular, stretching across the hills of Renfrewshire. The C17 is passed on the left as the route descends to Auchenfoyle, where it crosses the Gryfe Water on Auchenfoyle Bridge. The road does not remain in the valley, however, as it immediately climbs out the far side, crossing a ridge before dropping down again at Faulds Farm. It then follows the little valley of the tributary Green Water for a mile or so, with a series of bends opening up on to a longer straight. There are numerous farms and houses scattered along this stretch of the route, and the C58 turns off to the right.

The road then climbs a little past East Green Farm and so out of this valley without crossing the stream, and heads eastwards over a slight hill before descending towards Kilmacolm. A tight double bend at Mountblow sees a minor road turn left to Balrossie, and a little further down the hill it meets the B786, which has priority at the crossroads. Kilmacolm War Memorial, located outside the village proper, can be seen in the field on the left just after passing through the crossroads. The route then continues to descend across fields and past patches of woodland. There is one last farm, Milton, on the left and then the entrance to the Duchal Estate on the right as the route winds across the fields. Milton Bridge carries the route over the River Gryfe once more, with on old motte in a field on the right just beyond. It then passes under a bridge on the disused Glasgow St Enoch to Greenock Princes Pier railway line (now NCN75) before ending at a T-junction on the A761 at Knapps Loch to the south of Kilmacolm.


History

The B788 reaching Johnstone in 1922

Originally the B788 continued through Bridge of Weir to end on the original line of the A737 on the far side of Johnstone, although this section was renumbered as the A761 in the mid 1920s. Most of the road to Johnstone is now the A761, but the B788 turned right at Brookfield and so the final section through Johnstone itself is now the B789.

The 1922 MOT Road List defines this route as: Johnstone - Bridge of Weir - Greenock





B788
Crossings
Places
Related Pictures
View gallery (24)
Houses at B788 - B786 junction - Geograph - 429243.jpgB788 towards Greenock - Geograph - 167669.jpgC17 Auchentiber Road - Geograph - 4969588.jpgB7054 Baker Street - Geograph - 5923053.jpgDellingburn 30 January 2020.jpg
Other nearby roads
Greenock
Port Glasgow
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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